There’s been a lot of talk about how the Miami Dolphins starting Quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, plans to stay healthy next season. Talks of new helmets, added weight, and Jiu Jitsui training, but what does that mean?
If you’re a combat sports fan or a MMA fan, then you’ve heard the term. Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art that focuses on grappling and submissions, but how does this help? I trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu back when I was cage fighting; before learning how to train, my coach showed the class how to brace for falls. Falling is an important trait; you will fall every class as the other students learn to take down their opponents and work their submission games. So, falling without injury is rather important to learning the art. Granted, the falling was done on padding; the main focus was to disperse your energy away from central points; you did this by using your arms and shoulders and rolling with the flow before impact; this practice is commonly referred to as “Breakfall.” When looking back to the prior season, Tua applying Breakfall techniques could have prevented the concussion sustained against the Packers. Instead of allowing the energy of the fall to roll and disperse outwardly, he allowed his neck and head to whip back onto the ground.
If you would like to learn more about how to Breakfall, he’s a great video from a Jiu Jitsui instructor. The instructor shows several different methods from different angles on how to fall safely.
I hope we all hope that this keeps Tua healthy for not only this upcoming season but for his entire life. With little work being done in the off-season to address the offensive line, will break-falling techniques, a new helmet, and added weight be enough to keep the star quarterback safe?
