This is an incredibly exceptional place. We were pleasantly surprised with Sensei John's unique approach and continue to be very happy with what he provides to our son. A lot of the emphasis is on body movement and awareness. That means a lot of tumbling and agility exercises mixed in with self defense and karate. There's usually a competition for each session. The variety of the competitions - sumo, rope swing, dodgeball, freeze, belt grab, etc - is an example of how well rounded the entire program is. One of the truly great things about Elite is that kids are taught to instruct other kids. Every kid that stays long enough eventually becomes a sensei. Our six year old son started teaching about six months in. We love this! What better way to teach kids leadership, confidence, respect, social skills and more. All of this is to the credit of the great sensei that runs Elite. Sensei John is calm, upbeat, unflappable and definitely one of a kind. He talks to children with enthusiasm and treats them like more than "just a kid". As such, he gets the attention of his students without a loud voice or strong commands. The kids all want to do well for him and for themselves. It should be noted that if you're looking for a tough, strict and very regimented karate environment, this might not be the place for you. Your child will learn a lot at Elite but it's not going to be through military-style training you see at other schools. I could go on and on and on. Our son loves this place. We have the highest amount of respect for Sensei John. You must check it out for yourself! read more

My neighbor found this awesome place for his som. I have been able to attend several of the classes and promotions. It is actually an after school program. The instructor picks them up and helps with homework etc... Then teaches. read more

My 6 years-old son has been going to Elite Self Defense for a few months. I was glad I found find a place that teaches practical techniques of self defense, especially for the younger ages. Sensei John is also very flexible in his offering relating to the days of practice, and he teaches the kids to be respectful of each other, be friendly and teaches key characteristics for personal conduct. I would also like to note our satisfaction with the birthday party we had with Sensei John for our son's K friends from school. John amazed us with his incredible ability to remember the kids names by heart as he addressed them by their names, which created a sense of intimacy with the kids as a group. The kids had so much fun as Sensei John engaged them in fun activities as well as teaching them some martial arts techniques. Everybody had a blast. Thank you Sensei John! Definitely good value for money. read more

I can not say enough positive things about Elite Self Defense Academy! Sensai John is awesome from start to finish. We had our sons 5th birthday party there today and it was so smooth and fun. We arrived a little early, and he had the facility completely decorated ( tables, chairs, streamers) and had 3 amazing photos of my son in full costume ( we had taken photo previously) I felt like I could relax and John and his crew had it all under control. Much fun was had, highly recommended for your child's birthday! Btw, my son had never taken a class with Elite but that wasn't at all a pre req!! read more

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Joined the academy 8 years ago after checking out almost all martial art studios in the East Bay. What you will find here is a very friendly and safe environment to learn a comprehensive martial art with a great instructor. You will have lots of fun, make new friends, and achieve quite a bit of personal growth while learning throwing and falling (judo), kicking and striking (box and karate), grappling on the ground, defense against gun and knife....You will acquire a great arsenal of skills and high fitness level, which will build up your self-confidence level and provide many other benefits in daily life. Elite Self Defense is a member of the American Judo and Jujitsu Association, the largest jujitsu organization in the US, meaning that no matter where you move in the future, you can find a place to train in the same system. read more

Sensei John and Sensei Tim are AWESOME!!! I take my younger cousins here and they absolutely LOVE it. I have noticed that they both have come out of their shells a little bit more after spending time here. I sit and watch all the classes each week Monday -Thursday and all the kids have a blast. They learn great communication and people skills, with a different theme each month that they work on. A variety of kids take the class, at varying ages as well and everyone works together as a team. We checked out another local Self Defense class before choosing this one and I am certain we made the right choice! read more

In a world of feel good, buffet style karate studios it is getting harder and harder to find legitimate instructors in traditional martial arts. Sensei Pfund has dedicated himself to the martial arts with a lifetime of study. Having competed against him in tournaments I can attest to his ability ! I have also taken seminars from him and his students, it is clear that excellence permeates his school and his students. If you are looking for a REAL martial arts experience, you will want to learn from Sensei Pfund at Elite Self-Defense. read more

Our son just signed up two months ago so we are new to the area and to Elite Self-Defense Academy It was suggested to enroll our son in extra activities by our physician, as our son has ADHD. Sensei John has been great at taking the time to listen to our concerns as parents and also patient with our son's high activity level. We visited several dojo's before deciding to sign on a membership at Elite. The environment, location, cleanliness of facility, politeness of staff, happy faces of other children attending, and the respect shown was a big selling point. The price was surprisingly lower than expected and is well worth every cent. I would highly recommend Elite Self-Defense Academy in Livermore. Signed by: Very Happy Parents of an ADHD child read more

Sensei John is an awesome teacher! I invited him to come give a class to our church youth group of about 25 youth between 12 and 16 years of age. He was fantastic. He had their attention the whole time and they were laughing and joking back and forth together. Most importantly, he taught them three important and simple skills to get out of dangerous situations. The adult leaders also joined in on the instruction. I would highly recommend Sensei John! read more

This place has been a true blessing for my 10 year old daughter Maya and I. They pick her up after school, help her with her home work and then she spends the rest of the day training and playing. Sensei John is GREAT with the kids. In his class they learn how to be confident, respectful and most importantly have a lot of fun doing it. My daughter Maya and I both hands down give this place a five star rating. read more

My daughter just turned 7 and she loves attending Elite! The first session was free and after that I couldn't keep her away....she begged to keep going. I'm sure I'm not unique is saying I have a very sassy 7 year old, and I've already seen positive changes in her behavior at home. So far with Sensei John she has learned lessons in Patience, Friendship, and Vision as well as martial arts training. It truly is an awesome well rounded environment. Self defense + Character enrichment. The cost I feel is very reasonable per month. There is a referral program as well, which I have already taken advantage of. No doubt I made the right decision in choosing Elite Self Defense Academy for her! read more

Sensei John is awesome. At first my son was going to his school for spring break and then I tried the adult class. I really appreciated Sensei John's style of teaching and his style of martial arts. I had some unrelated health concerns come up and he did just a fantastic job of making sure I knew what to do and that I was doing alright. I learned a lot from him and I hope to get back to his adult martial art class soon. read more

I have to say this place is awesome. My son just signed up and he is having a blast. The instructor Sensi John is great with kids. My son is building up is confidence and and fun also learning martial arts. I highly recommend this place. read more

I began attending Elite Self Defense about a year ago and couldn't be happier! I happened to walk in one day when the door was open because I had been interested in starting martial arts, and felt completely welcome from that point on! I look forward to walking in the door every week and it is my release time from daily life. The Self Defense techniques I have learned are very practical on the street. It is a great workout and has helped me improve my balance, focus and coordination. I would recommend Elite Self Defense to anybody! read more

Thank you John for coming out to Comerica Bank in Pleasanton to teach us EASY self-defense techniques. All of the ladies truely appreciate what you do to help keep us safe! read more

I've gone to the Elite Self Defense Academy for a year now and it has changed my life. The instructor there, Sensei John, has believed in me more than anyone else ever has. He is great with every single student he has. I have no idea how he keeps up such an enthusiastic attitude all the time, but he does and it fascinates me. I watch students come in all the time that are either super shy or unfocused, but after about a month they are confident and focused. We learn new things all the time and I have gotten the privilege to compete in state and national competitions and I have so much fun. Sensei John teaches respect, social skills and confidence to everyone who walks in the door. (Which can be incredibly difficult to teach.) There are classes for EVERYONE 4+ I have gone to the junior and adult classes and I recommend them to everyone. read more

I joined 2 months ago and I already feel like I have another family and home. I just entered college, and i felt new and foreign to Livermore. My friends in one of my classes told me about Sensei (teacher in Japanese) John's class in Livermore, so i decided to see how it is. I have to say just after one day i didn't want to leave. Sensei John happily welcomed me into his class and ever since then i feel like everyone there is my family. Sensei John is a very kind and generous person who believes in you. He believes nothing is impossible and never gives up on helping you. You learn a lot in his class, not about how to beat someone up, but about respect and how to make yourself feel safe and comfortable, teaching you ways to defend yourself when put into a dangerous position. Ever since i have taken his class i feel more confident in myself and i feel safer knowing that i will know what to do when facing a scary situation. read more

Sensei John is really good with the kids. You can trust him with your kids and all the kids have good manner. They have a way to treat each other with respect, not sure how they did it, wish the school would be the same way so we don't need to worry about bullying. read more

We found the Academy when looking for an after-school program for our son. We were hesitant to put our son here because he has special needs. John agreed to work with our son for two weeks as a trial. After those two weeks, we all agreed that this was where he belongs. He has made many friends and has learned a great deal. He learns not only about Jujitsu, but also about building character and social appropriateness. The environment is one of acceptance and warmth for all. We are so pleased and blessed to have found John and the Academy. Thank you John. read more

I am in total agreement with the other parents. This place is AMAZING. Sensei John is AMAZING. He genuinly loves what he does and strives to always do his best. He instills this in the children. They all look up to him. They all learn so much from him. He teaches a new theme every month to the children. My son personally came to him very shy and very defiant when he did make himself known. Today I realized that he has been saying "Yes Dad" every time my husband asks something of him. it's so freakin cool. He's 7 and has been with Sensai John for about a week and he's already mastered three moves that Sensai John was teaching him. I just wanna see you all attend his school so he won't have to stop it. He needs our enrollments to stay open. He will let you attend and watch some of the classes and I guarantee he'll blow your mind away. The biggest being his incredibly happy positive outlook on life. It's contagious. He's such a nice guy that when he heard I needed work and an opening came up in his Housecleaning buisness he willingly took me and has been training me to be a cleaner. It's not much but it helps my little family tremendously. He also has adult classes, massage therapy. He has 4 degrees. Just amazing. And he taught himself how to speak Spanish as an adult. Very impressive. You really should come try out the camp, it started today and I know he'd love to have more enrollments. He's very generous and loves to help any way he can and he does. I'm tellin you, go check him out. Elite Self Defense Academy in Livermore. read more

My daughter is 8 years old, and has been with Sensi John and Elite Self defense for three years. She loves it. I would recommend it for everyone who has little kids. My son will be joining Elite this summer. He can't wait. read more

We are very happy with Elite Self Defense Academy. Sensei John is great with kids. My six year-old daughter loves going to the dojo, and her self-confidence has increased dramatically in the six months that she's been there. My three year-old son can't wait until he's old enough to join too. read more

Sensei John leads his classes with a combination of Jujitsu and character building lessons. My girls enjoy the classes and never want to miss a class. We believe he has a strong commitment to his students, which makes a parent happy to have a team approach to your child's future. Great environment for building strong bodies and minds. read more

I've been studying with Elite Self Defense ever since I was a kid and I can tell you that there is no better place to learn martial arts. The instruction is very unique. Many martial arts schools you go to will show you forms that are more like a dance with punching and kicking than martial arts. Here the techniques are effective, and they are explained in an understandable and complete way. If you want to get the best training out there, come here. read more

This is a late review , but I wanted to tell everybody who reads this that Sensei John gave a awesome birthday party for my daughter, all her friends couldn't stop raving about how much fun they had. Even the Parents enjoyed watching everyone laughing and playing. Also it was a big plus that you can bring your own food and drinks.. read more

A YEAR LOCK CONTRACT for self defense classes? NO WAY read the fine print, don't let the DECEIVE language used by MATT fool you READ, READ, READ BEFORE you sign. Once you signed you are STUCK, also try to look for all the reviews the owner seems to be good management the sites and hiding the reviews that tell the TRUTH. read more

I'm so excited to be writing this review for John and Elite Self Defense Academy. I have been watching my sons classes for the past 4 months and I believe that enrolling your child in his program is one of the best things you can do for your son or daughter. My son just turned 6 and he's awesome. But, we found that he would get devastated by failures and would give up on things if they didn't go correctly / perfectly the first time he tried them. The first few classes were kind of rough for him, he cried when he lost the game at the end, or got really frustrated when he didn't get something correct. After about 6 weeks of coming 2 days a week -- we started to see great improvement. He is celebrating his progress and success, he is focusing and practicing and trying to get better at new moves. Sensei John is especially great with children. He is a kind, constant, respectful teacher who wants everyone to succeed. The kids respect him and listen while having fun. After 4 months of my son attending I can see that he is building self confidence, focus, appreciation for hard work, and most importantly he is understanding that not getting something the first time is just fine. Oh and he can legitimately get out of a wrist hold when you grab him. What's not to love? read more