TOOL, A PERFECT CIRCLE and PUSCIFER frontman Maynard James Keenan has earned his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Maynard James Keenan‘s fellow jiu jitsu black belt, Ty Gay, revealed the milestone in an Instagram post on Saturday (January 6), which reads: “Congratulations to my friend, training partner, and sometimes nemesis @iamthebriefcase on the monumental task of receiving his Black Belt today. Was an amazing event, with a bunch of truly amazing people. Today, Jiu-Jitsu became just a little bit better.”
In November 2021, Keenan achieved a significant advancement in the martial art, attaining his brown belt and positioning himself just one step away from the highly esteemed black belt.
The promotion to brown belt was bestowed upon Keenan by the renowned Rickson Gracie black belt professor, Luis “Limão” Herédia, who operates the Maui Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Hawaii.
Reports from ABC News Radio Online dating back to 2015 highlight Keenan‘s longstanding dedication to jiu-jitsu, with his training dating back to the 1990s. Notably, both his blue and purple belts were also conferred by Professor Herédia, underscoring the enduring mentorship and training relationship between the two.
Maynard previously spoke about why he chooses to train in Brazilian jiu-jitsu during an appearance on the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, saying: “It’s [jiu-jitsu] the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life; it’s the hardest. It’s the most… I’m getting snowflakey weepy. It’s not something that you are handed. You have to do the work to get it. And I had so many injuries over the years. So much distance from this thing and I’m such a stubborn prick that I have — I’ve started the thing and I’m gonna finish this thing. So that’s where I’m at with jiu-jitsu. And it’s not something that you can be handed.”