Keanu Reeves is a Canadian actor who starred in movies such as The Matrix and John Wick. To prepare for his movies, Keanu trained Brazilian jiu jitsu (BJJ). Keanu Reeves BJJ belt rank is currently white belt.
Full Name | Keanu Charles Reeves |
Profession | Actor |
Birth date | September 2, 1964 |
Birth place | Beirut, Lebanon |
BJJ belt rank | White belt |
BJJ coach | The Machado Brothers |
BJJ movies | John Wick, The Matrix |
Other martial arts experience | Judo, Krav Maga, Muay Thai |
Keanu Reeves Career
Keanu Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to an English mother and a Chinese-Hawaiian father. He later moved to New York City where he attended high school.
Keanu became interested in acting after watching movies such as The Shining and The Elephant Man. He became active in theatre, and after moving to Los Angeles, he landed a number of small roles before getting his big break in the Bill and Ted movies.
Reeves’s first role was in the film River’s Edge, where he played a small role. He followed that up with some minor roles in movies such as Permanent Record, and the comedy Parenthood.
In 1992, Keanu played a major role for the first time in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Reeves appeared in a number of indie movies from 1992 to 1996, including Much Ado About Nothing and Feeling Minnesota.
In 1994, Reeves starred in Speed, and in 1996, he appeared in Chain Reaction and A Walk in the Clouds. He also appeared in the critically acclaimed film The Devil’s Advocate in 1997.
In 1999, Reeves appeared in The Matrix as Neo, a hacker who learns that the world as he knows it is a computer simulation. In the movie, Neo is killed. Reeves reprised the role in the sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.
Reeves’s next major role came in 2003, when he starred in the action movie The Matrix Reloaded. The Matrix Reloaded was a box office success, and grossed over $542 million worldwide.
In 2011, Reeves appeared in the action film 47 Ronin. In 2014, he appeared in the action movie John Wick. In 2017, Reeves appeared in the action movie John Wick: Chapter 2.
Keanu Reeves BJJ Coach and Training
Keanu Reeves trains under John Machado. The Machados train Keanu very hard. The focus of Keanu’s BJJ training is demonstrating technical proficiency. For his movies, Keanu needs to be able to show perfect technique in different environments on a movie set, not just on the mat. But, sparring against resisting opponents is not as important for Keanu.
Keanu Reeves BJJ Belt
Keanu Reeves is a white belt in BJJ under the Machado brothers. Keanu never pursued his blue belt in BJJ, because this doesn’t serve him in his acting career. To get promoted to blue belt in BJJ, you need to perform well in live sparring. Given that Keanu was 50 when he started doing Brazilian jiu jitsu, he wasn’t interested in getting his blue belt.
Keanu Reeves BJJ Movie
Keanu Reeves uses the BJJ moves he learned in his movies. Most notably, BJJ is portrayed in the Matrix and John Wick movies. Keanu performs armbars, a triangle choke, an anaconda choke and many different takedowns from Brazilian jiu jitsu in these movies. Keanu performs these moves very well and convincingly in his movies.
How Good Is Keanu Reeves at BJJ?
Keanu Reeves is great at BJJ as far as technical proficiency and demonstration goes. He is capable of showing high level techniques such as sode tsurikomi goshi and flying arm bars. However, Keanu Reeves doesn’t have a lot of experience with full contact sparring. So Keanu Reeves is very good at BJJ techniques, albeit in a cosmetic way.
Keanu Reeves BJJ Journey
Keanu Reeves picked up his BJJ white belt when he was already 50 years old. He learned BJJ from the Machado brothers to use it in his acting career, most notably for the John Wick movies. Despite his age, he acquired a great deal of technical proficiency in BJJ, which makes his fight scenes look realistic. Keanu will probably stay a white belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu for the rest of his life, using his BJJ only for his movies.
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