Ishmael Bentley is a 4th-degree black belt under world-renowned red & black belt, Pedro Sauer. He began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 1999. After moving to Minneapolis in 2000, he started training at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy under Greg Nelson, eventually becoming an instructor himself. An active competitor for several years, Ishmael received his black belt from Pedro Sauer and also holds a black belt in Kenpo Karate.
Over the years, he has been fortunate enough to train with many of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s greatest practitioners. Recently, from 2012 to 2013, Ishmael lived in California training with three-time World Champion Fabio Leopoldo. Ishmael holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Bioengineering. He is married with two daughters and continues to be involved in the Minneapolis medical community.
Great place! Safe, clean and welcoming.
we have been going to M-Theory Martial arts for approximately 6 months and it has truly been an amazing experience. The atmosphere, the instructors, the other people who attend. It is totally a great place and I would recommend to anyone!
M Theory is a great place with a great crew. Ishmael and Tao are excellent instructors as well as good men and role models. They both have a real knack for teaching and present the techniques in a clear and concise way that even beginners can follow. It's very obvious that both Ishmael and Tao are held in extremely high regard by the students.
I just started training at M Theory, and what I've learned is that it's more than just a BJJ academy- it's a tight-knit community. The other students were very cool and welcoming to us and the environment is very conducive to learning.
I have numerous joint issues from the Army and sports and was concerned about injuries from over-aggressive BJJ players. That was something I saw a lot in the Army while doing combatives- it wasn't encouraged, but nor was it frowned upon. After a few sessions I realized there was nothing to be concerned about. While many players are aggressive and competitive, the instructors have created an environment where the training is conducted safely. The students train hard, but are also careful to ensure people don't get hurt needlessly in training.
I just had hand surgery so I'm going to be out of the game for a while, but even though I just started training with M Theory Im already itching to get back on the mat.
For those of you out there who have been wanting to start BJJ, but haven't gotten around to trying it yet - I reccomend you come in for intro session right away. If you haven't trained in Martial Arts before or you're a bit nervous at the prospect- don't be. If you're a bit intimidated or out of shape- don't sweat it. What kept me personally from starting earlier was a concern over injuries- and I've since realized that was silly. The students at M Theory come in all shapes and sizes, and from all kinds of backgrounds. You will be welcomed by all, you will love it, and you will realize you were stressing over nothing. You'll finish your first session all amped up and you will already be thinking about when you can come back in.
Give it a shot! You won't regret it!
Lastly I will say that I'm not affiliated with M Theory or it's staff in any way other than as a paying student. I didn't know any of them before starting to train there. Nobody asked me to write this review, not will I get anything out of it. I'm writing this review for YOU, not them. I'm writing this so you don't miss any more time you could have been training. You can thank me later. Have fun and get after it!