Emirates News Agency – UAE history-making astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi becomes first person to practice Jiu-Jitsu in space

ABU DHABI, 4th May, 2023 (WAM) — Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi proudly inscribed another exciting chapter in the country’s history books today, as the intrepid space explorer became the first A guy who practiced jujitsu in space—even though he was dressed appropriately for the occasion.
Al Neyadi floated aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in UAEJJ Gi – the traditional kimono-style attire worn by athletes in the sport – and posted a six-minute video on his social media channels that immediately sparked excitement. Heart’s Space garnered thousands of views, jiu-jitsu watchers in the UAE and around the world.
In the video, Al Neyadi outlines how martial arts – a key pillar of the UAE school physical education syllabus – can help develop discipline, focus and resilience, skills he has transferred to prepare him for the six-month mission, and now, He lives in the microgravity starry sky.
“I love Jiu-Jitsu, I’ve been practicing Jiu-Jitsu for so many years,” Al Neyadi said with a smile. “Jiu-jitsu helped me a lot in preparing for this mission and acclimating to the ISS environment.”
Recalling a pre-mission training exercise in a centrifuge — a machine that simulates many types of G-Force astronauts encounter during launch and re-entry — Al Neyadi said: “When I met my weight two Doubling, tripling, even up to eight times, the first feeling is that there is an opponent on the chest. The first thing I learned in Jiu-Jitsu is to regulate breathing, so this is exactly what I did in the centrifuge experience. I Think jujitsu really helped me overcome that experiment.”
Now in his second full month on the International Space Station, Al Neyadi reflects on how his lifelong passion for jiu-jitsu is paying dividends within the confines of his orbiting laboratory 420 kilometers above Earth’s surface.
“When I got here, I was surprised to find that we mainly use our feet to stabilize ourselves,” said the 41-year-old astronaut, who will celebrate his birthday in space on May 23. “One rationale is that we use our toes to build the base, so the pressure is on the ground; the contact should be on your toes, not your heels. That’s why when I do jiu-jitsu poses in space, my toes Under the armrests, I feel stable. I use my toes to translate (my movements) around and do various tricks. I can jump from place to place and use my toes to stabilize myself. I do A lot of forward rolls and backflips.”
Discussing the connection between physics and jiu-jitsu, Al Neyadi, who is floating, demonstrates a bike warm-up exercise in jiu-jitsu to explain the science behind how large gyroscopes help stabilize and maintain the attitude of the International Space Station. “When I arrived, I tested the concept with bicycle kicks,” grinned the astronaut, spinning in the same direction as the front and rear kicks.
Al Neyadi also had time to outline how jujitsu helped him physically prepare for his history-making spacewalk earlier this week: “During jiu-jitsu training, we try to train our forearms, which is great for EVA (extravehicular activity) Very helpful mission, I worked hours outside the ISS. It’s called a space walk, but we don’t walk – we use our arms. The grip is very strong after years of jiu jitsu training and it helped me do it without difficulty I did this mission. I relate a lot of things from my jiu-jitsu experience to life aboard the ISS.”
Abdel Moneim Al Hashemi, Chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, Chairman of the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Federation and Senior Vice-Chairman of the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said in reviewing Al Neyadi’s historic achievements: “We will always be proud of Sultan. His bravery, wisdom and Humility is an honor and an inspiration to the UAE and all of our citizens and residents. He is a role model to the Arab and Muslim world and to a nation of jiu-jitsu players across the globe. He put the sport of jiu-jitsu on a whole new map, taking us from the mat to the stars.”
“We wish him a safe and successful return and the UAE is very proud of his extraordinary achievement,” he added.