Actor Tom Hardy has been training Brazilian jiu jitsu for quite a while. While many Hollywood stars train Jiu-Jitsu the majority do it under Rigan Machado. For those unaware, Rigan ‘invented’ a modality of jiu-jitsu – and by that we mean he basically took out live rolling from jiu jitsu and as such his classes are very popular for the showbusiness crowd.
Meanwhile Tom Hardy has been spotlighting REORG jiu jitsu – Founded by former CSgt Sam Sheriff MBE, REORG provides a service for serving personnel and veterans from across all three arms of the armed forces and the Emergency services. REORG BJJ focusses on teaching the art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu to those who have serious, life-altering injuries, or who are suffering from PTSD and depression.
Hardy is currently a blue belt with 4 stripes. This time he was victorious. While a blue belt isn’t exactly mind blowing it’s really nice to see an actor who takes his jiu-jitsu seriously and is willing to put himself in situations where he needs to rely on it.
Hardy won both of his Gi battles via armbar.
Tom Hardy ended up winning gold in both Gi and Nogi divisions of the competition.
He also happily posed for pictures with fans.
Hardy was previously quoted saying:
“Jiu jitsu is very Buddhist. All that we fear we hold close to ourselves to survive. So if you’re drowning and you see a corpse floating by, hang on to it because it will rescue you.”
“When I did the physical preparations and the jiu jitsu, I learned to tame my body, to control it. When I was younger, I had no control over it and I wasnt comfortable in my own skin. Its like I was put into the body of a man without giving me any tools to make it work. I remember when I was a kid, my mom would never let me watch fight films. I didn’t discover Rocky and Commando until I was 15 years old. In the rooms of all my friends, there were posters of Stallone. In mine, there was Mary Poppins!”