Kron Gracie takes the gentle art to new heights for students in the land of the kangaroo

I’m sure you can figure out the rest of the story, or else I wouldn’t feel the need to tell you all about this amazing young man who recently spent two weeks in Australia and who we were lucky enough to have training at Axis Jiu-Jitsu Academy.  
Kron is not a physical giant, he doesn’t fight with anger or brute strength, he’s not the fastest human alive and he’s only just received his black belt. Then, how is it that he was able to dispatch 30 of us in a row, the longest lasting no more than 15 seconds? It’s an interesting question that has changed the way we train at Axis, and it has changed the way we see Jiu-Jitsu.
Kron’s technique is so pure, and his family’s theories so groundbreaking that the small amount of information he was able to give to us in two weeks will stay with us for the rest of our lives.  Rickson has taught Kron well, and now we will see where the next generation can take this amazing art.

Kron was invited to train at Axis Jiu Jitsu Academy Australia by head coach Jason Roebig, a brown belt under Rickson Black Belt Takamasa Watanabe of Axis Japan. Like Kron, Jason Roebig has dedicated his life to martial arts, including aiki bujitsu, jujitsu, aikido, ninjitsu, judo, taekwondo amongst others. Before Kron arrived Jason had not tapped in seven years, and we, his loyal students, were very excited to see how Jason would fair against this young warrior. It was after the 5th tap we truly realised how lucky we were to be learning from Rickson’s son and heir.
In Australia, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has found its way off the mat and onto the rugby fields. Jason Roebig, through the Axis Tackle Clinic (A training program specialising in core stability on contact and in the tackle as well as ground recovery) is the defensive contact coach for the Gold Coast Titans, the Queensland State Team and Australian Rugby League Team.
In Australian Rugby league it is now common place to have the expertise of a grappling coach. Due to the speed of the game the coaching staff realised there was a need for the players to improve their holding skills on the ground so that the player that had been tackled couldn’t get up too quickly in order to play the ball. Now, they want Kron to get back to Australia to see his Jiu-Jitsu helping our rugby.

Here, Kron was humble, friendly, open, and honest, and his grace and technique on the mats were beautiful things to feel. If this is to be the future of Jiu-Jitsu, and I truly believe it is, then I’m glad I’ve picked this era to bring it into my life. Find out a little more about Kron, in this interview by Jason Roebig:

So how did you get lucky enough to come spend some time in Australia?
One of my good friends is a student of Taka’s, his name is Jason Roebig, who came and offered me a trip out here to come teach and spend some time in Australia so I could see the Gold Coast; it was a great decision of mine to come over here. The seminars have been great; I got to meet a lot of good people and tried to show my technique to them as best I can.

Have you learnt any of the local Australian sayings?
Oh of course, Mate!! (Laughs) There are heaps of words I’m keen about, a lot of stuff.. like “Yeah he’s a good bloke” (he’s a nice guy)

Have you had a chance to hit the surf while since getting here?
Yeah, I actually got some good surf earlier today! Well not so good, but small fun surf today and yesterday. I’ve surfed on the Sunshine Coast, not so big but small and fun.

We’ve all seen those awesome Quicksilver patches on your Gi and you are always dressed in the latest Quicksilver gear. How’d you end up being sponsored by such an awesome company?
I have a good friend that hooked me up with getting me sponsored by the performance line and ever since I’ve been sponsored they’ve been really helping me out and really been a good sponsor to me. I’m really grateful for that situation!

We heard you spend some time at the Quicksilver house in Hawaii teaching the surfers how to do Jiu-Jitsu and in turn you get lessons from the best in the business! Man could life get any harder!
(Laughs) Can life get any easier is the answer to the question. Yeah, it was a great experience.

So Jiu-Jitsu and surfing are a big part of your life. What else do you do to fill in the time?
I like to hang out, skate, usually when I’m not training or surfing, I really like to just rest my body and then get back to training.

Jiu-Jitsu has made its way into a number of sports, surfing and MMA are good examples, Rugby League is another. In Australia, Jason from Axis Jiu-Jitsu is the tackle coach for the Queensland State Team and also the highly regarded Gold Coast Titans, in fact a number of national teams are using Jiu-Jitsu’s techniques to bring the game to a new level. How does it make you feel to know your family’s creation is becoming so widely utilized?
I think it’s an honor to see people appreciating the art for what it is and to see it going international and people using it in different sports makes me feel really good about what I do. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to train those guys too. It’s really putting Jiu-Jitsu on the next level and I think it’s an honor for me to share my Jiu-Jitsu with the world.

In a few words how would you describe what Jiu-Jitsu means to you?
Jiu-Jitsu doesn’t mean anything to me, Jiu-Jitsu IS me! I don’t think I’d be anything without Jiu-Jitsu. Everything I have and everything I am is because of Jiu-Jitsu.

You seem to have grown since your World Championships performance this year! What lessons have you learnt?
I learned a lot about myself, what I should be feeling on the inside and how I should feel on the outside. It’s more an inner thing than anything specific, I just learned a lot about me.

So what’s in the near future for Kron? Abu Dhabi? MMA? More Seminars?
I have lots of things that I have in mind but I’m not worried about tomorrow, I’m just worried about what I’m doing today. I’m trying to stay focused for every day that I live and compete.

What’s the most important tournament of the year for you and why?
I think obviously the World Championships is the most prestigious tournament there is right now annually and it’s the title that everyone wants to win.

What is your most memorable moment on the mat?
I think there are many, every time I train with my Dad. He taps me out like it’s nothing; it really makes me understand what Jiu-Jitsu really is. No matter how tough I train with the toughest guys I’ve ever trained with, my dad still makes me feel like a white belt!

So what’s inside your Gi that you kiss after every match?
Inside my Gi is a picture of my brother Rockson, who passed away a few years ago, and I kiss it because he gave me some words of inspiration before he passed away and I kiss the gi to kind of give back to what he gave me. I do a lot of what I do today because of him.