Elite Self Defense Academy

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

I can not say enough positive things about Elite Self Defense Academy! Sensai John is awesome from start to finish. We had our sons 5^th 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!

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!

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.

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.

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!

I can’t say enough good things about Elite Self Defence Academy. I brought my two children here and they have been gaining more than just Jujitsu lessons! There are learning more about self respect and better conduct in school. They are learning self defense not how to hurt other people but really how to deal with bullies and what to do to defend themselves. they have learned and shown these skills and I am very proud of my boys for doing the right thing.
These kids get a great chance to learn coordination and fitness while learning discipline at a pace that fits them. They also work well with Special needs children. working with the kids on a one to one special Tailor made classes. helping then work through the unique challenges in their lives.
Did I mention Birthday parties? They throw the best parties. everyone wanted to come to my son’s birthday party his year and it was packed !! Sensei John and his team did a great job decorating the whole Dojo and all the kids came away from the party not only with frosting on their lips but a new found sense of respect in their hearts. and my son is now the COOL kid at school and I didn’t have to do hardly a thing but show up and enjoy the party. I highly recommend this school for your child and you. they even have adult classes as well!!!

I take the 4 year old boy I watch to Jujitsu here and we all love it! Not only was I suprised at how fast he was learning but also how interested he was in it. Its not easy to keep a 4 year olds attention for that long but Sensei John and Sensei Tim do a great job with the kids! We also always come with his 2 year old brother who loves to come play at the dojo! Its amazing the wide range of ages this group had and how everyone works together! I’m so glad to have found a place like this to bring the kids!

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

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.

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.

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.