Owners: Steve Snyder
Martial Art: BJJ, Karate, Kickboxing
How did you choose your school name?
The name has changed over the many years, primarily due to different associations, and now Tiger Rock as a member of the National Franchise.
How long have you been teaching?
Teaching martial arts for 26 years and professionally for 24 years.
Who or what inspires you?
My students are the ones who primarily inspire me each day. Helping them achieve goals makes life exciting. The people who mentor and motivate me to make this possible are: My wife who is the backbone to my business and personal life, my business coach Mr. Jason Griffin, and my martial art coaches Mr. Danny Dring (LDMA), Prof. Robson Moura (RMNU), Mr. Bill "Superfoot" Wallace, and Mr. Joe Lewis (deceased but his words still reside in me each day).
What is something special or unique about your school and/or students?
Our academy has developed a special community of people who support each other in reaching goals and enhancing their life-style. From the youngest to the oldest of age, they use their skills to help others inside and outside the academy.
What made you choose FUJI Mats for your facility?
After doing a lot of research, Prof. Bruno Bastos and Mr. Danny Dring provided me the best insight and direction to using FUJI Mats.
What is the most rewarding part about working in the martial arts field?
At this stage in my career, it is highly rewarding when I hear from old students who return with life success stories influenced by their training at the academy. Each day is a blessing as we see students overcome huge obstacles with academics, personal careers, and health.
If you could give one piece of advice to other martial art school owners what would it be?
I believe a good path to success is to focus on your students and their needs; ignore the outside "noise".
ABOUT THE SCHOOL:
I started the academy in 1996 as primarily a Taekwondo academy under a different name. We later added our BJJ program (under Robson Moura) and Kickboxing (Joe Lewis Fighting Systems). In 2010, we became a part of Tiger Rock National Franchise. Our programs offered are Tiger Cubs (3-5 yr. old), Juniors (6-11 yr old), Teens (12 - 15 yr old), Adult Kickboxing (16+), and separate program under Robson Moura Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for 13 & up. We recently expanded our space and added an After-School Enrichment Program. In addition to the numerous community service projects, our academy does considerable work with local, state, and federal law enforcement officials.
