Joey “Coco” Diaz is not your average comedian. Besides making people laugh, he has a passion for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) that has turned into a family for him. Diaz is a BJJ Blue Belt under Alberto Crane of Legacy Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. His close ties with Jiu Jitsu ambassadors like Joe Rogan and Eddie Bravo have helped him become a household name in the sport.
Joey Diaz’ second Blue belt promotion
Joey Diaz is not just a comedian who trains BJJ, he has also fallen in love with the sport. He credits many of his professional achievements to the art. Although his journey started out rough, he never backed down and kept going. He once admitted that he was too embarrassed to tell anyone about it when he first started. However, training Jiu Jitsu helped him overcome a lot and became his favorite form of exercise.
On August 5, 2016, Joey Diaz was promoted to BJJ Blue Belt by his coach Alberto Crane. He proudly posted the following image on twitter:
But that’s not all – apparently Diaz was just promoted to BJJ blue belt again – this time by Rolles Gracie. It’s interesting to see someone get promoted to blue belt twice – and especially given the fact Diaz outlined a timeline of him starting BJJ in 2013, a decade ago.
According to witness reports, Diaz gave back his blue belt when he started training again, feeling that his skill level downgraded due to the extended break.
Joey Diaz on the Benefits of Jiu Jitsu for Life
Joey Diaz knows how hard Jiu Jitsu is and what it takes to stay consistent. He believes that the benefits are worth the struggle. According to him, training in martial arts can be your home away from home, your getaway. Every time you get a ‘no’, you can go to Jiu Jitsu where somebody will choke you. It becomes a family, and no matter what’s going on around you, Jiu Jitsu is where you go.
Joey Diaz as a Jiu Jitsu Coach
Joey Diaz is not only a BJJ Blue Belt, but he is also a coach. He made a comedy clip about his own form of Jiu Jitsu, called Jersey Jiu Jitsu, which only consists of dirty techniques.
Joey Diaz: A Better Comedian Thanks to Jiu Jitsu
Jiu Jitsu has made Joey Diaz a better comedian. According to him, Jiu Jitsu and MMA broadened his horizon, allowing him to see all aspects of martial arts, comedy, and life. Jiu Jitsu athletes have to pace themselves and come up with new solutions over and over, and he applies these concepts to his career as a comedian.
“In Jiu Jitsu, you can’t go full speed all the way. For me, at my age, I roll, then I rest for a minute, roll, rest for a minute, and I try to do the same thing on stage.”
