I signed up for my Advanced PADI course through SF Scuba Schools and ended up with John from Carmel…read moreBay Divers. We spent the weekend in Monterey with a cozy class of 3 students. For the Advanced course, Saturday was a long but low-stress 8am-10pm day, and Sunday was 8:30am-3pm -- including time for meals and chillaxing. -Before the course:- I was nervous about various things including buoyancy skills, night diving, not getting enough attention from the instructor, getting too cold in the freezing Monterey waters, and falling behind everyone else in terms of skills. By the end, I wasn't worried about any of the above. -About the instructor:- John was insanely helpful, attentive, and experienced, and made me feel at ease the entire weekend. His down-to-earth attitude and humor definitely kept me going through the difficult sections of the class. -Before each dive:- John made sure that we understood exactly what we were going to do. He was always happy to answer my overly-abundant questions, and gave excellent instruction on what to do underwater, from the technical aspects to the emotional/mental ones (Settle down. Think warm thoughts. Fun is mandatory!). -During the dives:- I finally got properly weighted during our buoyancy checks, and IT FEELS SO GOOD! My buoyancy skills improved dramatically over the weekend. John was incredibly patient underwater. When I messed up one of the underwater navigation skills, he helped me through it again and helped me adjust where I went wrong the first time. Night diving was my biggest fear going into the course, and I wasn't even scared going into the pitch black ocean with John at my side. The ocean life is completely fascinating at night, and I'm excited to say that I'm not (as) scared of that crazy dark ocean abyss! -Between dives:- We had plenty of time to warm up, and I never once felt rushed. He even brought a tub of warm water for us to pour into our suits afterwards. -Last thoughts:- If you're looking to take any kind of scuba certification class, John is your go-to guy. I feel so much more confident in my diving skills after this past weekend. Already looking into taking another course with him (probably dry-suit because I'm a weenie when it comes to cold water). Thanks dude!!

WOW - what can I say?? If you are researching places to get PADI certified- GO HERE!!! Stop your…read moresearch now or you'll be sorry! The company is run by John Foxhall, a master diver with over 30 years of not only diving experience, but TEACHING experience. Other places may have similar COST, but they will guaranteed have a sub par experience. John is incredibly patient and compassionate for all his students. He is passionate about diving and ensures you not only have the skills required by PADI, but FUN IS MANDATORY. :) He is very accommodating to personal anxieties (of which I had no shortage), injuries/sore muscles (which i also experienced) and fitness levels (I'm average). He also has excellent equipment for rental and purchase and can explain the differences between bottom shelf, middle and top shelf products. My husband and I used John's course to prepare for a dive in the Cayman Islands and even though we will be "first-time" divers there, we feel confident we could keep up and/or lead among other divers. John has taken our skill sets from zero to extreme confidence in our ability! *****GRAB YOUR DIVE BUDDY AND A COUPLE OF FRIENDS AND GET CERTIFIED HERE.****** Also, if you are looking to take your basic certification to the next level, you want to do it with John. He has too much knowledge to keep all to himself!! Also, if you are averse to cold conditions, John has frequent certification classes further South which is also something the other places will not offer you. Can't recommend highly enough. Thank you John ad Carmel Bay Divers!!!

We just started working with Coach Krishna for my 8 year old son and I'm happy with the experience…read more He is incredibly patient and always take the time to explain techniques in a way that's easy to understand. I really appreciate how relaxed and approachable he is--makes learning to swim much more enjoyable. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a supportive and skilled coach!

Dave tutored me when I was younger, and I don't have one bad thing to say about him. He's patient,…read moreand is truly committed to his students' success. Not only did I always struggle with the material I was learning, but I also never enjoyed school. Dave helped me gain the confidence I needed in the different subjects I was taking by teaching me alternative ways to approach my individual learning style. He is total 5 star service!!

I do not recommend this program, especially for families seeking consistent support for children…read morewith ADHD. My son started off with a strong foundation in this program, and for the first couple of months, things felt really promising. But after the holidays, everything fell apart. We were unassigned from a tutor and left waiting on one teacher's return, while the interim tutor had no understanding of my son's needs and just gave him random, unstructured exercises. There was no communication, no continuity, and no accountability. The only meeting we had was one that I had to chase down and schedule. At that meeting, I was told we'd receive a follow-up by the end of March. It's now almost the end of April. I followed up again and was told someone would reach out. No one did. What's most frustrating is that we were sold a program that included regular performance check-ins, progress updates, and personalized support tailored to my son's executive functioning challenges. We completed all the onboarding and surveys with that in mind. None of that actually happened. The gap between what we were promised and what we received is massive, and this is after paying thousands of dollars each month. We were sold a dream: a well-rounded, thoughtful, and attentive program. What we got was inconsistency, poor communication, and a lack of care during a time my son genuinely needed reliable support. Parents, please be cautious. If you're looking for structure, follow-through, and actual accountability, I would not recommend working with this business.

Warning! Something has significantly changed with this company, and I am warning families to be…read morecareful with signing up for automatic payments or subscriptions. After cancelling our subscription, due to the issues listed below, we were told the payment would be refunded. Instead, they billed the next session to our credit card. After multiple attempts to reach someone with the authority to refund both payments, I finally called the credit card company to dispute and stop payment. Again, with many many emails and unreturned phone calls, even to the CEOs, the bank was able to settle the dispute after almost 6 months. The owners may be Harvard Grads, but something does not feel quite right, and they do not seem to be active in the business. After a year of sessions, I asked for an assessment of our daughter's progress. We received what seemed like a lot of "mumbo jumbo" of data and words, without evidence of progress that we could track. Within a week following the assessment, our daughter's tutor, with whom she had built a good relationship, was let go. With no notice, she was assigned a new tutor, and the only time slot they could offer was late Friday evening. We decided it was not a substantial value, so we cancelled. Eventually the site closed.

My son attended John Chang's karate class for one year and he loves it. My wife has decided to…read morealso take the class and both are enjoying John's instructions. John does not just teach martial arts. John helps children learn to respect and physical health as well as focus. He lets his students have fun but also lets them know that martial arts is also a serious sport. As far as the comments that John is rude, I would say that I have never observed this nor have ever been treated this way. If you're looking for a teacher that will also say yes to you or coddle your children, then don't go to John. However, if you want your child to learn, be disciplined and succeed in life as well as karate, then we highly recommend John Chang.

John Chang was hired by the City of Sunnyvale to teach Self Defense for Kids classes at one of…read moretheir summer camps. My daughter was in his class for less than an hour on one day last year; she was uncomfortable with the way he spoke to her, and with how he re-positioned her body. I have taught her that she doesn't have to do things that make her uncomfortable, and that her body is her own, and no one has the right to touch it without her consent. As such, we removed her from the class, as it was clearly a poor fit between student and instructor. This year, my daughter is at the same camp, but not registered in Mr. Chang's classes. He brought a snow cone machine to the camp, gave the students in his class snow cones, and then offered them for sale to the kids outside of his class. Because the camp was not informed of his intent to sell snow cones*, neither were the parents, and many kids did not have money to purchase. Mr. Chang told other coaches/instructors that, for the kids without cash, they could pick a camper who was very well-behaved to receive a free cone. A coach chose my daughter, which speaks to how well-behaved and agreeable she is. When my daughter went up to receive her cone, Mr. Chang asked if she were the student who stopped taking his class last year. She said yes. He then told her she wasn't good, and refused to give her the cone. She retreated, embarrassed, hurt, shamed, and in tears. She asked her other coach for space, and wept quietly until she pulled herself together and re-joined her group. She didn't complain, whine, or get angry. I approached Mr. Chang the next day to speak with him. He said that, a year ago, she "spoke down to him." I said, "She spoke down to you?! She is a child!" He clarified that she didn't listen when he told her to do things -- that ONE day, in that ONE class, for less than an hour, after her initial attempts left her uncomfortable. I applaud her for this: it's a children's recreational summer camp, not an army, and she was not comfortable acting on his orders or being touched by him. She didn't talk back to or sass him. For a grown man to hold a grudge like this with a child for an entire year, and punish her for it publicly, is ridiculous and petty. Even IF my child had been rude or disrespectful to him a year ago, her other coach identified her as well-behaved and deserving THIS year. This isn't about the snow cone, and it's not about martial arts or self-defense. This is about an instructor whose focus is on authority at all costs, who is insensitive and unkind, who holds grudges against children, and who expects respect but doesn't offer any. If your parenting style is one of absolute authority, obedience, and discipline, you might get along with him well. For those of us who teach self-awareness, self-protection, and empathy, I strongly recommend avoiding his teaching. * Soliciting children for money is not allowed at the camps. Had Mr. Chang requested permission to do this, he would have been denied.

Sensei Patrick is a good instructor and business man. He cares about his students and shows…read morepassion. We are proud to have him at Ussd Saratoga.

My son has learned a lot quickly and I admire the discipline - Patrick seems to get threw to the…read morestudents with a down to earth vibe but yet keeping in tune with the method We are relatively new here and will update - so far so good!

Our 5-year-old son has been attending classes with Mr. Dasalla for almost a year now. In addition…read moreto learning valuable martial arts techniques, he has also made great progress in his emotional growth and social development. The program has helped him build confidence, discipline, and respect--all while having fun and staying active. Highly recommend all parents check it out and give a trial class a try!

the Best all around My son has been attending Dasalla's…read moreMartial Arts since the start of Covid and we have been incredibly impressed with his progress. Not only has he improved his focus, discipline, and determination, but he has also developed a deeper sense of respect and confidence. The instructors at Dasalla's are top-notch, providing a safe and supportive environment for all students to thrive. We highly recommend Dasalla's Martial Arts to anyone looking to improve their physical and mental well-being through the practice of martial arts.

Be careful with Master Hung. After about 10 months, we…read moredecided to discontinue the lessons as I felt my child was not learning much. The day I requested to discontinue, that *same day* they charged me for the next full month, knowing fully well that we won't taking lessons. This was 5 days *before* the regular day they normally charge for the next month. When I requested a refund, I was told that it would be more convenient to sign up for summer camps. And if I chose to not go for summer camps, I could get a refund. We didn't end up signing up for summer camps and so I requested a refund after school started. The emails went unanswered. 3 reminders later, when I managed to get in touch with Master Hung, I am shown the rule-book and that it's too late to request refund for May.

After 4 years of gymnastics, my daughter (now 11), has been taking tae kwon do for over 3 years at…read moreTiger Martial Arts. My son (5 years old) started lessons July 2010. Each lesson begins with warm up stretching exercises and regular exercises like jumping jacks, push ups,and sit ups. Master Hung takes time to make sure they are doing these correct too. They do drills helpful for tae kwon do, like scissor kicking and knee hops. Then, they work on their different techniques for kicking and striking. My son likes the sparring the best. He uses the big blue shields that the studio provides. My daughter has her own bag of sparring gear, helmut, chest, arm, leg, and mouth guards. There is controlled sparring and sparring exercises, example, two lines of kids facing each other, 3 front kicks forward and 3 front kicks back. Contact is ok because of the shields and protective gear. This is also carefully controlled by Master Hung. Kids are not trying to hurt each other. Master will also teach kids to use double techniques and to stack their opponents. Kids also learn kata's for each of their belts. Kids get more belts than adults. They will go thru a white belt with a yellow stripe, orange stripe, and a black stripe. Then a yellow belt with different stripes. After passing a test, kids break a board with the technique for that belt and go thru the ceremony for the new belt. My kids enjoy taking classes once a week. Two classes would give them more practice and advanced them faster, but my son enjoys taking gymnastic classes (Goldstar Gymnastics) every week too and my daughter likes to take a different class, like ice skating or swimming. There is a fee for the uniform, each belt test, and later on, sparring gear. But the fees and equipment are comparable to other classes like gymnastics (leotard), swimming (swim suit), soccer (cleats), and ice skating. I like that this class is educational for my kids, teaches them courtesy, respect, and exercises them.