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!’

But now he’s chosen to open up about his love of as he calls it “dark jiu-jitsu”

For the first couple years, I stuck with it, and it was really difficult. I loved it, and I hated it, because I was so terrible at it. And eventually it just sort of started clicking. I think around 3 or 4 years in it started making more sense. And around that fourth year I started really falling in love with leg locks. My game has really developed totally into the heel-hook and leg-lock game. Which I love that it’s kind of looked at as the ‘dark jiu-jitsu world,’ and people kind of look down upon it in traditional Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

I’d love to someday be able to train with John Danaher or Eddie Cummings… John Danaher is the guy that really – he didn’t invent it – but he put a curriculum to it, a system to it, and made it something that people can study and get into. My school, they’re cool with me doing it, but they don’t really have a leg-lock curriculum. It’s really looked at as like… if BJJ is kind of a blanket statement of metal and rock and hardcore and punk – if that’s what BJJ is – heel-hooks is ‘black metal.’ Heafy told .inquisitr

Additionally Heafy revealed why he chose bjj:

We toured over in Brazil, and I loved the country so much that I said to myself – ‘I want to do what the Brazilians do. And that’s either soccer or jiu-jitsu.’ I said, ‘I want to pick the harder one. I want to try jiu-jitsu.’