The 5-1 Miami Dolphins are absolutely cooking during the early season and they have, in part, Tua Tagovailoa’s jiu-jitsu training to thank. He is having the best year of his career so far through the first six games, completing more than 71% of his passes for 1,876 yards and 14 touchdowns with five interceptions.
Miami is in the driver’s seat in the AFC East, and the AFC as a whole. The key to its success starts at quarterback. If Tagovailoa is on the field, the Dolphins have a chance to win.
That was an issue in each of the last three seasons. The former No. 5 overall NFL Draft pick played just 33 games during his first three years. Injuries — including three documented head injuries during the 2022 season — kept him sidelined.
The problems were so consistent and scary that Tagovailoa even considered retirement.
Instead, he took the offseason to learn how to fall. Many of his injuries stemmed from contact with the ground. Tagovailoa set out to change that root cause with martial arts.
He spent the offseason taking judo and jiu-jitsu lessons, which sparked a lot of jokes. However, it has already proved to be extremely benificial.
Tua Tagovailoa is falling much better.
Judo, an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, was created in 1882. It focuses on immobilizing opponents with a pin or forcing submission with a joint lock or a choke. Strikes and use of weapons are not allowed.
Judokas will inevitably collide with the ground on a frequent basis in competition. That is essentially the entire goal of the sport. Thus, it is crucial for judokas to learn how to minimize their risk of injury.
A large emphasis in judo training is placed on falling techniques. That is where the judo and jiu-jitsu comes into play for Tagovailoa. He learned how to fall in a way that minimizes his risk of injury.
His training was on display during the preseason, and a side-by-side from this year vs. last year proves that he learned a lot. As did his ability to keep his head off of the turf after a big hit against the Bills.
Sunday’s game against the Panthers provided the best example to date. Tagovailoa used his martial arts training to execute a perfect roll after contact.
NFL fans were quick to laugh at Tagovailoa’s offseason training. He didn’t care.
Who’s laughing now? Judo and jiu-jitsu potentially saved his career and his life.