I love ActiveStars my brother has been doing Karate at the Sun Canyon location for the last 7 years. read more

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We have now participated with ActivStars Soccer for two seasons. At the start of the first season, my son was switched to a different team and we had to buy another jersey. Our original payment was refunded, however, I had to drive to the office in Scottsdale to pick up the new jersey so we would have it in time. The summer season was very short and the kids were never taught any real skills. Practices were just spent stretching and running around. I was pleasantly surprised by the fall/winter season when we registered with a school and team closer to us and the first several practices were actual practices! The kids were taught skills and my son learned a lot more. Things got a little crazy when we showed up for the first game and found out my son's team was split into 2 teams due to numbers. We never received communication until after the fact. Finally, someone emailed us after the first game to let us know about my son's new team. During this fall/winter season, we were given last minute changes for game locations. Again, no communication was provided. Overall, the league is disorganized, lacks leadership, and it is very evident and suspicious when specific kids end up on the same team and game scores are incredibly unbalanced. read more

I can not express my appreciation for activstars enough. From Mesh, the Lookout Mountain coordinator, to Colin to boss man they are a top notch organization. We've been playing in the soccer program for a few years now and we have loved every minute. Our team has been playing together the entire time. These kids and families have connected so well and it's because of the team building and structure that activstars has instilled in the program. They not only are making the future bright by influencing the youth, they do a lot of community outreach and fundraisers. If you want to be apart of a great organization, join activstars! Thanks to Colin and Mesh and Go Cobras!!!! read more

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We've searched for a outside activity to put our granddaughter in for a few years. Dance gymnastics and Hula which she did do for a year. But when we decided on karate it was the right choice. She's been participating since summer 2025 not only in classes but camp and tournaments we are very impressed with sensei Jofferry he connects with all the children on a exceptionally good level. Not only dose it teach our children to protect themselves it teaches them to respect others. read more

The cheer is 45 minutes a week but actually about 2025 minutes of instruction caress is just rollcall and stretching general chaos. They funnel you into the required gear shopping on the app so that they can get you to pay well over $100 for pom-poms and a simple skirt shirt, probably worth about 12 bucks total. The teachers seem good but seriously what is the point in having an activity that's such a brief encounter and steep gear requirement. read more

We absolutely love the ActivStars program! My daughter is 13 and loves their soccer program. Coach Danny is the BEST. She has gained so many wonderful skills, and the program is fun! My Only complaint is that the parents on some of the teams take things too seriously and it can make it a little hard to enjoy when they are yelling at the kids or the refs. We are going to be doing the summer cheer program until fall when Soccer starts up. A great program for your child to gain skills, make friends and create memories! read more

ActivStars - Martial Arts Near Me - Scottsdale, Arizona

The soccer program is a joke. We wasted time money and effort to get our kiddo to really get into the game but seems like the first 20 min or so of practices were stretching and the rest wasn't really teaching much technique to the kids. The coach doesn't even know all the kids names only a select few. He didn't really even try to get to know the kids. Anyway on to the games we just finished the season and honestly all games were more of a joke then the practices. Our coach sent out the schedule both times we showed up and the opponent team wasn't there neither was more than half of our team. So the 3-4 kids that did show (mine included) sat around for 20-30 min after game start with no direction no nothing until the second 7-8 group from our location decided to merge the kids more than 1/2 way into the game and subbing them in and out which left my daughter playing 5-10 min. I know the program can't control whether parents bring the kids or not to games or practices but have a game plan and have someone who works for ActivStars help direct the kiddos on what to do instead of wasting peoples time. I can't speak for other programs or other teams locations only specifically ours and just feel duped into purchasing all this gear to get my daughter ramped up to play and paying a weekly fee for nothing but disorganization throughout the entire season. Would never participate in another sport through this program just based off of our personal experiences read more

My girls are trying martial arts for the first time. Sensei Joeffrey and team are truly the best when it comes down to working with young children. They all exhibit patience, kindness, and teamwork. They are all very skilled and knowledgeable. I feel very confident that if my girls wanted to continue with karate, this was the best way to start. Sensei and his wife are very inviting and make everyone feel like family. 100% recommended! The price per session is affordable and the days/hours are working parent friendly. read more

Everyone's experience is unique to their child, team, & coaches. My daughter did a total of 4 seasons with Activstars over the course of 2 years in the cheer program. ActivStars advertises themselves as the leader in US providers of affordable youth recreation programs, and I'd agree with that statement. Their programs are extremely affordable, especially when compared to other D2 cheer gyms or competitive soccer clubs (cannot speak to Karate). If you are looking for something affordable, to try out to see if your kid likes a sport, it's great. If your child finds they really excel or want to advance, they may outgrow some of the programs. I found in cheer, there are many levels, my daughter continued to level-up every season until we reached the highest level. While on the lower levels, we really enjoyed our seasons, our coach, and team. It was fun, lighthearted, and the kids were learning. it was simple and cheap at 1 hour once a week for 9$. I had no complaints or issues whatsoever. We had a coach who was warm, invested in individual and team growth, and willing and able to communicate effectively if any concerns on the team were raised by parents. Once my child advanced in the sport, we moved up to the Arizona Activstars Cheer team which competes at the highest level- Cosmic Crush, for 1 summer season. I will say, from a consumer perspective, Activstars [cheer] program does not seem focused from a mission perspective on how pleased the parents are, or how the parents are treated. I never even officially met the head Coach and was only communicated with via email. We never had a dialogue, and there were a few emails that went unanswered which I found odd, especially about volunteer opportunities my child wanted to participate in. It seems that this coach is also director of the program, a judge, & in charge of accounting, etc., so I get that she wears many hats- but being too excessively busy to offer a response to someone trying to volunteer indicates to me she may be stretched too thin. Seems like she would need a whole staff to accomplish all she is doing, honestly! As other reviewers have added, parents are not allowed inside the cheer practices, so it leaves no room to monitor how your child is being treated. This is standard in cheer. You have to trust your coach, so the coach/parent rapport is important. I learned of many things I was not happy about that was going on in these practices after we eventually discontinued, not from my child but other children on the team who decided to report some of the issues to me at a team bonding event (which the coaches did not attend). I also think ActivStars accounting system needs a compliance review. We purchased a uniform valued at $395 in May of 2024 and did not receive it, for the entirety of the season for which we enrolled in. We were told repeatedly it hadn't shipped. We had to borrow another child's uniform for my daughter to wear at competition. This is completely unacceptable. When I asked for a refund, in August, after choosing not to re-enroll, I was told it couldn't be done. She stated she would try to re-sell it to a new student and provide a refund if and when it sold. Eventually, I decided to follow up, and ask if we could simply pick up the uniform we paid for (my daughter decided she wanted to have it anyway for the sentimental value), I was immediately sent the funds, instead of being allowed to pick it up. These are just some examples of how this program is run. I think anywhere you go, there's going to be pluses, minuses, the pluses to doing Activstars cheer for us were 1)it was a great introduction to cheer. We learned alot. My child had fun, successes, made friends, and grew. 3 out of the 4 coaches she worked with were absolutely great-warm, kind, and helpful, and treated my child with kindness and respect. I definitely think there were some missed opportunities, and the stars description is accurate: Could have been better. If I were running the business I would have wanted a more professional handling of the uniform fail. We still learned a lot, including what is really important in a team, so we could better navigate choosing our next team/program. Cheer is a difficult sport to run, lots of little details, I'm sure on any team there can be issues that arise. It's really all about how the coaches /directors handle them, and that's where for me, our last season of Activstars really fell short. We definitely moved on for a variety of reasons but the above-mentioned issues did play a role in our decision not to return. If those could be improved, I think it could be a phenomenal program, even at the advanced levels. Maybe even hiring a few more administrators would be a big help instead of relying on parent volunteers and one director to do it all. read more

Amazing program with amazing instructors. I have 2 kids in the program, and it's been nothing but a great experience since day 1 the Director has always been super helpful and there when you need him. Sensei Cris Valenzuela Sr. And Jr. Are some of the greatest Instructors I have ever come across extremely knowledgeable, helpful and great with the kids every step of the way. From the classes to the tournaments. read more

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They get you to buy all the equipment and attend the first practice and then they immediately change the schedule on you. Cheer and soccer both changed times after the first practice. There is also some lame disclaimer that they can change practice times on you any time they want. People who have tight schedules and tend to plan their life out well should not use their services. Setting and keeping a set schedule for the year is a basic function of a business. You are also teaching my children terrible habits this way. read more

Signed up for cheer and soccer at Lookout Mountain Cheer most unorganized and chaotic thing I have seen, coach spent 20 minutes placing each kid in a specific spot so she could take a picture but the parents were not allowed. So over crowded that no one has the room to do their thing. If you do sign up for the competition then you get left out and ignored not allowed to participate. Very heart breaking for the girls. Never again with this class Soccer signed up for a specific age group then the 11 year old girl was placed with 15 year old boys. So unorganized. read more

The program itself is great. You aren't locked into anything and weekly paying is great especially for little ones who don't always know what they want to do. I will say the disappointment was with the coaching. She lacked organization, enthusiasm and didn't seem to really want to be there. The other thing that got me was on week 14 and she still does know my child's name. This week she even laughed saying "you would think we would know there names by now" (my child never missed a week). Very disappointing and my daughter is no longer interested in cheer. read more

Love this program and watching my kiddo grow through their cheer program! Thankful we found something that works for our schedule and that she truly enjoys. read more

My grandson will never go back to this organization again. The organization doesn't listen to parents/ caregivers when concerns are raised regarding what appears to be discrimination by their volunteers. I expect to be heard while I"m a paying customer not to be ignored. Learn to hear, listen and act when you'r customers needs are not being meet. read more

My son has been in the karate program for almost 10 years. It has been very positive for him in both a sports and a character development way. I highly recommend it! read more

My daughters first practice outside at the park was awesome! It was easy to locate the group and there was plenty of space for the kids to be engaged but to also practice safely with social distancing. The practice was later in the evening so it wasn't too warm and it was nice to be outside for a change. My daughter is really looking forward to future practices at the park with her team. Thank you Activstars for making in person practices possible again. read more

My child has been in this program for a few years but after this year he will not be back. I will never use this program again. The staff is extremely rude. read more

I gave two stars only because the program was great until the "awards" ceremony. It started off well with demonstrations in between awarding belts. Towards the end it began getting a little hectic. The new instructors that replaced our old instructor Jared warned us the week before that there was a little confusion regarding the testing that was done so some students may or may not receive their belt because of the discrepancy of whether or not they tested. Understandable. It happens in the midst of change. What is not understandable is the fact that one of the instructors told my son during the class before the "ceremony" he did not test after he remembers testing for his yellow belt and I remember paying for him to test. This broke my son's heart. But not as much as the ceremony. The instructors handed out about 20 belts or so to some of the students. After about an hour or so of this and demonstrations the children were doing one of the instructors stood up and apologized about the lack of yellow belts. He also said "everyone who is currently a white belt will be progressing to yellow belt." This made my son feel as if he did not earn his yellow belt. He was ready and patiently waiting to stand up to proudly take his belt from the instructor as some of the other children were able to do. I had to console him before he burst into tears as we walked to the car. What was supposed to be a celebration turned into disappointment for my son. My husband and I are disappointed as well because despite the ceremony being chaotic the program has helped my child. He has a great time learning with his fellow peers and we can see the advancements in discipline. This past Saturday we were supposed to head to his class as a yellow belt and he was so anxious about it he chose to no longer move forward with the program because "they didn't give me my yellow belt and I earned it." I wasn't going to do this here on Yelp, I sent an email to judith@activstars.com that is listed as "General Program Questions" and have received no response, yet I have received many emails advertising the program to sign up again. I paid for a yellow belt and for my son to test but never received the belt. I will be reversing the charges with my bank since they have "no record" of my son testing. Thank you for breaking my son's heart and discouraging him. read more

I've had my children involved in ActivStars for 6 years now, starting when they were under the name Young Champions. They've been training in the Toshikan karate style with Sensei Jared Faust. He is great with the kids, and my children love him like a member of the family. And the cost is second to none. You can't find a martial arts dojo anywhere as affordable as ActivStars, hands-down. We initially started my son in martial arts to help teach him discipline and accountability as well as to boost his self-esteem and they definitely delivered! He's been able to better focus in his classes in school and he is extremely passionate about furthering his martial arts training. He is currently a brown belt and training hard for his black belt test in 2017. My daughter came with us to the classes as parents are allowed to stay and watch their children in the class (Sensei Jared's rules). She was only 4 years old at the time, but wanted so badly to be in the class like her big brother, so we signed her up. She's been totally dedicated to the sensei and learning from him. She's already advanced to purple belt! Now another reviewer on here did mention that there are adults in classes with the kids. This is partially true. Adults when starting are white belts as all other students, but they are placed in the 'Advanced' classes with the teens and up. Sometimes, a younger student will show the aptitude to be placed in the advanced class as well, so it is possible to see a young student in the same class as an adult. I am actually one of those adults. I am a member of the United States Military and have had years of training in a different style. After attending every class my children had taken as an observer, I was learning by osmosis. I felt that by taking the classes as well, I would not only be fair in paying for what I was learning, but I could also get more hands-on training in the class so I can help my children practice at home for their tests and their tournaments. (This is evident in that my 12 year old son is now a brown belt, and they both have "Hall of Fame" tournament trophies in their rooms). There are several adults in my class as well as kids ranging from 8 (my daughter) to 18. Every adult in that class has a child (or grandchild in some cases) in the class as well. There are no outside adult strangers just walking in and being accepted, at least in our classes. I want to thank ActivStars and Sensei Jared for helping myself and my children to be better people, both physically and mentally. Best martial arts school I've ever had the privilege of working with. read more

ACTIVSTARS has been a consistent source of happiness and pride in my daughter's life for over 6 years. She has had so much growth - physically, mentally and emotionally over the six years. She has learned the true value of being a part of a team. She has committed herself to her team and achieving the goals of her cheer team. During this pandemic, my daughter has felt so sad to have her normal life activities and friends ripped away from her. The one constant was virtual/online cheer practice. She was able to connect with her teammates on AZ Champs via Zoom meetings. These weekly virtual practices were something to look forward to. She was still able to connect with her teammates, coaches and keep physically fit. Now ActivStars has started in-person cheer practice at a park. This is such a blessing! They have implemented safe COVID-19 measures, to keep the cheer squad safe while being all together in person.The fresh air of the park was optimal. The team had enough space to spread out. They did require masks and physical distancing. As a parent, I have total confidence that ActivStars will continue to keep the athletes safe while giving the them an opportunity to feel normal and get back to the normal activities in life. Thank you ActivStars! read more

My daughter is in her 6th season of cheerleading. She looks forward to her class every week and really enjoys the competitions. She is learning the value of teamwork and has made some good friends at cheer. Coach Lisa Martinez is excellent with the athletes she coaches and my daughter plans to participate with the Activstars cheer program for a long time to come! read more

My daughter has been apart of this organization for 7 years starting off on the Varsity Cheer team and worked her way up to Champs level. Since March, Cheer has been held via zoom chats due to Covid. Her competitions along with Nationals were cancelled. My daughter was heartbroken. Her coach managed to keep the team practicing and stretching through zoom calls/chats. This proved to be a lifesaver for my daughter because it gave her something to look forward to and helped her maintain her conditioning along with some sort of socialization with her friends. Last week, her coach managed to bring the team together for in person practice through social distancing, wearing masks, and members of the team bringing their own mat. They met at a centrally located park. Parents were asked in advanced our thoughts takingn into consideration our feelings. The park was an excellent idea and with the sun headed down and in the shade, it wasn't too bad. My daughter was excited to see friends and hit the mat. Thank you coach! read more

I have been taking my daughter to Renchi Charles Stewart for over 5 years now. She is still very motivated and wants to be a black belt. He is fantastic with children. It would be great if it was more than once a week but for the money, I'll take it. You want your kids in karate? He is the best teacher out there. He teaches them discipline, self esteem and confidence, self defense etc... tools that they will need and use in adulthood. Thank you Renchi Stewart. He has made a world of difference to my daughter and I will forever be grateful. read more

I have used active stars now for about three semesters and I can say that their program is definitely a waste of time and money. Instructors are rude. And now they are allowing adults to take classes next to children. I feel that is very inappropriate. I would prefer if adults had their own class. After questioning if adults are background checked the response was no. That they don't discriminate. I do not feel that active stars is a safe program for my children and I have removed them from the classes. They have promised to give me a refund as I was paid in full. But they said it takes up to 2 months to process so we shall see how that goes. In conclusion it's definitely worth paying more somewhere else to get a much better higher-quality service. My daughter still has not received the belt she tested for and their class is about to test again. That is completely unacceptable in a karate class. The children strive hard to receive the next rank built and when it's not given to them they're very heartbroken and disappointed. This company should be ashamed how little they care about the children. read more

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Please be informed before you sign your child up for this program that you are not allowed to stay in the building, anywhere, while your child is in class. Therefore, you are left to sit in your hot car while your child is in class unless you live somewhere close. I spoke to the company about this policy and volunteered my time to have a meeting to discuss a better solution to this policy. They REFUSED to set up a meeting to try to come up with a better solution for parents. So, not only do you have no ability to see if your child is being treated properly, you, as a parent are not being treated properly. I spoke to the school where the program is held and this is 100% an Activstars policy, not the school's policy. So, BEWARE!!!!! read more

After the 2nd week in a row the class was delayed, the first couple of weeks the cost for karate classes were $8 then the cost increased to $9 without notice, not having the additional $1 with me they would not let my 8 year old participate in the class after 2 years of participation. My son will now be taking classes from a different organization. Very disappointed! read more

I have had my daughters in cheer for 5 years now. It is very cost effective, they have great coaches, the times and location are close to home. We were able to travel with my oldest daughter who's team placed for National competition. It was very fun and very well organized. I like the fact that the girls can move up as their skills improve. I like to see that is co-ed also giving boys a chance to showcase their skills as well. Coach David and Bogle Cheer has been our team the last few years and we enjoy it a lot. Would recommend for any child who is looking to do cheer. read more

My daughter has been here since third grade and she's in sixth grade now. she's had a wonderful experience, the coaches are great and there are a lot of different locations if you move. it's affordable a great experience for the cheerleading life...to set them up for everything they need to know read more

Instructor Jared is ok. My son learned a lot and overall had a great semester. The receptionist which is his wife is so rude. If it wasn't for my son I would of changed him along time ago. My son will not be continuing with this organization and I will be looking elsewhere. Please have Jared hire someone who is pleasant to work with. His wife literally has an attitude every week and by the look of her face it looks like she hates being there. Parents be warn if you do register your kid/s in Karate with Jared you will have to deal with his grouchy wife. read more

My grandson has been part of Activstars martial arts program for over a year now. The skills, discipline and character he is building through the program are priceless. His instructor Sean McLeer utilizes excellent teaching techniques and demonstrates genuine respect for each student. Our family continues to be super impressed with this organization! read more

Three voicemails that included my contact information and the reason for my call. No phone calls were returned. When I finally made contact, I was put on hold for more than 5 minutes. Hello! I thought you were in the business of helping people, by answer questions about classes available for kids who want to be active. read more

Sensi Sean of Activstars has been a great role model and karate teacher for our son. Senei Sean always finds creative and engaging ways to teach karate and self defense strategies. He is patient, creates a structured environment for students across a broad age range, and encourages students to take leadership roles in his classes. read more

I love doing activities through this company. All four of my children take mixed martial arts. We love the instructor, he's strict but encourages learning and respect. They also have a lot of fun. I would highly recommend this company because they are affordable and the kids learn a lot. read more

My daughter has been part of the Karate program for many years. It went well until sparring began. The kids go at it with way too much force. My daughter has been injured repeatedly. The instructor seems to think it is OK for her to have to leave the training early because she has been struck in inappropriate places, struck way too hard in a sparring situation. When I called the office to voice my concerns, they had the instructor call me and he repeated the same BS that I was told the other 6 or 8 times. I had to deal with my 11 year old daughter crying in pain because some punk kid popped her too hard and in the wrong places. She is more than capable of responding in kind, but she does not because she has been counseled to watch the force with which she delivers. DO NOT ENROLL YOUR CHILD IN KARATE SPARRING WITH THESE PEOPLE UNLESS YOU ARE PREPARED TO LET THE OTHER KIDS KICK THE SH*T OUT OF YOUR KID WITH NO CONSEQUENCE. I have stopped taking her to these classes and I urge any parent thinking about enrolling a child. Find another place for your child to learn Karate. These people are incompetent read more

I didn't know what to expect prior to enrolling my son (2nd grade) in Karate. He loves it. I am also very impressed with the program. Sensei Sean is fantastic. He communicates effectively with the kids and me. My son had an issue with being bullied at school and Sensei Sean spoke personally to my son and made him feel confident in dealing with any future issues with bullying. I also like the fact that siblings, kids, infants, etc. cannot be in the room when the students are learning. Additionally, parents cannot be in the room unless they sign up as a parent volunteer (per class basis). This is a great way to keep the students engaged. Kids and parents can create distractions for the students and it's important that the students stay focused while learning martial arts, as it is a high contact sport. Last, the program offers makeup opportunities, which is very helpful for busy parents such as myself. I'm very pleased with the program and especially with Sensei Sean - he is extremely dedicated to the sport and to the children. read more