Hi, Samuel. Can you please introduce yourself to our readers?
My name’s Sam Snow. I’m from Fort Worth, Texas. I am a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt of the
Alliance Team. I’m 32 years old and it’s my first time being here in Sardinia. I’m here to network and
to grow my relationships. I am a black belt teacher and competitor.
When did your Jiu Jitsu journey begin? How did you find out about BJJ?
I started training in 2006 as I was looking for Muay Thai, I found a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class and
decided to give it a shot. I stuck with it ever since.
You started teaching when you were a blue belt. How was that and what were the difficulties?
I’ve been teaching kids since I was a blue belt. First, I started one class a week but it kind of
grew from there. I’ve been teaching gymnastics all my life so teaching is natural for me. When it
comes to difficulties in teaching, I think you have to teach well and have your students progress.
All it takes is good planning. So, you have to plan your curriculum, your levels of classes and
separate them and use the Alliance methodology. But also you have to train, do a lot of specific
training for specific positions and make sure that you are helping your students with their
weaknesses. You have to target the weaknesses and identify the positions in which they have big
gaps in their games. I also think that rolling with your students is important.
Traveling and globetrotting are trending in Jiu Jitsu. What is your opinion about this?
I think that traveling widens your horizons and opens your mind to new perspectives in life. In
Jiu Jitsu is easy as there is always someone to relate and connect around the world. I think it’s
very beneficial for an individual to take advantage of the fact that Jiu Jitsu is a global and a big
network. It’s a brotherhood, but it’s still a very small community and you can make friends
quickly become connected in a specific place no matter where you are in the world. You’ll see a
part of it you’ll never see if you’re just a tourist, which is even better than just traveling.
Traveling and taking advantage of the Jiu Jitsu community and its location is a huge benefit to
anybody who has the courage to step out of their comfort zone, travel, and train.
You have the Alliance academy in Texas, can you tell us a bit more about it. How many people are currently training?
My academy is Keller in the Dallas–Fort Worth area in Texas. We just moved to a new location about a year ago to expand and we’re looking to grow by another hundred students or so in the
next year. We have about 150 students training Muay Thai programs and Jiu Jitsu programs for
different age levels and kids.
What is your favorite position and submission?
My favorite position is definitely Taking the Back and my favorite submission is the Rear Naked
Choke.
Are you doing anything aside from BJJ? Do you have any hobbies?
Besides Jiu Jitsu, I like to travel a lot and learn new languages.
Tell us more about ‘Roll The World BJJ’, what is it about? What are your plans for the project?
I started Roll The World with one of my friends who does commercials and similar things for
a living. We started it in January this year and now it’s turning into a video/blog a kind of thing
and I’m hoping to turn it into non-profit organization next year and reach a different segment
of the population. I’m trying to target people who aren’t able to afford and take advantage of Jiu
Jitsu. Basically, we’re trying to find gyms and communities who would help sponsor these kids
to train and compete. The goal is to partner with academies and leaders in the Jiu Jitsu
community to have these social projects several times per week. These sessions would be for
kids to come and experience what Jiu Jitsu is about and also have a positive influence on their
life and role models. We want to bring them hope and more options for a better future.
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
In the next 5 years, I would want to have multiple academies and a huge network just working
together and trying to grow. I want to be able to help reach a lot of people and help them.
10. Do you have any advice for the readers? On the mat and outside the mat?
On the mat, you have to try to kill your ego on a daily basis, seek help and advice, and constantly
be reflecting on how you can improve and be better. The same goes for outside the mat. Think
about ways you can be helping others and what you can do to impact the world, how you can
contribute. The best way to help other people is to help yourself first and the best way to provide
is to bring yourself up first. You have to invest in yourself and in your knowledge and skills. Jiu
Jitsu helps you keep your ego under control. So, stay in Jiu Jitsu, don’t give up as it’s one of the
biggest personal tools you can have in your life to keep you consistent, disciplined, and
connected to people. You should always help the people on the mat, especially the beginners, to
get better. If you don’t quit, you’ll have access to a really tight community and people with
different professions, skills, and connections. It’s easy to get to know people quickly and grow
strong bonds for more opportunities.
We care about Jiu Jitsu so much that we decided to create this page for all the people like us – that eat, breath and live the Jiu Jitsu Lifestyle! We truly hope our content will make every one of your days better, on the mat and off the mat!
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