Want to be an Action Star? Train BJJ

By Fanatics Authors, August 21, 2018

Unless you’re in hiding and completely cut off from the world and popular culture, you’ve probably heard of Jason Statham. He’s a titan in the action film industry, starring in films such as the Expendables, and The Transporter series. Statham is currently prepping for a role in the upcoming Fast and Furious spin off, Hobbs and Shaw. He has made one hell of a career out of portraying a tough guy. But If you thought Jason Statham was only a bad ass in movies, you’d be mistaken. The charismatic, 51-year-old action star is a long time BJJ practitioner and seems to take his love of martial arts and combat very seriously in his time off-screen as well.

Recently a photo emerged of Statham, seemingly post BJJ training, in a gi off to the side of the training floor. We can’t help but wonder how the session went, and who he was training with! Statham has been training a lot recently for his upcoming role- leaving us to wonder what kind of BJJ will we see in the Hobbs and Shaw film.

Jason Statham began training with fellow Brit, Director Guy Ritchie almost 16 years ago, and is ranked as a purple belt under none other than the legendary Renzo Gracie.

In an interview in 2008, Statham was asked about the idea of young adults and children training in MMA. His response was quite insightful. He stated that involvement in the martial arts of that nature “breeds a bit of peace.” I like his position. He goes on to discuss how possessing a martial arts skillset can actually develop a calmer individual. The day to day grind of an actor who stars in such demanding roles is hard on the body and mind. If BJJ can calm an action hero, it can do wonders for the mere mortals of the world. Pretty awesome stuff!

It’s always fun to see movie stars take part in the art we love so much, especially when they are pillars of the action movie scene. Here’s a fun fact: the late Paul Walker, the original star of Fast and Furious movies was a brown belt under Ricardo Miller of Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in California. He was awarded his black belt, posthumously, two weeks after his death at a memorial event. Jiu-Jitsu, with all its health benefits and calming abilities, seems to be essential to the Fast and Furious dynasty.

We respect their efforts and relate to their struggles as practitioners. Hearing what actors and action stars have to say about the art we know and well so much really shows us how impactful BJJ can be. It widens the circle of our BJJ family, just a bit, and reminds us that we are part of a bigger community. BJJ makes us all a little bit more human.

Get yourself ready for the next big action film tryout with Alexandre Vieira's Crucifix and Loop Choke instructional and be ready to choke those bad guys out! You can get it here at BJJ Fanatics!

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