F
or many practitioners, it is difficult to narrow
jiu jitsu down to one definitive characteris-
tic. When asked “Why do you do it?” many
would be hard pressed to give a single answer.
While the Art Suave helps to develop a very discern-
ible set of physical skills, it also works on a number
of internal aspects, such as creative expression,
mental toughness and a sense of personal improve-
ment, which are much harder to nail down.Few other sports or pursuits develop these skills
in the same way. However, skateboarding may be
one of the few activities that does. Jiu jitsu’s con-
nections to skateboarding’s older brother, surfing,
are much more established. From the beaches
of Rio to the coastline of southern California, jiu
jiteros have been riding waves between training
sessions for ages. It was surfers who wanted to
take their sport on land that gave rise to skate-
boarding and created an entirely new sport that
much like jiu jitsu, is defined by not only physical
and mental dimensions, but ultimately, the pur-
suit of self-improvement as well.While skateboarding’s connections to jiu jitsu are
less well-known than jiu jitsu’s love affair with surf-
ing, a number of high level athletes from both
skating and grappling have been crossing over
and combining their passions for years. Kron Gra-
cie is perhaps the most famous skater in the jiu
jitsu world, but there are many others.“I’ve met quite a few people on the mat who
also skate. I’ve skated with Jeff Glover and Magid
Hage in Guatemala while we were touring around
before a competition there,” said Jonathan Sata-
va, the New York-based competitor and Marcelo
Garcia black belt. “I’ve also skated with Marcelo
Garcia and I’ve seen videos of Lucas Lepri hitting
a kickflip. Even though we might not always get
acknowledged, we are out there.”The Competitor
Satava, who recently took double gold at the
IBJJF No Gi Pan Ams and added a silver at No
Gi Worlds, is another example of a high levelcompetitor who got his start in skateboarding.
Long before he was winning IBJJF titles, Satava
spent his youth learning kickflips and sliding rails
on a skateboard.“I had a friend in school that was really into skat-
ing – like one of those kids that just couldn’t seem
to get enough. He would bring those Tech Deck
finger skateboards to science class and we’d flip
them around the entire time,” he said. “I kind of
knew what all the tricks were because of the Tony
Hawk’s Pro Skater video games, but I was just fas-
cinated by it all and eventually, I found time to
pick up a board myself. It was around the time the
other kids in my neighborhood got into skating,
so it was good timing and it introduced me to a
whole new culture.”Satava started skating when he was twelve years
old and still skates to this day. He says that al-
though he had some martial arts experience as
a kid, he didn’t find jiu jitsu until he was eighteen
when he joined a club while he was in college,
and was instantly hooked. “I still skate occasional-
ly, but it’s not what it used to be because jiu jitsu
is my priority now. It’s funny, I see stairs that I used
to ollie as kid and I wonder if I could still do it,
but with jiu jitsu as my career, I can’t risk getting
hurt. I like to tell myself I could still do it though,”
he said with a laugh. Satava added that he still
enjoys skating and learning new tricks, but that
it’s mostly about spending time with friends and
enjoying their shared passion for the board.The Skater
Tom Knox got his first taste of grappling through
judo. As a child, Knox and his brother travelled
across the United States competing in numerous
national-level tournaments. However, in 1983, a
young Knox found an old skateboard in his ga-
rage and discovered a new love. Knox contin-
ued competing in judo for another four years
while simultaneously developing his skills on the
board. At age 16, he reached a crossroads and
was forced to pick between judo and skating. He
chose skateboarding and in 1989, turned pro withFROM gis to...
G R I P T APE
BY SCOTT DAVIDSON