I used to teach here and I miss the place. The culture is so vibrant and everyone really is a family. When you walk in and put on that uniform it's like nothing else matters. Just the Z on our hearts and the flag on our sleeves read more

Kyle Cooper is no longer at this studio. The new Sensai is much more honest and fair and upfront. My little guy absolutely respects him and is a better listener now. We just signed up for 3 more months so that he can test for his yellow belt. I have nothing but the highest level of respect for Sensai Alan. He really goes above and beyond for the students. My little one likes him so much he wanted me to color his hair to match his Sensai. As a parent I appreciate all he does to make sure my son learns good values. Hopefully they will open soon and private lessons will continue. My son has made new friends is happy and motivated to attend classes. Its very safe as well. They keep the dojo very clean. read more

Z Ultimate Self Defense Studio - New Sensai in charge - Self-defense Classes Near Me - San Diego, California

After having 2 babies and dealing with the pandemic, it's great to finally be back at the dojo with other people! Sensei Alan is amazing and always knows exactly what you need to work on and how to help you with it. Before he took over the dojo, he had already been a very gifted karate student, and now he has really grown into an even more confident, effective, highly skilled instructor. I recommend this dojo now more than ever read more

My family and I met Kyle Cooper on June 3rd, 2018 at the Rancho Bernardo street fair. We entered a raffle to win 3 months of sessions and decided to give it a try. A few days later, we received an email that we "won" a month worth of sessions. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but if you go the Z-Ultimate website, you get a free month to try the place out anyway. So, we really didn't win anything at all, but it was spun in a way to make it think we did. We came into the studio and tried it out. What others have said is, yes, Kyle Cooper likes teaching and, in my opinion, was pretty good at it, especially with smaller kids. After this first session, we discussed options on whether or not we would like to continue, regardless of the fact that we had a month left of sessions to try it out. The offering that was more appealing was the block of 20 private lessons. This runs in the amount of $1500. During this promotional period, Kyle Cooper told us that instead of 30 minute private lessons, we would be getting one hour private lessons (this is important later on in this review). After a bit of discussion, it was our understanding that we would be entering the studio 20 separate times, as a family of four, for one hour. This amounts to $75 an hour for our family, which even at that, thought it was a little steep, but was interested enough to give it a go. We even made the comment that, "This will get us through the summer while the kids are out of school," and then we'll determine what to do once the school year starts. Kyle Cooper made no attempt to correct that statement. Further discussed was that we would be told how many sessions we had remaining after each time we visited the studio. It wasn't until after the third session that my family and I took that we were told we had two sessions left in which the four of us would come in together. My wife and I felt blindsided. That amounts to $300 an hour every time my family and I walk through the door (this is also important later on the review). No one in their right mind would pay that amount of money for this type of service to be able to visit your studio 5 times. While sitting down with Kyle Cooper after this third session, he then informed us that if we paid his 12 month price up front, it would $1642.50 PER MONTH, for the four of us. I have this in writing. To put it into perspective, he listed his 3 month discounted rate as $2007.50 PER MONTH and the 6 month discounted rate as $1825.00 PER MONTH. I almost threw up. Kyle Cooper sat there with a straight face, as if this is a normal price that people pay for Karate. My wife and Kyle Cooper talked on the phone to clear up the misunderstanding that we were expecting 20 sessions for $1500. While it seemed that he agreed, we went into the fourth session and were then told we had one session left. I couldn't believe it. There is no possible way I would have come in for a fourth session with his understanding of the agreement. We sat down with Kyle Cooper to fix this issue. We requested a refund for the amount for the unused sessions as we understood the agreement. We even attempted to come to a compromise. His solution to all this was that my son and I pay an additional $794.25 to continue on as a 3 month tuition plan. His solution was FOR US TO PAY MORE MONEY. I couldn't see straight after hearing that. The icing on the cake is that the last email correspondence we received from Kyle Cooper was that WE agreed to 1 hour lessons when we signed up, making each time we walked through the door count as 8 sessions. That's $600 an hour. $600 AN HOUR. That is completely absurd! Kyle Cooper was completely unwilling to work with us to solve this issue. He then claimed that services were paid in full when, in fact, even to his own understanding of the agreement, we have 5 "sessions" left from the original 20 (our kid was absent once). At no time did Kyle Cooper want to clarify the terms of this agreement in writing. He didn't want to "type it all out" when in fact, it should have all been typed out in the first place. Everything was done verbally either in person or over the phone in attempt to not have written proof of what he was saying. Finally, in the last correspondence from Kyle Cooper, he even accused us of bullying him to get a resolve to this issue. Again, this is completely absurd. We're standing up for our rights as people and confronting someone that is doing wrong. He had told us one thing and completely behaved differently. I hate putting trust in someone only to be betrayed. While we did enjoy the lessons, there is no possible way me, my wife, or my children will visit someone who I don't feel is trustworthy. If you attend this studio or are thinking about, get everything in writing from Kyle Cooper. When he attempted to backtrack like he was three times now with us, you will have two legs to stand on. read more

WONDERFUL INSTRUCTOR - Sensei Kyle is GREAT with kids! We've been looking for a martial arts dojo for our 5 y.o. and thought to go with the closest one to our home in Black Mtn area. However, we came across Z Ultimate, watching the instructor work with kids. There was an introductory 1st month free when my daughter joined and it really helped to solidify our choice. Sensei Kyle really enjoys working with kids and has patience and fun while teaching them karate. Availability for classes and private lessons is flexible most days, which helpf to accomodate our working schedule. My child is the youngest in the class right now yet she is still engaged, having fun and learning. Highly recommend Z Ultimate Self Defense Studio. If there were adult self defense classes in the evening, I would attend too! We look forward to having our daughter attend many years at this studio! read more

We bought our 6 year old a one month introductory lesson for Christmas. He had always been interested in Karate. Upon checking the place out Sensei Kyle greeted us with a smile. :) Within the month, Our son has grown confidence and patience. I am so glad we choose Ultimate Z here in Carmel Mtn. We signed for another two years! read more

Kyle Cooper took from us $1500 for 4 1-hour long sessions for myself, husband and two kids. That's almost $400 per hour. What we were told we were buying is 20 hour-long private lessons for the 4 of us for $1500, plus $400 for lifetime access to the online tutorials. That's 20 hours of Kyle's time. Kyle tricked us. Every time we came in he treated it as 4 hours, since there are 4 of us. That's $300 every time we stepped in the dojo. Our baby sometimes accompanied us in her car seat. I'm surprised he didn't charge for her as well. We sat and spoke with him at length about having 20 hour sessions, so he understood the agreement and that nobody in their right mind would pay $300 for a 1-hour karate lesson. We were shell shocked when three lessons into our 20 he told us we had two sessions left. I called him to discuss the bait-and-switch (aka "misunderstanding"), and he verbally agreed to honor our agreement and provide us 17 more hourlong lessons because that's what his Sensei would do. Thereafter we came back for the 4th lesson. After the 4th lesson, he met with us to explain we only had 1 lesson left. We were tricked yet again and forced to lose 4 more hours. Had I known he would treat each 1-hour lesson as 4 hours, my husband and son would have taken 10 1-hour individual lessons each. My 6 year old and I would not have even taken lessons. Even after all this, we tried to compromise with Kyle by asking for a partial refund for unused lessons (we had 16 left at this point). We understood he'd get back to us by the following Monday. When we still hadn't heard from him come Friday, I sent him an email demanding a refund. His response was that we received services in full and would be receiving nothing. Mind you, we have taken 4 lessons total, and my 6 year old was absent for one of them. Even under his deceitful plan, we have 5 hours left. No refund? This is outright theft. Also, we paid $400 for uniforms and lifetime access to the online lessons. We still have no online access. We feel that Kyle conned us, which is especially hurtful when I entrusted him with a certain level of moral guidance for my two little boys. I feel horrible for having them look up to him, even for a short while. My advice is to stay FAR away from this place and generally in life, to get EVERYTHING in writing because not all people are honorable. Most verbal agreements are binding but take a little more legwork to prove. read more

If I could give 6 stars I would. Sensei Kyle Cooper has the patience of a saint. He loves working with kids, the ones who try hard and do well and the ones who need a lot of attention, it doesn't matter to him. My kids have learned patience, control, discipline, physical fitness, self-esteem, accomplishment, and so much more. I am not saying they have become perfectly behaved but they are far more well behaved than ever before. They take great pride in doing the best they can and in the process they are learning how to be "bully proof." Thanks Z! read more

One of the best instructors for kids! Sensei Kyle has a way of teaching the children about martial arts while having some fun at the same time. I would definitely recommend the kids class to other parents! read more

Decided to check out this place because it was close to my house. Went in yesterday asking about classes for my 11 year son. Made an appointment to come in tonight and when we showed up, the place was CLOSED. My son was sooo excited when I told him where we were going and heartbroken when we arrived and no one was there. First expressions are everything, and this place FAILED! read more

Sinsei Kyle has the patience of a saint!!! We've only been to the trial classes but will be making a commitment tomorrow.

Very prompt and honest staff who know what they are doing and teaching. Very informative and skilled instructions. Always willing to go the extra step. Highly recommend. read more

We started our son Alan (now Sensei Alan) at this dojo when he was five. He was small for his age and a bit of a loner. Prime target for bullies at school. I wanted a school that taught kids how to defend themselves without being too aggressive. This dojo was perfect. Over the years, he is now nineteen, it has not only helped him successfully protect himself against bullies, but also to have confidence and be in great shape. I am very grateful for Sensei Kyle and the Carmel Mtn. Ranch dojo. read more

Purchased a Groupon deal, $40 for month of classes plus uniform, and was totally worth it! Sensei Kyle is great with the kids, and kept our little one engaged and enthusiastic about learning karate the entire month. Programs typically include two to four classes a week, including a private lesson for 30 minutes. Advanced, mixed classes are available on the weekends for the little ones who take their training a bit more seriously. The studio is a bit small, but adequate enough to give the kids enough room to maneover. Classes also end with a short meditation session which helps calm the kids down. Will be back for more lessons next year! read more

Sensei Kyle is awesome! My daughter is an energetic 4 year old and he is able to keep her engaged, having fun, and learning for the full session. He also varies his approaches and teaching style depending on what she needs that day. In the short time that she's been there, I can already see that she has gained strength and learned a great deal. I highly recommend this studio. read more

This is a great place, my son and now me workout there and it has been a great experience for both. Highly recommended

Absolutely great instructor and a wonderful environment for kids and adults to learn martial arts. Highly recommend it