Jiu-Jitsu
Jiu-Jitsu equips a smaller, weaker person with the ability to defend themselves against a bigger, stronger, heavier attacker with the use of leverage and weight distribution. . Training can be used both for self-defense situations and for sport grappling tournaments. Sparring (commonly referred to as “rolling” within the Jiu-Jitsu community) and live drilling play a major role in training and the practitioner’s development. Jiu-Jitsu is not just a martial art or sport, but also a method for promoting physical fitness, discipline, and character.
Sylvio Behring United States
Apex Fitness and Martial Arts is the United States headquarters for the Sylvio Behring association. The SBA is a Jiu-Jitsu association led by Master Sylvio Behring, an 8th degree red and black belt. The association uses Jiu-Jitsu as a tool for transforming society and is present on 4 continents.
Professor Sam Brown
Professor Sam Brown is the owner and operator of Apex Fitness & Martial Arts. A third degree black belt under Master Sylvio Behring, he brings a wealth of training and competition experience in Jiu-Jitsu, Self-Defense, Boxing and Fitness training to the academy. Professor Brown began training Jiu-Jitsu while traveling in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and competed in a national tournament while there. Once back in the states, he continued training and competing across the country. Initially, he studied under Roberto Maia while living in New Hampshire and under Brandon Olsen in Montana.
Residing in Bonners Ferry, ID, he opened Bonners Ferry BJJ in 2015 and has since been building a team and spreading Jiu-Jitsu throughout North Idaho.
Master Sylvio Behring
Master Sylvio Behring was born in Rio De Janiero, Brazil and is the son of Flavio Behring who is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Grand Master (9th degree).
Master Slyvio Behring holds the rank of red and black belt (8th degree) as well as a Judo black belt, he is widely regarded as one of the top grappling instructors of his generation. Sylvio begain training Jiu-Jitsu under the Barreto Brothers at the age of 4 with Grand Master (9th degree) Alvaro Barreto. Sylvio became one of Barreto’s top students.
Along with his brother Marcelo Behring, Sylvio helped the development of Jiu-Jitsu in different regions of Brazil, including Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre.
In 1970 the Behring family moved to São Paulo where Sylvio continued his training with Gastão Gracie. 4 years later the family moved back to Rio de Janeiro and Sylvio carried on under the guidance of Alvaro Barreto (Joao Alberto’s younger brother).
Sylvio was a natural grappler and by 1980 (as a purple belt) he was was chosen to become an assistant instructor of Master Alvaro Barreto. It was also around the same time that Flavio Behring signed up both his sons: Sylvio and Marcelo, to one of Brazil’s top judo schools. The famous dojo run by George Mehdi. Training under Mehdi, Sylvio was eventually awarded his black belt in judo.
Sylvio Behring received his Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt in 1984 in a ceremony attended by João Alberto Barreto, Reyson Gracie and Alvaro Barreto – Sylvio’s brother Marcelo Behring would also receive his black belt later that year.
In 1987 Sylvio Behring became the head instructor of the famousCorpo Quatro academy in Copacabana’s Rua Francisco Sá, a small academy famous for having had the elite of BJJ as coaching staff. Coaching at Corpo Quatro Sylvio would build one of the very first all female teams in BJJ.
It was around 1992 that Sylvio started working on the development of his “Progressive System of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu”. A breakthrough coaching curriculum for the martial art implementing some of the more traditional views on jiu jitsu. It was also around that time that Sylvio formed a partnership with Fábio Gurgel in Sao Paulo, giving start to one of today’s most well known grappling stables in the world, the Alliance SP academy.
In 1994 Master Ricardo Múzio brought one of his blue belt students to Sylvio’s attention. The boy was an incredible talent but lived and trained in the South of Brazil (Gaúcho) where there was no high level jiu-jitsu. Ricardo believed in the youngster and asked if Sylvio could take him under his wing and help him reach his full potential. The young boy was Márcio Corleta – who would indeed become a black belt world champion under the instruction of Behring.
That first link with Márcio Corleta would form the Winner-Behring affiliation (Winner being a small gym that belonged to Márcio). Taking the team under his guidance Behring regularly traveled to the area to help the coaching and had the students there travel to Rio de Janeiro to train with him. This partnership lasted for many years producing high end talent such Fabrício Werdum, Mário Reis, Rosângela Conceição, Alexandre Fortes, Igor Negal, Marcelo Luz and more.
In 2001 Sylvio had the intention of moving to the US. However, after having his visa denied, Behring eventually settled in Porto Alegre where he stayed up until 2003, further helping the development of jiu jitsu in the region.
Sylvio Behring was promoted to red and black belt/coral (7th degree) in 2008 by Grand Masters: João Alberto Barreto, Alvaro Barreto and his father Flavio Behring. Always surrounded by jiu jitsu, Sylvio has also worked as vice-president of FJJD-Rio (Federação de Jiu Jitsu Desportivo do Rio de Janeiro) and as head coach at the X Gym in Rio de Janeiro, where he coached many of the Black House MMA team fighters, most famously, Anderson “The Spider” Silva and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.