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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered multiple concussions during the 2022-23 NFL season. Tua’s concussions came after he would be thrown to the ground and bounce his head off of the turf. Now, he’s turning to a martial art in an effort to combat that.
Former U.S. Olympic judoka Jason Morris reached out to Tagovailoa during the season and told him to give judo a try because it could prove to be beneficial and help to avoid head injuries.
“I was watching your show with Peter King talking about Tua’s concussion situation and the fact he keeps hitting his head on the ground,” Morris told Pro Football Talk in an email. “I have forever thought and wanted the NFL to employ an expert Judo player/coach to teach the football players a little Judo, which starts with learning how to fall properly as we take tons a falls everyday but know how to naturally take that fall without hitting our heads.”
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa tells @UpAndAdamsShow that he has a plan to take judo this offseason to learn how to fall better. Things to help him avoid head issues next season. pic.twitter.com/15uCPaz2by
— Will Manso (@WillManso) February 10, 2023
As it turns out, Tagovailoa took Morris’s advice and is now training Judo once a week.
“We’ve got a plan set up,” Tua told Kay Adams on the Up & Adams podcast during Super Bowl week. “I’ll be doing Judo on Fridays just so that I can kind of figure out understanding my body and how to fall. . . . Just trying to help myself.”
It’s a brilliant move for Tua, who needs to protect himself to avoid further concussions. Due to the string of head injuries he suffered last season, he needs to do what he can to avoid having the same problem moving forward if he wants to have a lengthy career in the NFL.
And, hey, martial arts are fun, so it’s a way to add some variety to your typical workouts and if it protects his brain in the long run it is more than worth it.
