Iowa Lakes Jiu Jitsu

“I’ve know Matt Mentink for 20 years and had the opportunity to work and coach with him. Matt is a person with high integrity and stands by his word and does what he promises. He is passionate about the fundamentals of wrestling and martial arts and helping his student master these skills with confidence. He won’t give up on you if you don’t give up on yourself. I would highly recommend you give Matt a call if you’re looking to learn something new!”

“Been training at Iowa Lakes Jiu-Jitsu since it opened and with Matt a year before. Coach Mentik is great, he’ll point out any holes or flaws in your game and help you correct them. Practices are great with a good hour to 2 hours of solid training and sparring. His coaching doesn’t stop at the gym, if you need help getting into better shape he’ll gladly help you out even if it’s not Jiu-Jitsu related. Very fun environment and great teammates who’ll help you figure out the positions and submissions. Definitely worth going to whether you want to compete in tournaments or just want to get in better shape.”

“I have known Matthew Mentink ( aka COACH ) for 20 years. He has coached many sports throughout his career such as Wrestling, Volleyball, Track, Self Defense and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to name a few. He taught/coached both of my children in physical education, wrestling, and track. Matt has played a huge role in building the knowledge and confidence that my kids have today. I will forever be grateful for the time he has spent with them. I was introduced to the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu nine years ago. Due to a rare disorder I was diagnosed with, I can no longer practice the art. I will never forget the memories, knowledge, and understanding of such a respectful sport and a huge part of that is due to Matthew Mentink. Training with Matt was a lot of fun. He pushed me to be the best I could be. He helped improve my top game and showed me how to work to get there. Matt was always willing to go back to the basics whenever needed. He loved teaching new moves and would get us all excited about learning it. Matt wasn’t selfish with his time on the mat. He is a natural at Brazillian Jiu Jitsu and can retain and apply anything that is shown to him. For the ones that didn’t retain the drills, mounts, escapes, and take downs he was patient with. He pushed us when we needed it. He always welcomed new students and never played into the politics that some dojo’s do. It was never about money with him. It was about training, learning, improving, and having fun. I for one, thrived in that environment. As a female practitioner in the art, I had to be tough in order to compete and roll with my training partners and coach. He helped strengthen my muscle memory, my body, and my confidence. It was truly empowering to know I was holding my own, and feeling as strong as I did. I made them work and scramble at times. I got so used to training with men that when I had a female opponent, I was able to dominate. I trained for a while and then competed in the Best of the Best tournament in Omaha, Nebraska as a white belt in a blue belt division. I won gold in that tournament. That thrill was something I had never experienced before and I was hooked. As a new blue belt, I competed in the IBJJF Chicago tournament once in the Spring and then in the Fall. I won gold twice in my division and once in the absolute. At that point I was ranked 9th in the IBJJF community and I felt on top of the world. To say the least I have had excellent training partners and coaching through the years. Matt Mentink was a huge part of that. I would have never experienced the life long memories, and knowledge that I have without him. You couldn’t ask for a better person to learn from and train with. I would like to recommend my coach, training partner, and my very good friend Matthew Mentink to the Black Belt world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Thank you, Rachele Kuhlman”

“I Showed up on the wrong day from out of town and he came to the gym just to train with me, awesome guy and awesome coach, very glad I made my way here and will definitely be back again!”

“I had the pleasure of training with Coach in Woodbine over the last few years. He has lots of experience competing and coaching wrestling which shows in his ability to break down Jiu Jitsu moves in a way that is easy to understand. Coach is passionate about Jiu Jitsu and rarely ever turns down an opportunity train. We miss him in Woodbine but very happy to see him continue his training and achieve his Jiu Jitsu goals. Can't wait to road trip up there and roll.”