Skateboarding and jiu-jitsu might seem like entirely different worlds, but for professional skateboarder Chris Russell, they share a common thread that has remarkably transformed his life.
In a candid segment via Thrasher's "Cold Call," Russell shares how his passion for BJJ has impacted his life positively and draws intriguing parallels between the two disciplines.
While skateboarding was Russell's first love, he stumbled upon jiu-jitsu a few years ago and decided to try it.
He was drawn to the physicality and discipline of the martial art.
The 26-year-old soon realized there were more profound connections between skateboarding and jiu-jitsu than he could have imagined.
The Creature fiend found several striking similarities between skateboarding and jiu-jitsu that surprised him.
Both require immense dedication, patience, and a willingness to fail repeatedly before achieving mastery.
In skateboarding, you fall countless times before landing a trick perfectly, just as you grapple and learn to escape submissions in jiu-jitsu through trial and error.
One of Russell's most consequential parallels was the sense of flow in both disciplines.
Just as skateboarders ride the contours of a skatepark with fluidity and creativity, jiu-jitsu practitioners flow from one technique to another on the mat.
The sense of flow, according to Chris, is what makes both activities so addictive.