SUMMARY
- Joe Mazzulla recently started undergoing Jiu-Jitsu sessions.
- Mazzulla claims that training in martial arts replicates a sense of pressure that his players undergo on a daily basis.
Joe Mazzulla recently went into depth and explained how practicing Jiu-Jitsu has developed him into a better coach for his team. To those who might not be aware, Mazzulla is the head coach for the Boston Celtics and led the team to hold the best record in the entire NBA this season.
Since Mazzulla is younger and less experienced when compared to the majority of head coaches in the NBA, fans undoubtedly wonder about his key to finding success and helping his team get on the same page during the regular season. With that being said, let us find out what he had to say on the subject during a recent interview.
Joe Mazzulla looks to Jiu-Jitsu to recreate simulations of stress and pressure
There is no denying that a significant gap exists between the players and coaches. After all, their contributions towards the team winning the game are very different. Although Joe Mazzulla does not step on the court and deal with the actual stress and struggles that stars on his team such as Jayson Tatum undergo, he revealed that going through Jiu-Jitsu sessions and being put in a chokehold helped him get a sense of the pressure.
“Once my dad passed and my kids started getting older, I started to like rekindle the passions of the arts..and then I get the job and I’m like alright coaching the Celtics you’re in a fu*kin fight every day so let’s just simulate that…So my assistant and I, we find a jujutsu instructor and I fell in love with the guy right away….”
Joe Mazzulla talked jiu-jitsu on @PardonMyTake:
“It gives me a way to connect with the guys — it gives me a way of being empathetic, like I know what they’re going through… if I can get the shit kicked out of me from time to time, it’s only going to help me get better.” pic.twitter.com/tzZprlRhuK
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzellNBA) April 19, 2024
it is undoubtedly a unique or even bizarre approach to go through martial arts sessions in order to simulate a sense of stress or pressure that players deal with on a consistent basis. After all, the differences between Jiu-Jutsu and NBA basketball are quite significant and can’t really be compared. Be that as it may, Mazzulla believes that it creates some sense of empathy and connection between himself and the players on his team.
Mazzulla claims that it allows him to empathize with the members of the Boston Celtics’ roster
Although martial arts training and sparring sessions are very different from NBA-level basketball, it is still significantly better than doing nothing and just bossing over or lecturing players without having to lift a finger. Joe Mazzulla went on to claim that his own training allowed for a sense of camaraderie between him and the players.
Fans can certainly debate over whether Mazzulla can claim to feel like a player undergoing brutal training sessions with his own personal martial arts sessions. At the end of the day, his unique method of empathizing with his team has certainly brought on a fair amount of success this season. One must wonder if this will also translate to the postseason and help the Celtics win a championship.