Maynard James Keenan has earned his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu after decades of training in the martial art.
The Tool frontman’s fellow black belt Ty Gay took to Instagram to share the news, along with a photo alongside a freshly promoted Maynard.
“Congratulations to my friend, training partner, and sometimes nemesis @iamthebriefcase on the monumental task of receiving his Black Belt today,” wrote Gay in the post. “Was an amazing event, with a bunch of truly amazing people. Today, Jiu-Jitsu became just a little bit better.”
Some of Keenan’s other training partners and jiu-jitsu colleagues also commented on the post to congratulate Keenan on the monumental achievement.
Wrote Cat Zingano in a comment on Gay’s post: “Well deserved! I’ve watched how hard you worked on this and committed yourself to the art. Wish I could be there to celebrate with you today. When is the ‘slap the shit out of you with our belts’ gauntlet?”
Keenan himself also shared a thank-you post, sharing a photo of his new belt while tagging many of those who helped him along the way: “New Chapter. Thank you all for helping me write the previous.”
There also appeared to be a celebration on Keenan’s Merkin Vineyards Winery, where Keenan, Kay, and others gathered to mark the achievement.
Keenan has trained in jiu-jitsu since the 1990s, achieving his purple belt in 2015 and his brown belt promotion in 2021 by the renowned black belt professor Luis “Limão” Herédia, who helms the Hawaii-based Maui Jiu-Jitsu Academy.
Keenan’s martial-arts training should have him in solid shape for a busy 2024 touring itinerary, including Tool’s US arena tour, which kicks off this Wednesday (January 10th) in Baltimore (tickets available here). The singer will also hit the road as part of the “Sessanta” tour celebrating his 60th birthday. That lineup includes his bands A Perfect Circle and Puscifer alongside Primus (tickets available here).
Below you can see the Instagram posts celebrating Maynard’s black belt status.