Lorenzo Snyder

Grey Belt
Instagram: @lorenzo_jds

I was born and raised in the Bay Area, Northern California. I wasn’t born a natural athlete. My parents enrolled me in jiu jitsu as a way to learn self-defense when I was 8 years old.

March 2020 happened when the world shutdown and my jiu jitsu training was on hold. Fast forward to October 2022 when the world started opening back up, my parents took me back to jiu jitsu training. My good friend invited me to try out a class at an academy in Hercules, CA, Kola Ajose Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. From there, I found my home. Eventually, jiu jitsu grew on me, despite the challenges I faced, being that it is a very physical sport and I suffer from asthma.

When I started competing in 11/2022 as a white belt, I took a lot of losses, that I eventually realized, turned into lessons. I told myself to keep going, to keep training, to trust the process. My professor, Professor Kola, always reminds me and my teammates that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible.

Thankful, grateful and blessed to have Professor Kola, my coaches and my team, Team KABJJ, helping me elevate my jiu jitsu everyday! I manage to maintain my good grades, all while training 5-6 days a week. I enjoy reading books and playing chess. I really wish my grandpa, Papa Gie, was still here, but I know he’s always with me every time I step on the mats. Papa Gie was a big influence in my life. In my eyes, he was the hardest worker, the most dedicated person to his family and never gave up with the medical challenges he faced.

His life reminds me so much of what Hyperfly stands for, which makes me very proud and honored to be a Hyperfly Junior Athlete.I’m really enjoying this beautiful journey in jiu jitsu and very blessed to have Hyperfly alongside with me.