I highly recommend ABK. My kids have grown so much - mentally and physically - at America's Best Karate. They look forward to every class. My son has been there for 5 years and my daughter started about a year ago. What's wonderful about ABK is that the instructors lead with love and kindness and pride themselves on inclusivity and a welcoming environment. And even so, they have high expectations and instill discipline and focus. We love it. The classes have helped my kids with core strength, balance, resilience, working memory and other executive functioning skills, all in a fun setting with peers. I've taken some adult classes too and it's been phenomenal for my focus, mindful movement, and strength. We are huge fans of ABK and I'm happy to chat more about the program with anyone interested. Call them for a free trial any time. read more

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My 8yr old son looks forward to his classes, the instructors are super attentive . They provide a space to learn while still having fun

ABK is a phenomenal space and the instructors are excellent. My son joined the Little Ninjas program during COVID (summer of 2021). I have seen him blossom from a shy and scared preschooler to a confident 1st grader. He improved his focus, balance, and ability to take instructions. During COVID there was a phase when my son refused to come for classes. But the instructor (Mr. Fadhil) very patiently and gently nudged him to continue. With time my son overcame his reluctance and grew to love his classes. The classes are fun and the instructors are kind but firm. Highly recommended. read more

Absolutely recommend this place for their instructors, method of instruction, kindness, flexibility and love for children. My young kiddo had a mix of shyness with a healthy dose of refusal to follow instructions, being distracted and worse, random bursts of yelling. Enter Coach Fadhil- he worked patiently with my kid (and me to reassure a worried mama!) with what seemed like magic to me where over a period of a few weeks my son is well adjusted, independent, following multiple instructions and looks forward to his classes especially giving his favorite coach a big hug! Thank you x 1000000 Coach Fadhil for this wonderful transformation. Means the world to me when I see my son run off to take his place in line when the class begins! read more

I have 2 sons who attend America's Best Karate. My oldest has been going for a couple of years now, and my youngest just started in Little Ninjas 3 months ago. The instructors are great at working with children. They emphasize stretching, exercise, and self-defense techniques. There is a lot of repetition of various movements to help students remember the many techniques and routines. The instructors are very kind towards their students. My 4 year old doesn't have the best attention span, but the teachers have been great at trying to keep him focused. I, also, have taken several classes with the adults, and very much enjoyed the cardio involved. Special mention should be given regarding the primary liaison at ABK, Mr. Fadhil. He often does the first meeting with students and parents, and is involved in most of the classes. I have never seen someone so dedicated to.his profession and trainees, and it is clear that he wants everyone attending ABK to thrive. He has even mentored/counseled my boys when they were having trouble at school and home. I am truly amazed at his level of compassion, which is incredibly rare these days. You won't find a better place for you or your family to learn karate than ABK. Highly recommended! read more

Instructors are great. My son Reyven is very happy that he is enrolled here. Instructors are very nice. They show the correct techniques individually if my son seems not getting the moves. I recommend this karate place since it's clean, instructors are great and my son learns discipline, focus and determination here. It's a great exercise for him too! read more

I found this place when I was looking for karate class for my 4 years old. So I decided to give a try. After the 1st try out, I signed him up right away. I really like the instructors there because they are extremely helpful and patient to help my son ease in class. They make the class so fun where the children can learn and have a good time at the same time. I can see they like what they are doing. They have the passion to teach and work with kids which its not easy to find. read more

America's Best Karate - Martial Arts Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

This place is amazing! I have two kids in ABK (ages 7 and 5), both of them attending classes since they turned 4. We originally signed up to help my son gain confidence and discipline, not sure if it will work but the instructors in ABK are absolutely amazing, they saw he was struggling at first and spent his first lessons working 1-1 with him to ensure he feels comfortable and helping him adapt. I feel like the personal treatment from the instructors is the real differentiator, they really take the time to know your kids and make sure they are not left behind. I highly recommend coming for a test class just to meet the amazing ABK staff, you won't regret it. read more

We have known this martial art school as an environment with good reviews on Yelp. After thinking carefully, we did already let our kids studying at this school. After couple months, this America's Best Karate indeed deserves a good school with 5-star rating . The instructors are professional with great attitudes. They strike the right balance between discipline and kindness. My kids really like this place where they have learnt many strengths as well as improve their skills from weakness effectively. If we miss any class during the week, we can make up the lecture at another day in weekday or weekend. Personally, both my husband and I have been very be pleased and satisfied with all programs my kids have learned from belt stripes to belt colors. I would recommend all parents should take kids to study this school. That is a right place for your kids to trust. Again, thanks so much to all instructors here for your teaching. Tammy and Taylor's parents read more

Enrolled my son into both their 5 year old "Little Ninjas" program and 1:1 instructional training. The owner of the studio along w/ their lead instructor were extremely welcoming and immediately instilled confidence in my son. I'm very impressed with the overall professionalism, cleanliness and principles of the studio. I highly recommend this to anyone looking to drive discipline and confidence in their children. read more

Our daughter was a member here for almost a year. We absolutely loved it and the staff. When letting the owner know we wouldn't be renewing he wanted to go above and beyond to help us stay, we are grateful for that. We found a Groupon for a different place and different program (Not Karate) that made the most sense for us financially, but definitely plan on returning here within the next year it's worth the price! read more

Love the way they make it fun for kids while teaching important life lessons on discipline and focus !

My son likes here very much！All teachers are responsible for kids，my son does some actions not very good，they help him one to one！He says：I am a man not a little boy when I stay with teachers！ My daughter wantna go here，but she is so young！She will come here when she is 4years old！ read more

This service deserves more than 5 stars :) I enrolled my child (6 year old boy) here for 2 classes a week program. He loves it. He is never bored of the classes. The way instructors teach them is impressive. Kids think they are just having fun. But actually they are learning concepts like self-confidence, balance, focus, .. Though the session is 30 minutes it is action-packed. They are very prompt in responding to your e-mail questions too. I highly recommend their service. read more

If you are looking for the right class to help teach your child to focus, build character, discipline, coordination and strength look no further. My son started the Little Ninjas program at ABK when he was 4. We thought we would try it for one session and then move on, but we fell in love. My son is now 8 and we see no end in sight! Master Penner and his team really know how to develop each students' skills while integrating fun exercises that teach endurance and discipline. My son has grown so much since he has been with ABK not only in strength but in self-confidence! I would highly recommend this place to anyone. read more

Great studio. The people are really fun to be around and the instructors are great with the kids.

This is another long overdue review; we first visited ABK while attending a birthday party years ago. We previously had our daughter try karate with a couple other dojos, but she wasn't really feeling it, so we thought martial arts wasn't her thing. Well, after that birthday party, we were surprised when she asked if she could take classes! We had always wanted her to do some sort of martial arts, hoping to strengthen her focus, respect, and learn some self-defense, but the other past programs weren't great fits for various reasons. Because of this, I was a bit wary of ABK as well, but after watching the first few classes, any wariness disappeared. We have truly been impressed with all of the lead instructors - the main trio being Mr. Fadhil, Mr. deWaal, and Mr. Sappingfield. Master Penner has to be a great judge of character, because they are all awesome. They have different personalities, but fundamentally are all really nice and encouraging, and don't just teach the forms, but make it fun and engaging, while also making sure the students are staying respectful and safe. Even the chosen junior assistants (not sure of the exact title) that our kids have had in their past classes are great - supportive, modest, and helpful. As the students grow older and advance to the higher belt levels, they are expected to be a little more mature and serious, but I view that as a great, natural progression. The instructors balance just the right amount of fun and strictness. On the door of the main studio, there's a list of items that students can improve, including self-confidence, self-discipline, self-defense, flexibility, focus, (among others), and I really feel they do in fact deliver on helping students improve in these areas. When the pandemic hit, we weren't sure how anything was going to go, but we soon found out that ABK quickly and creatively adapted to each new county requirement - from initially posting videos of forms for students to practice at home, to holding virtual classes, then limiting classes sizes, mandating masks, temperature checks, full cleaning of the mats in between classes, etc. Other activities that our family were in just shut down completely, whereas ABK made sure their students could maintain their karate forms as best as possible given the circumstances. We are very thankful, as this helped keep our kids sane and engaged during the long shelter-in-place. It was so great for them to have something to do and be able to have some interaction with others even while still physically within our own four walls. The only item I've found confusing is that despite "karate" being in the name, the forms are more Taekwondo than Karate. We were initially looking for a karate program and that might have been nice to know early on, but given our prior search for karate dojos/studios, we haven't looked back because of all the other benefits our kids have received from ABK. They have stuck with it for years now, because they enjoy it so much and really look forward to working with the instructors. They still get a little nervous around Master Penner (he's "the boss"), but they have the utmost respect for him, as do I. He is a very nice person as well, just has a more reserved, stern professionalism about him - - which is what you would want in and expect from a martial arts Master. Our kids can be goofy, but the instructors make sure they know the appropriate times for that behavior. Our kids look up to all of them so much, and we couldn't ask for better role models. They have found the program both physically and mentally challenging, yet also enjoyable. We are so grateful that we happened to visit ABK all those years ago! read more

My shy boy loves this place so much now. He was very scared and nervous at the beginning, but he now asks if he can do 4 classes a week. All the instructors and masters here is very friendly and caring. This place is actually a family friendly class environment. Highly recommend! You will love this place like us. read more

We enjoyed attending for close to 3 years until we moved out of the area. My son always looked forward to going to karate after school and I enjoyed the curriculum. After they opened the second studio, the class sizes became smaller and more time was dedicated to each child which was a great plus. read more

We love ABK - especially my boys, age 5 and 7. They are excited to come to class and have bonded with the instructors and other friends made in the class. It's a healthy and fun environment where they laugh, exercise, listen, and learn. It's great to see them work hard on their combinations and get rewarded by earning stripes. The studio is very family oriented and organize movie nights and other special fun events for kids - which are really thoughtful and engaging for the kids. My kids love attending and I feel confident that they will be safe under the supervision of the instructors. It's amazing how all the instructors know each kid by name - because there are many of them! I love the personalized care they put toward each family - it really makes a difference. read more

America's Best Karate - #yellowbelt #proudmama - Martial Arts Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

I'm so impressed with this place! My daughter has been going to the "little ninjas" class for a few months and she just loves it. The teachers are so good with kids, they know exactly how to get them to participate with a good mixture of goofiness and structure. The class is focusing on things like coordination, memory, strength, focus, etc. and the kids get a good 30 min of physical activity. The class also really helps with self esteem as kids are earning stripes and belts and see their progress. read more

ABK is great for kids of all ages! We highly recommend this studio. Our son started when he was 6 years old and 1.5 years later, he's more confident, focussed and disciplined. He's excited to go to classes each week. Master Penner and his well-trained instructors teach with the perfect balance of discipline, motivation and positive encouragement. They clearly love working with children! And they keep the kids engaged and focused while having fun. We looked at several studios in the area before joining ABK but were drawn to the instructors and the positive teaching environment. ABK fosters a welcoming community. Other places made my son feel intimidated where kids didn't seem to be enjoying the classes. Our son loves this place! read more

Both my sons, ages 9 and 6, have been going to ABK for more than a year now and I cannot say enough good things about this school. The instructors are very engaging, patient, knowledgeable, and are obviously happy to be teaching kids. The new studio is very roomy, comfortable, and clean. The rates they charge are competitive and worth it considering that the kids learn not just their forms but also important life skills. My younger one recently earned his Little Ninja black belt but was hesitant to progress and join the big kids for his full belt because he was anxious about being the smallest and newest kid in class. Mr. Fadhil took him aside and was able to convince him to at least give it a try. He's super excited to advance now and to attend the sessions with the bigger kids. The instructors really do take the time to get to know the kids and they go out of their way to help the parents out on matters concerning discipline and anxiety issues. My 9 year old takes private lessons with Mr. Dewaal because he has sensory issues and cannot join the group classes. We've been impressed with how he has handled each session, making sure that our son is focused on the curriculum and is having fun at the same time. Our son has always been treated with patience and respect. The studio's 5-star rating on Yelp is well-deserved and we have recommended this studio to family and friends several times. read more

I've been training with Master Penner At America's Best Karate for over 10 years. I was always interested in martial arts as a child, but didn't start training until I was an adult. I wanted to learn to defend myself and get a good workout in as well; I didn't want a studio that focused on competitions and trophies as I have no extra time on the weekends, nor did I want a studio that felt like an MMA meathead factory. I know this was years ago, but when I took my first step in the door, a kids class was in session. I remember watching and thinking how organized the class was and how everyone was having fun. It was exactly what I was looking for. Well, here I am years later still training. The adult classes are such an amazing workout, it keeps my weight off and my strength, balance and flexibility up (especially since I'm getting older!). I recently purchased a fitness tracker, so it's fun to see how an hour long class burns so many calories. I think the one thing I can say that I've seen over the years is my inner confidence improve. I've never been outwardly shy, but I always had the little voice of doubt. That voice really started to change once I earned my Black Belt and then another boost with my 2nd degree. The instructors really help you work towards your training goals and give you the tools to apply that to other life situations. I've even caught myself with little silly things like carrying heavy groceries up to my 3rd floor apartment - 'Yes! I can do that! I'm a 2nd degree!' I am currently working on my 3rd degree. Over the years I've made so many friends, there is such a community. Everyone is encouraging - "come on, only 10 more kicks to go!" Many of the adults that take class have children who take class as well, so it becomes a family thing (my sister takes class as well). I can't think of my life without ABK; I love it, I'm a lifer! read more

You will never find a better karate class than this one. Master Penner is everything you would hope an instructor to be. Respect, discipline, perseverance, skill, humor, and masterful teaching are all part of each class. Our son thoroughly enjoyed the classes, gained confidence, and felt pride in his progress. Highest recommendation! read more

My son joined ABK a little over 5 years ago. He was a clumsy 10 year old and growing rapidly. He was one of the oldest in his beginning classes and by the time he was 13 almost 6 feet so Master Penner moved him to the adult classes. MY son has since learned balance, respect and added 3 more inches to his height. Since last year he has been an assistant instructor and has added a great work ethic to his list of accomplishments. He is well on his way to a black belt before graduating High School in 2 years and sees a future in martial arts before him. Master Penner and his staff are excellent with kids and I would choose ABK again. read more

We enrolled my 9th years old 9 months ago. My kid has fun. Pay $175 for unlimited class but he only goes for 2 days/week due to the schedule. We love the place and definitely stay with it. Can't wait for the little brother ready to join his big brother. read more

Master Penner n staff are fantastic with kids.. Love their energy, leadership n commitment in teaching the art of karate.. My 5 year old looks forward in attending classes twice a week.. I definately recommend any parent to enroll their child here... read more

America's Best Karate (ABK) is one of the best Karate institutes. We are extremely happy with their skills, training, and motivation to kids. Master Todd Penner and his instructors Mr. De Waal and Mr. Fadhil are amazing. They take interest in knowing each kid and their caliber. They are able to motivate each kid into doing their best. My son Rayan was only 4 when he started his Karate training in ABK. It's been 6 years now and Rayan is flourishing as a more confident, respectful and a strong individual. Rayan's goal is to earn all his degrees and belts and then teach Karate at ABK while doing school. My little son is also in the program now and he thoroughly enjoys his classes. ABK does more than imparting Martial Art skills, they form strong foundation in kids and produce great role models. I strongly recommend ABK for training in Martial Arts. read more

Enrolled my kids here about a year ago and i have seen some pretty dramatic results in doing so (all good!) Well the kids seemed to be getting glued to electronics and back to me and my husband too much. We started thinking about things they could do to work at and build respect. Well one of their friends parents mentioned they go to karate lessons and we thought that might be an awesome idea. The studio they used was a little far so we decided to looking around. Well we found this place and decided to stop in, Magdalen walked us through all their programs and we settled on the black belt program after the kids had such a fun time in their practice round. Since starting the kids have progressed quite a bit and have learned quite a bit from their lessons but most importantly they picked up on self discipline! Master penner is amazing at what he does and the whole staff keep the whole class learning but having fun at the same time. If you are considering it for your kiddos you should stop by and watch a class its really entertaining! read more

So far, my son loves this place. Instructors are friendly. The place doesn't smell bad like the other studios.

Our two sons have been at ABK for many years. They love going to class. The environment is very positive and encourages students of all levels to challenge themselves mentally and physically. Master Penner and all the instructors are excellent teachers who have a way of bringing out the best in each student. They encourage the kids to improve their skills for their own personal self (as opposed to trying to please someone else like a teacher) which builds the kids' self esteem and helps them think for themselves. On the front door of the school the principles of leadership, self-confidence, respect, focus, self-discipline and more are listed. Our experience is the kids learn all these things and more. Highly recommend this fantastic school! read more

My son was enrolled to little Ninja a few months ago just when he turned 4. Right from his 2nd class, non of the instructors paid attention to him and obviously a 4 year old finds it way more difficult to follow the instructions. I see that the most of the instructors/helpers are not more that 13/14 year old, some times you can see some 6 to 7 year old kid as Instructor's helpers. I could feel that my son (also other kids) looks lost in the classes and sad. After 5 or 6 classes my son completely lost interest and depressed. As a parent no one would ever like to feel what I felt during those time seeing my son so depressed (imagine a 4 year old little kid). I did not want to give up though, because that will an issue later and my son will find a way to give up when things do not turn out good. I was patiently waiting that some day instructors will notice and will help him out. But, things did not change so finally I wanted to discontinue and told Mr. Fadhil that look like my son is not interested to come and scared, he said okay,"please send an email to discontinue" (strange!!, same person sounds very positive at the time of enrolling) . I was very much disappointed and then another parent told me that you can still talk to Mr. Dillon Sappingfield if he can help your child. I thought let see for the last time and then I talk to Mr. Sappingfield. Today I am so thankful to Mr. Sappingfield, he a super teacher, a nice human being! Because of him I am still continuing with ABK. He helped my son to follow instructions and after his class my son started liking Karate and Mr. Sappingfield is his favorite teacher now. Thank you so much Mr. Sappingfield, God bless you! read more

We have been an ABK Sunnyvale family for three years now, this studio is truly phenomenal. My older son was a little bit later to starting a martial art and we are taking our time through the program, but the experience has been and continues to be great for him. We were looking to build his coordination, confidence, focus, strength and flexibility. He's been able to do that and more working with Master Todd Penner and his cultivated team of wonderful instructors. The studio is large, clean, organized and a positive space for learning. My son has had a great experience with all of the instructors, but Senior Instructor Abdala Fadhil in particular has just gone above and beyond for him. Master Penner, Mister Fadhil and the rest of the instructors have taken the time to know my son as a learner and strike a great balance of caring mentors and firm disciplinarians. This is not a studio where bravado and machismo are rewarded, it's a studio where character development and personal growth of each student as their best-selves is held on par with the development of the physical skills. Whether you are looking to start with a 5 year old, a 9 year old or a 12 year old, or even as a mature learner, I can strongly endorse this studio without reservation. They are a wonderful group of professionals, worthy of your consideration. read more

This is a great school for kids. My daughter has been to this school for past 3 years and I am so grateful to these guys for the phenomenal improvement in her on every aspect like listening, focus, fitness and martial art skills. All the teachers are really good and the teaching method is one of the best I have seen across many schools. I wish they could teach other teachers how to teach these very small kids. Hats Off to Master Penner and all his team for creating such a wonderful environment for kids. You see all the teachers here are also ex students and really dedicated to the martial arts. I am always amazed with every class how they teach small kids with ease and with lot of fun filling classes.I personally feel every kid should go thru their classes to learn and heart all the important skills they teach. read more

My kids have been coming to ABK for almost 3 years. All the instructors are very good at working with kids. My kids are learning, getting stronger while having fun. They love attending every class and looking forward to the next belt test. The birthday parties are also wonderful. The kids have a chance play with different weapons that they don't in regular classes. read more

My son wasn't a very flexible person. I enrolled him at ABK to get more flexibility, to react swiftly and to learn Karate. Mr. Fadhil and Mr. Dewall gave a steady coaching which helped my son to progress very well. I can see at lot of difference with my son after a couple of months. One of the best quality of the teachers at ABK is "patience". They know that the children coming to them starts at zero. They never discourage any child for not being 100%. They take a great care of each student to develop karate skills intuitively. My sincere thanks to Mr. Fadhil and Mr. Dewall. Guys, you're the best. ABK rocks... read more

Want to get your kid off that screen? Check out America's Best Karate where your kid will love learning FUN! hard work, dedication, strength, agility, flexibility, confidence, poise, focus, discipline, setting and achieving long term goals. Master Penner and his staff provide a safe and fun environment for kids of all ages, body types and athletic ability to learn and master Martial Arts. My son is half way to his black belt and he loves it. He loves it so much that he convinced me to start taking adult classes. I'm also half way to my black belt and I'm stronger and in better shape in my forties than I was in my twenties and thirties. Don't worry, you and your kids can do it too. And you will all be better for it! read more

I am the Director of the preschool and after school program, Windsor Academy, directly across the street from this studio. Given the proximity to our school, I approached Master Penner about lessons for our students. Since then, over the past several years, I have gained quite a bit of insight into the studio, its staff, and how ABK runs overall. There are a few things that stood out in my mind: 1 - High-quality Staff: The staff is passionate and gentle with the children, yet still hold them to high standards. I distinctly remember watching the first lesson with our students: Master Penner had a beaming smile throughout. He was having a good time! The instructors here actually enjoy what they are doing; the passion is evident. My interactions with and observations of Ms. Justice have been consistently positive. She is young, fun, and relates to the children in a way that is rare, asking them about their day, how school was, etc. I can see she is invested in the students as not only clients, but as people. 2 - Enthusiastic Students: Our students absolutely love their karate days. They look forward to class and we hear ALL about what went on in class. We see karate moves on the playground, as the elder children teach the younger ones who are not in class. We had one child, who on his fourth birthday, woke up screaming, "Now I can finally go to karate class!!!" eyes still closed and half-asleep. :) Nearly all our students have continued with ABK, even after graduating. The children's enthusiasm is the best endorsement for ABK. 3 - Developmental Curriculum and Philosophy: Over the years, I have had students who have been enrolled in other martial arts programs in and around Sunnyvale and Mountain View. I don't want to say anything negative about any program, but I have had students who dreaded going to classes. I think the reason the students at ABK are so happy is because it is a developmental program, focused on the whole-child development: emotional, social, cognitive, and physical. It seems it is really hard to find this type of well-balanced, varied curriculum in the area. 4 - Community-based Business: At the core, this is a community-based business that cares about relationships over profit. During the holidays, children carol at the studio and are greeted with a staff member who passes out a special treat to each child. The studio has been sensitive to the needs of full-time working parents. The studio welcomes field trips for children to learn more about martial arts. The staff speaks to each family personally and addresses each child's individual needs. Having run a children's program myself, I have observed the studio with a critical eye and through the lens of an educator. I have been thoroughly impressed by what I have observed, and echo all the positives mentioned by the other reviews. read more

ABK is simply fantastic. Our son has shown an improvement is self-confidence, improved motor skills and agility and he really, really respects Master Penner. I was initially fearful that he would become bored after the first few weeks as he normally is with many other activities. However it's been the exact opposite - he absolutely loves it! He attends Windsor Academy (across the street) and The "karate kids" are picked up by ABK assistant teachers - love, love, love it! I am very selective about where I send my kids and do a lot of research before engaging them in an activity. We've seen other places too but as soon as seeing one session with Master Penner we knew this place was it. Try it and love it! read more