More often than not, athletes and coaches are criticized for things on and off the court, field or ice, whether it’s good or bad. And for that reason, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has kept a very unique focusing mechanism on the down low from the public.
Mazzulla allowed Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe in on the secretive ritual — jiu-jitsu training.
Mazzulla explained to Himmelsbach that the world of martial arts began as a child and continued throughout his life before pausing when he became an assistant coach with the Celtics in 2019.
However, the training was reignited when Boston named Mazzulla as Ime Udoka’s replacement as head coach of the Celtics.
“It was important to have something where I was being coached every day, where I was being challenged, so I could use that to help my leadership,” Mazzulla said. “I thought it was very important to get back into it as fast as I could.”
Jiu-jitsu allows Mazzulla to work on mental focus while training, along with breathing, competition and even defeat.
“The mat brings an awareness, a humility, and a level of discomfort and being challenged that really benefits me,” Mazzulla told Himmelsbach. “You have to go to places to lose in order to win. Because of my inexperience, it’s where I go to lose.”
In sports, there are no guarantees that the top seeds will continue to advance in the playoffs. Just ask the Boston Bruins or the Milwaukee Bucks and Mazzulla recognizes that.
“The team who lost three times will come in with more desire,” Mazzulla explained. “You will more naturally relax because you’ve gotten the job done. But the ones who got the punishment you gave, it never goes away.”
The Celtics are in the midst of their quest for Banner No. 18 as the top-seeded Eastern Conference team. Mazzulla is undoubtedly aware of the focus he and the Celtics must have while facing the Philadelphia 76ers, and jiu-jitsu can only help.
