BY KEN SUMNER

Three members of Arashi-Do Sylvan Lake travelled to Calgary to train with Master Sylvio Behring, Apr. 19.

Head of the Arashi-Do Behring Brazilian Jiujitsu Alliance, he is a veteran, starting when he was four, and doing martial arts for 46 years now. Growing up in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, he learned to defend himself at a young age. Now a Master in Brazilian Jiujitsu (BJJ), he regularly teaches police and private security in Brazil how to defend themselves without hurting their opponent.

Master Sylvio also teaches Brazilian Jiujitsu to some of the sport’s biggest practitioners. On the same day as the grading and seminar one of his students, Fabricio Werdum, competed in the UFC, winning a decision victory over Travis Browne. Fabricio called Master Behring the day of the fight and encouraged all of the students to cheer for him.

Master Behring completed a grading for the kids first. Shayleigh Charrette, Austin Boles, and Kennedy Bjorgan all received their yellow and grey bar belts. This was in recognition of the skills they have learned in classes recently.

Next Master Behring took the youngsters through a lesson involving how to use Brazilian Jiujitsu to defend themselves, as well as making sure that they are also using their words to defuse the situation, to make sure that no one gets hurt. This use of words while defending yourself is something that many types of martial arts either miss or completely ignore.

Sensei Ken, head instructor of Arashi-Do Sylvan Lake, said, “This type of training is something that we try to do in our school, but to have Master Behring doing this is amazing”

Master Behring continued his training with the Arashi-Do Group from April 25-27th.