Origin of this martial path
Why did Mikael Martins create his own path in the martial arts.
Durante mais de vinte anos, Mikael Martins explorou diferentes artes marciais, procurando um sistema verdadeiramente eficaz para os desafios da vida moderna:
- Aikido: mobility, center and fluidity.
- Karaté: physical rigor, timing and power.
- Jeet Kune Do: freedom, realism, strategic openness.
- Kali: adaptability, coordination, improvised weapons.
- Silat: fluidity, center control, offensive biomechanics.
- Self-Defense: pragmatism, control, anticipation.
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: ground bases, energy saving, leverage.
Fundamental issues in martial arts.
Systems tied to rigid, outdated traditions (Karate...) or too sports-oriented with competition rules creating bad habits (MMA, BJJ or any combat sport).
Accumulation of styles dilutes effectiveness. Even advanced practitioners spend their lives accumulating techniques. However, in general, students do not have the time or energy to master several disciplines before becoming operational.
“The essence of Bruce Lee was not about combining styles but keeping what is useful and eliminating what is unnecessary...”
Mikael does not intend to correct Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do, the most complete method he practiced, but to extend its foundational intuition: preserve the essential and adapt it to the modern, immediate, and multifaceted world.
The need for a clear synthesis.
Between the demand for effectiveness and the search for authenticity, Mikael understood that no existing method combined simplicity, realism, and adaptability for moderate training sessions, as most students train two or three times a week. Those who train more can become proficient in various modalities but unlikely to maintain an elite level in all. He then concluded that he needed to intelligently synthesize to not lose some principles and the ability to adapt.
Deep internal reflection
After years of testing, intense sparring , security work in sensitive zones (Paris and its surroundings), real confronts (threats with a knife, multiple assaults), and a deep internal reflection, Mentadorio was born.
What is the Mentadorio
Mentadorio is a practical, accessible, and efficient proposal for individuals who train with moderate frequency and seek real results, or for advanced practitioners aiming to reach an elite level of real-world efficiency more quickly.
Why choose Mentatorio
Why Mentadorio?
The name Mentadorio is a synthesis of multiple layers of meaning:
- Ment: clarity of mind, capacity for lucid decision-making, without noise or hesitation.
- Do: the path, the way, the discipline that shapes the body and spirit.
- Rio: the continuous flow, the adaptability of the river that bypasses obstacles but never loses direction.
- Rio (Ryu): reference to the Japanese term 流 (ryu), which means school or lineage, but also "flow" or "current."
- Menta: like the plant (Menta=Minte in portuguese), a symbol of freshness, sobriety, simplicity, and regeneration.
The Mentadorio is not a closed style, but "the way of the spirit of fluidity“.
The central principles
- Simplicity and precision: direct and applicable techniques.
- Ethics and consciousness: self-control and personal responsibility.
- Realism and adaptability: training in motion, realistic sparring, preparation for unexpected situations.
- Body and mind united: physical development, emotional calmness, and stress management.
Who is it intended for?
- Beginners who want to learn to defend themselves in a simple, serious, and efficient manner.
- Advanced practitioners seeking a more functional and modern approach.
- Security professionals, law enforcement officers, or individuals seeking autonomy and self-confidence.
- Security professionals, law enforcement officers, or individuals seeking autonomy and self-confidence.
The practice of Mentadorio
It is the constant pursuit of clarity, efficiency, and freedom without rigidity or folklore. Then apply it to everyday life as a life philosophy. Be like the river: flexible but relentless, light but deep. The essence lies not in what we accumulate, but in what we allow to flow.