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TOOL's MAYNARD JAMES KEENAN Earns Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt

January 7, 2024

TOOL, A PERFECT CIRCLE and PUSCIFER frontman Maynard James Keenan has earned his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

"Congratulations to my friend, training partner, and sometimes nemesis @iamthebriefcase on the monumental task of receiving his Black Belt today," fellow jiu jitsu black belt Ty Gay announced in an Instagram post on Saturday (January 6). "Was an amazing event, with a bunch of truly amazing people. Today, Jiu-Jitsu became just a little bit better."

Back in November 2021, Keenan hit a major milestone in the martial art by being awarded his brown belt, placing him just one promotion away from the coveted black belt.

For his brown belt, Keenan was promoted by well-known Rickson Gracie black belt professor Luis "Limão" Herédia, who runs the Hawaii-based Maui Jiu-Jitsu Academy.

According to a 2015 article from ABC News Radio Online, Keenan has been training in jiu-jitsu since the 1990s, and was also awarded both his blue and purple belts by Herédia.

In 2006, Keenan spoke to The AV Club about his experiences training in martial arts under the legendary Rickson Gracie. At the time, Keenan characterized his jiu-jitsu training under Gracie's tutelage as "humbling," explaining that "I have some skills that I can use, but I'm just a small guy."

During an appearance on the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast, Maynard explained what attracted him to Brazilian jiu-jitsu and why he keeps training it: "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."

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