Matt Heafy is a bjj purple belt and he’s quite dedicated. In fact he’s so dedicated that he also arranged for a inter band bjj & grappling tournament a little while back.
Renowned Rock Magazine Set To Host Live Band Member Jiu-jitsu Tournament
Since then he’s revealed just how bjj helps him in all things life and especially music. He fronts Trivium – Trivium is an American heavy metal band from Orlando, Florida.
Here’s what Heafy told in a revealing interview to The Rising man:
On how bjj helps him with his music –
‘I have re-instilled the process of building something from the ground up back into my guitar playing and my singing, and I’ve become a better guitarist and singer thanks to Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I do at least 1-3 hours of singing training every single day of the week – I play guitar for at least an hour every day and I have jiu-jitsu at least 6-days-a-week. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is like being in a band – the only way to get good at these things is to put in the time.’
On the only move that’s banned on tour:
We banned wrist locks on tour because they are too risky for guitar players – and Ezekiel Chokes are banned because that’s an absolute vocal ender. When I was a white belt I had partners come out and train on tour at the weekend, but I could hardly sing on stage. Nowadays I never really get injured – you’re sore at times but luckily with BJJ if you have the right partners and you’re training with the mindset of, “I want to do this for the rest of my life,” then you can.’
On mental benefits of bjj:
’If someone was to train in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and do no other physical or mental activity, it’s the perfect well-rounded thing. It takes care of cardio, it takes care of strength and conditioning, but the biggest benefit is the mental benefit. We’re all able to full speed try to choke each other, beat each other competitively and afterwards everyone feels a release – it’s almost like an outlet for everything in your normal day and I’m not talking about people having a bad day, and using it to get out aggression, per se, but it’s like a therapeutic release in addition to all of the physical benefits – exactly like heavy metal!’
