Grady Behrens

  • ‍ ‍ I started training at 15 years old in 2015. At the time I was nearing 270lbs, and was very much a “digitalized teenager”. I was shy and underdeveloped socially, my body had never been taught how to move, and overall I lacked direction in life.

    One Game I enjoyed was an old school UFC title. I decided I needed a change, and inspired by the characterizations of the athletes in the game, started training in martial arts.

    Over ten years later, here we are at Sylvan Lake Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu!

    Martial Arts changed my life. It turned me from a fearful child, into a champion.

    I’m grateful to have the opportunity to give that feeling to others. Especially in my hometown. Thank you all for the support over the years!

  • My goal is to create an environment where beginners feel welcome, experienced students continue to develop, and everyone is treated as a valued teammate.

    I focus on teaching practical, high percentage Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in a safe and supportive atmosphere.

    Every student should be treated equally.

    You should go the extra mile for every one of them.

  • ‍ ‍ Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and martial arts as a whole has been my sole focus since 2015.

    Since then I’ve competed in dozens of BJJ tournaments and sanctioned MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), and utilizing my technical proficiency in grappling to win the majority of them.

    As a competitor I’ve travelled all across Canada in the roles of both a fighter, and a coach in and for many professional bouts under some of Canada’s biggest promotions.

    In this time I’ve also had the opportunity to train alongside some of Canada’s best fighters, and underneath some of the best coaches.

    All of this experience was retained solely for the purpose of giving it back to others. With hundreds of hours of volunteer and professional coaching, it’s needless to say that opening an academy was always the goal.

  • My vision as a competitor (specifically in Mixed Martial Arts) was always simple. To grow as a combat sports athlete I had to study the game, and while training, I had to audit the techniques I learned, and separate them into three categories..

    • What will be functional in a fight against someone trying to hurt me

    • What is useful in a sport jiu-jitsu environment or grappling exchange

    • What is nonsense

    For every hundered “moves” I’ve been taught, I’d say about 75 of them are functional, about 20 of them are realistic, and about 10 are reliable.

    And that 10% (and the concepts they reinforce) became the core of our curriculum.

    Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu that has been pressure tested and proven to be effective.

Jadon Hewitt

Bio:

Martial arts has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started training in Taekwondo when I was four years old. According to my mom, even before that I was constantly fighting imaginary friends around the house, so getting me into martial arts seemed like a natural fit. At around ten years old, I transitioned into Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and from there martial arts became much more than just a sport to me.

What has kept me involved all these years is the art behind fighting. I’ve always looked at martial arts like two painters standing in front of a blank canvas. Every fighter develops their own style, their own ideas, and their own way of expressing themselves. When two people compete, you get to see those styles come together and find out whose approach works better in that moment.

But what I value even more is the learning that comes with martial arts. I believe that side of training is often underappreciated. Martial arts teaches you how to deal with challenges, how to stay composed when things aren’t going your way, and how to keep improving even when progress feels slow. Those lessons carry over far beyond the mats.

Competition has reinforced that mindset for me. Win or lose, there is always something that can be improved. At the same time, being able to recognize your own progress builds a different kind of confidence, the confidence that comes from knowing you have put in the work and become better than you were before.

As a fighter, I’ve always relied heavily on reflexes, speed, and counter fighting. As I’ve gained more experience, though, I’ve realized that the goal isn’t to fit into one specific style. I want to be able to pressure when I need to, counter when the opportunity is there, fight technically, and be aggressive when the situation calls for it. One of the biggest things martial arts has taught me is that learning never ends.

I began coaching when I was around sixteen years old. I felt that there was often much more behind a technique than simply being shown where to put your hands or feet. I wanted to understand why things worked and find ways to explain those ideas so they made sense to different people. I’ve always felt that I connect well with kids and that I’m able to understand how different students process information, which has become a major part of how I approach coaching.

For my students, my goal goes far beyond teaching them how to grapple. I want them to be confident in their abilities, respectful toward others, and to understand the value that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can bring into their lives. I also want our gym to be a place where people feel like they belong. Some of the strongest friendships and memories in my own life have come through martial arts, and I want our students to have the opportunity to build those same lifelong connections.

My long-term goal is to continue competing at a high level while building and running a successful martial arts academy. Ultimately, I want to make martial arts my full-time life, not only by continuing to grow as a competitor, but by passing on the lessons, experiences, friendships, and enjoyment that martial arts has given me.

That is what I want Sylvan Lake Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to represent: a place where people can improve their skills, challenge themselves, build confidence, have fun, and become part of a community that supports them along the way.