Kyra Gracie is supposedly going to start training in judo with the goal of making the Olympics in London 4 years from now.
Out of curiousity - has anyone ever seen her or known of her throwing someone in a bjj match? All the matches I've seen of her she has immediately butt flopped.
LOL..are those the special olympics where no throwing is allowed ? :)
oh well, another delusional ninja about to find out the hard way that World or Olympic championships does not mean 4 people in the weight class, 2 of which are 38 and are 20 pounds out of shape.
I have to agree judom!
she'll learned the hard way. She'll get smashed
Let' she how she does in the local/state tournaments first. Maybe see her at next year's Nationals. Way too early for international competition. I assume she is over 19 and out of juniors.
Judo is very popular in Brazil. Even The local competitions should be very tough.
Wonder where she'll end up training.
Renzo's is the best place in the world for BJJ, but she's gonna have to go elsewhere for Judo.
Perhaps she'll go off to Brazil.
While she'll be behind in standup skill, she'll also have the luxury of not having to worry about money, having a job, or doing most of the other non-Judo things many other Olympic hopefuls have to worry about.
That being said, her first experience with someone like Ronda is going to be a less than pleasurable one. Her BJJ will serve her well against most competitors, but someone like Ronda who has slick ground skills and lots of pressure could get her into a bad position. You don't need to be a BJJ black belt to beat one in a Judo match....you just have to know how to play the rules and get into pinning positions.
excuse the ignorance, but is she a brazilian or american citizen? if shes american, and in a weight class that is not ronda rouseys, i could see her having a shot at making an olympic team.
winning at the olympics is quite another story. making the u.s. team is doable imo. unlike other newbies, she has access to funding, facilities, sponsors, nutritionists, etc.
I'm pretty sure she's Brazilian and lives in Brazil
WaltJ -
That being said, her first experience with someone like Ronda is going to be a less than pleasurable one. Her BJJ will serve her well against most competitors, but someone like Ronda who has slick ground skills and lots of pressure could get her into a bad position. You don't need to be a BJJ black belt to beat one in a Judo match....you just have to know how to play the rules and get into pinning positions.
Without great standup skills she will not go anywhere in judo. Unless she has lightning quick ground work she will not be given enough time to set things up. Good bjj and very little judo skills might work at a local tourny but things change at the high level tournaments. I doubt she even makes the Olympic team.
This thread is worthless without pics.
if she were eligible for the usa team, I am quite sure she would be able to learn enough judo to be at least top 5 in 2 years. She would have to avoid some weights but the womens judo in the usa is not that strong. I believe with good ground work and a nice strategy, she could go all the way. It might be difficult for her to qualify internationally though. She is no way near rondas size so that is out of the question.
To me, the whole thing seems a little annoying because of the fact that bjjers who try to transition to judo have no idea of the skill, training time, technique, conditioning, and competition level that are necessary to reach to be competitive at the national and international judo level.
I just get annoyed by the mentality of "adding a little judo" to your bjj game, as if judo wasn't an all encompassing and very difficult art to learn, let alone master (and beat all those people who have been doing judo their whole life).
It reminds me a bit of Royler Gracie who while dominating sport bjj years ago all of a sudden had the idea, an Olympic gold in judo would be cool, so he consulted with the judo coach on the national team (not sure if it was USA or Brazil) The coach basically said, you must be kidding me, you're willing to "cross-train" in judo in the span of a week, the same amount of time as all these other athletes train in a single day.
Her announcement also conveys this cocky and/or ignorant mentality: “You can tell the world my objective is London 2012! In judo! I’ve been training hard and plan to be there for one more Olympic medal!” said Kyra.
So in a sport/art she has never done before (she has buttflopped in every single bjj match I have ever seen her in and never attempted a throw), she plans to not only make her countries' Olympic team, but also medal in the Olympics - that is, place among the top 3 in the world. It's cool to set your goals high, but I personally wouldn't be announcing to the world my plans for world domination in 4 years in a sport I have never attempted before.
FatBuddah, just curious where you got the Royler info? About him consulting the coach about becoming a judo olympian? I had never heard that before.
I'm hoping it isn't the same place that you got the info that Kyra lives in Brazil. ;)
Don't you have to be a U.S. Citizen to compete for the us?
lol LeftBench!
How long has she lived in the states? If she is here now, hasn't she been in Brazil most of her life before that? Are you sure she is a US and not a brazilian citizen just because she's teaching here now?
The Royler info was from a magazine interview wayyyy back in the day - don't remember which one!
- i doubt she is a US Citizen.. yet.
2. it depends on the weight class.<br />
3. it depends on her willingness to basically stop competing and training in bjj and devote no less than 20 hours a week to judo.
4. it depends on what her natural athletic talents are. just because somebody is tops in bjj doesnt mean they are talented on their feet.
5. it depends greatly on her coaching and training partners.
I didn't say she was a US citizen, just saying she lives in the US now.
Edit: That was to FatBuddah
I would add to Josh's post:
6. It depends on her ability to check her Gracie-sized ego at the door, and actually learn judo.
kyra doesnt have a gracie sized ego. talk to the people at the OCJTC who had her coming to learn judo there awhile back and they will tell you about how amazingly humble, kind, and hard working she was.
check yourself for thinking you know something when you dont know shit from shinola.