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Sultan Al Neyadi: The First Person To Practice Jiu-Jitsu In Space

Sultan Al Neyadi: The First Person To Practice Jiu-Jitsu In Space

Sultan Al Neyadi is an astronaut from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), currently spending his time in the International Space Station (ISS).
It’s his country’s first long duration space mission – and he’s also the first person to practice Jiu-Jitsu in space!

Al Neyadi is a BJJ purple belt, who’s been training for around 7 years.
He’s brought his gi to the space mission as well and, in a recent video, appeared in it – praising what Jiu-Jitsu has done for him:

This [wearing the kimono] is because I love Jiu-Jitsu. I’ve been doing Jiu-Jitsu for so many years and I think that Jiu-Jitsu helped me a lot during the preparation for this mission. And to getting adapted to the environment here, at the International Space Station.

For example, Jiu-Jitsu experience helped him when he was in the centrifuge:

There were a few times when I was in the centrifuge – which is a machine that simulates the G-forces that we encounter during launch and re-entry.

And, during the centrifuge, while I was encountering my weight times 2, 3, or even up to 8 times… The first sensation was like feeling an opponent on top of my chest.

And one of the things that I’ve learned during Jiu-Jitsu is to regulate the breathing – so this is exactly what I’ve done during the centrifuge experience.

Sultan Al Neyadi shared more on how BJJ has helped his astronaut training on the video below:

 

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