Tua Tagovailoa has surprising offseason training to help avoid head injuries
By John Buhler
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is planning to learn some judo this NFL offseason.
As part of his NFL offseason regiment, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will learn judo.
By the end of the summer, Tagovailoa will know judo about as well as Thomas Anderson knew kung fu. The Dolphins star quarterback is going to learn some judo because he believes it will help him learn how to fall better so he can avoid more head injuries. Tagovailoa was nearly sent into early retirement after suffering a pair of concussions during the middle part of his third season.
Here is Tagovailoa explaining to Kay Adams about his intentions to learn the martial art of judo.
Tua Tagovailoa plans to learn some judo so that he can learn how to fall better
This is going to go one of two ways. Either he is going to be crane-kicking some would-be tacklers into the dome like he is The Karate Kid or Tua Judo will go the way of Rex Kwon Do. Tagovailoa is an Alabama alum, an SEC team synonymous with the crane kick. Regardless, Tagovailoa’s health and safety should be prioritized about everything else. He cannot sustain another bad concussion.
It was a breakthrough season for the 2022 Dolphins. Tagovailoa, at times, played up to the billing of being the former No. 5 overall pick by Miami. Although he did not play for them down the stretch, Miami was good enough under new head coach Mike McDaniel to reach the AFC playoffs as the No. 7 seed. They have a good roster, but they must get better play from their quarterback.
Truthfully, if Tagovailoa thinks judo is going to help him stay on the field for longer, then god bless him, man. However, concussions tend to happen more frequently once a person suffers their first few. Tagovailoa may throw a beautiful spiral and speak very well at the podium, but his injury-prone nature is why he fell to No. 5 in the 2020 NFL Draft. It goes further than even concussions.
Keep in mind that Tagovailoa will be eligible for the fifth-year option with Miami this offseason.