Attended a four year olds birthday here yesterday with my Three year old. We were the first group to start. By the time it was time for us to have cake, two more birthday parties had arrived. It seemed like an easy way to organize a birthday. They have a bin for gifts as you arrive, two teachers take the kids through three 20 minute activities, with a water and bathroom break halfway through. The kids loved it, unlike previous reviews stated, I found the desk staff friendly and parents were allowed to go into the flour with the kids. There was a staff member near the shoe area that helped get late arrivals to their birthday party. However, after the bathroom break, the teachers took most of the kids to be far end of the gym to the final play area, but left three kids behind and seemed clueless about it. One was my kid, and I knew the other two so brought them to the right spot, but really, if there are people in charge and you are encouraged to wait in the waiting area, they should be vigilant and make sure no one gets lost. read more

Went in for some information. There was no one in the office besides one person and she was not helpful. I had to ask for detailed information instead of her offering it. Not a place I want to spend my money. Better customer service needed here. After all you work with children you should be a little more enthusiastic. read more

It seems my last review struck a nerve over at Encore. I received a nice note from the director there, inviting me to come back. On the other hand, there also seems to be a sudden flood of 5 star reviews from people who have no other reviews. Hmm. I stand by my review 100%. As I told the director in my email, my girls have made more progress in a month at Diablo Gym than in 6-9 months at Encore. I have no desire to switch back, sorry. I do hope that my review will be seen as a positive force, and that they will pay a bit more attention to what goes on out on the gym floor. read more

We love Encore! My daughter has been coming here for almost a year now. We love how hands-on the coaches are. We started with a parent-toddler class w Coach Tre and transitioned her to tiny tumblers with a couple different coaches (since we always move her schedule around). Her favorite is Coach Alex!!! All she talks about at home. She used to be a very shy girl that would always cling to her mom and dad and Encore has helped a lot with child development thru play and gymnastics. She started pre-school a couple months ago and I can't believe she never cried or threw a fit the first week.. my dad told me it was because we got her to gymnastics class and it honed her social skills. It's not just about gymnastics here.. Also the ladies at the front desk are the most accommodating people.. I can't count how many times I had to play around w the schedule and had to call in an absence, reschedule make-ups - they are and will be very patient with you. read more

We had my 4 year old Birthday party here last Sunday. My son has attended classes here but after trying a hip hop class at funkmoade last summer we made the switch. This Gym is our rainy day facility. The Coaching staff has always been nice and very helpful. The female coach was obvious the leader of the group and was extremely energetic... Extremely! I didnt see one sad face on any of the kids. Well except when one kid dropped her Cake pop on the floor but hey you cant make everyone happy. I don't write a lot of reviews unless a business really impresses me or really angers me. I'm a very patient person. So. I'm writing this review as more of a Thank you to the staff that lead my sons Birthday. I want to Thank Sara D. for being amazingly fun and exciting for the kids. You did a great job and I hope they give you a raise. Thank you to Matt the other Coach that handled all the catering services. And although parents were not allowed on the equipment. And we did have a few incidental parent equipment contacts, I would like to Thank Sara for being patient with the parents. You wouldn't think it would be the parents who were the problem, but we all have a little kid in us dont we. which brings me to another point. I decided to read a few reviews before I posted this. And I was extremely surprised by many of the reviews. But then I realized it wasn't the kids that were writing the reviews it was the parents. I didnt notice one review that had quotes form any of the children. SO. I asked my 4 year old son what he thought of his birthday party at Encore. Heres what he said. Me: Did you have fun at Encore today? Son: Yes. (hes not a talker) Me: What did you like? Son: I like the trampoline. I was jumping high. I was jumping high and got tired. Daddy can we go back there tomorrow. Me: Will see Son: Daddy Im tired. I think I jump to much. I realized that children dont see the same things we see. All they see is fun. And thats all I want for him. Is to have fun. He's 4 years old, and all he wants to do is jump high. He dosent care about air conditioning and class curriculum. He just wants to jump high. read more

Sadly disappointed. At first, My child enjoyed their classes, but despite repeated requests from my wife & I he never got the guidance where he needed it. He got bored doing the same thing over & over and never got the coaching he needed/wanted. We were just ignored/fell through the cracks. Major bummer for my child. I could've saved the time & money and just had him play at home on our trampoline. read more

Yes, I grew up taking gymnastics here and went on to compete for Encore's team and eventually coached here for years after I stopped competing, so I am biased, but I have to say that Encore is a wonderful place for kids to learn gymnastics, among other things. The coaches go through weeks and weeks of training and many of them are former gymnasts as well. Encore's owner, Tamara, has an extensive background in the sport, including being active on USA Gymnastics' Board of Directors. I can honestly say that I loved my job when I coached here and I consider everyone at Encore my extended family. If you want your child to learn gymnastics in a wholesome, safe, family environment, this is the place to go. read more

We like to come here every 1st Friday of the month for $5 open gym from 11-12. If you are going there for your first time I would suggest to arrive earlier to sign the waiver form and pay. It is a great way to test out the gym if you are thinking to take classes there. The gym is pretty awesome. They have everything gymnastics you can think of. Balance beams, high bars, tumbling mats, tons of balls, obstacle courses, trampolines, hula hoops etc. Upstairs they have bigger tramprolines, foam pit, and slides. There is a lot of things your toddler can do here that promotes being physical and coordination. Sometimes my son gets over stimulated and jumps from one activity to another. read more

Took my kids to this place to attend a birthday party. At first, did not have issue against the rule where only the birthday child's parent is allowed in the play area. That is until I saw that the chaperones were more interested in mingling with each other more than watching after your kids. My 3yr old daughter was playing on the trampoline until she landed wrong and twisted her ankle literally a few feet from the group of supposed supervisors. None of them noticed here sitting on the floor grabbing her ankles. They either need to get rid of the rule where other parents are not allowed or hire people to actually look after the kids. I personally would not book this place to host my kids party. read more

The only time I write a review on Yelp is when I am truly blown away by the service I receive from an individual or company. After my latest experience with Encore Gymnastics I couldn't wait to share it with others. I'll write about that experience in a moment. My 10 year old daughter has been going to Encore for the last three years. She loves the place and the coaches. I am always impressed with the upbeat and friendly "vibe" whenever I go in there to drop my daughter off. Sometimes I stay to watch her classes as well and I'm equally impressed. Here's what happened that inspired me to write a review on Yelp... My daughter really wanted to move up to the next level of classes, but there were two moves she just couldn't seem to pull off. She was soooo close. Well, one of the coaches there offered to do a private coaching session with my daughter to help her get the moves and she offered to do it on her own time (not for extra pay or anything). The coach said to me, "What matters most to us here is that our students develop self-belief and self-confidence. Skills are important but self-belief will help in all areas of life." (How cool is that?) I was so happy that the coach let me watch the private session. She helped my daughter turn her fear on the balance beam into courage. She asked my daughter questions that helped her notice the small changes needed to pull off the moves rather than just barking orders at her. Right in front of my eyes I saw my daughter move from self-doubt to self-belief. And it worked! My daughter took the test two days later and did all the required moves with grace and with a smile on her face. As we were driving home from the Encore facility, my daughter said to me, "Papa, I'm so happy right now. I didn't think I would ever get those moves. Now I know that I can learn anything I put my mind to." That awareness alone is priceless. We plan to continue at Encore for a long, long time. read more

Love this place! Top notch coaches like Sean, Sam, Spencer, and Bjorn make learning cartwheels and flips not only fun but safe. Staff is amazing, always willing to go the extra mile. Wish I could give 5stars but there's one thing that disappoints me and that is the exclusivity of their events. It's one thing to require registration but it's another to inform parents that registration is required and space is limited. When kids get turned away at the door for a Halloween party, it doesn't feel like the usual vibe - warm and welcoming. If i wanted to feel like an outsider I would have gone to that other gym. read more

We visited Encore to try out a class for my very active 2.5yr old. I was disappointed at best, and reading the other reviews I am not alone. I called looking for some guidance on which class to put my son in and the front desk acted like I was wasting her time. She told me because of his age age he belonged in the youngest class. At our first class the instructor sat in the middle of the floor and talked about how much weight she had lost this summer to another mom. She didn't say hi to me or my son, nor did she try to interact with any child during the whole class. When I complained to the front desk they told me that I could try the next level up class if I wasn't happy but that I would need to pay for it. I asked for the manager and after explaining what happened she defended the "teacher's" behavior but offered a free 2nd class. We tried it but I couldn't get over the dirty floor, equipment or heat (no air conditioning!?! or heating I was told). read more

Child #3 has now started classes at Encore, and it has only gotten better. She loves Coach Alex and the mid day mini camp.

We just hosted a party here for our 5 year old. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about it. The staff was friendly and helpful, they do everything! The kids loved to two people (Claire and Trevor) that were helping them. I was so impressed by them and their interaction with the kids. Worth every penny, highly suggest for a stress free party experience. read more

My daughter took classes here from the time she was 1 year old until she was about 4. I loved the Parent/Toddler classes because it was a fun way to get her moving, improve her motor skills, and have some bonding time. The facility can get crowded in the evening and parking is sometimes difficult. Air conditioning in the summer is nonexistent and their teaching staff is rather young. On the other hand, their coaches are very friendly and approachable and they seem to have a lot of Family Nights as well as other gym functions (all for extra fees). We eventually moved to a different gym because we felt our daughter's skills weren't improving and we wanted more structure during her classes. read more

Came here back in September 2011 for a birthday party. My 5 year old enjoyed his time, and although everyone (even the parents that were not partaking in any activities) was sweating up a storm because of the heat wave we were having, he walked away entirely pooped. A few people mentioned that this place has no A/C or heating - I can believe that. I must say that the place needs a bit of updating and/or remodeling. The waiting area is so dim and dilapidated. The areas where cake and snacks are served is also a bit scary. The instructors were middle of the road. I can safely say there were two instructors - but only one of them talked the entire time. They weren't memorable (bad or good). There are zip lines, trampolines, foam pits, balancing beams, endless mats, obstacles and lots of gymnastic benches/bars and loops. To sum it up, it was fun for what it was, but it's safe to say I wouldn't pay to come here. read more

My son loves it here and the staff is so nice they strive to have each kids successful and put lots of effort to treat all kids the same and making them feel comfortable even if they are different or have special needs.. love it here! read more

We love Encore! My kids have been taking classes here for years and our experience has always been positive. They are so flexible and understanding with scheduling, and even worked with us when we had to cancel my daughter's birthday party due to an injury. Encore is a real community hub providing so much more than gymnastics and dance. Can't wait for the new location! read more

My parents and I took my 3 year old nephew that was visiting from AZ here last week & he had the best time! Gina was his instructor and she was GREAT!! She was very attentive with the kids and made sure each of them was having fun & behaving with the others. Gina has been working there for 10 years and it showed...we couldn't have been happier with our first trip here :) My nephew did the 1.5 hour class with the trampolines and foam pit. They have a break for snack time/bathroom and then go back and play in a different area for the remaining time. We'll definitely come back in the future for another class with Gina! read more

I love Encore! It is a fairytale land for all kids that want to be active and busy have fun! The instructors are so energetic and truely care about the children having the time of their life! I 100% recommend this for all sorts of different occasions. read more

Encore - Gymnastics Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

- Facility is old, run down, dusty, dirty, chairs badly stained, bad odor, no air-conditioning, poor ventilation, waiting area small and tight, insufficient parking facility, etc. - Front desk staff can be rude. - Can never get the coach to get back to you if you have questions about your kids' even after leaving numerous messages - Many coaches are students and quite young, cycle through and change with their school schedule, no consistency for the kids. It is obvious they did not any kind of training to be coaches - Not pleased with how the director Ms Kelley managed certain situations ... if you need more information please feel free to message me - There are many other better gym out there so do your kids some justice by not bringing them here read more

Absolutely Love Encore. My daughter takes gymnastics lessons here weekly and we have had 3 different teachers over the last 2 years due to having schedule changes. I have really enjoyed the instructors she has had. I feel they do a fantastic job at giving guidance and spending time with each child. We did recently decide to host her birthday at Encore and while overall the experience was positive (The kids had a great time), there were a few areas that I feel they could improve or suggestions I would make if someone wanted to book with them in the future. 1. IT WAS HOT. This was the first week of June and happened to be on the hottest day so far this year. When I initially booked I had asked if the party room was air conditioned and they had ensured me it was. Unfortunately it was not very cool and we had to open windows to get the "cooler" 90+ degree air from the outside to ventilate the room full of 2-5 year olds and their parents and grandparents from getting heat stroke. We thankfully had packed cases of ice waters but this was absolutely not enough. I did book during the afternoon and so I would suggest you book first thing in the am to avoid this. 2. When I booked I was told because of the age group of the kiddos we were allowed to have parents on the floor during the gymnastics time. As my guests arrived with their 2-5 year olds, the instructor kept asking parents to leave the floor which was confusing to me and my party guests. I had to clarify with management and this was corrected but was a bit embarrassing to have my guests scolded by a 15 year old instructor. 3. Expect to have your party run simultaneously with multiple other parties booked the same day. They stagger the parties so that one group is using the dinning room at a time, however they basically have the parties lined up like a conveyor belt of party shenanigans. This was not disclosed to me when I booked and while I didn't expect to be the only party, it was overwhelming to see 4 parties run at the same time. We booked on a Sunday so maybe that is the reason why. Overall I am a fan of Encore. The staff was great at setting up the party decor, passing out food and drinks and cleanup. My number one complaint would have been how hot it could get in the party room. I would book here again and just book first thing in the am before the party room got too hot. read more

I went to Encore for six months, and didn't even get a back walkover, and only one of my friends did and it took her almost a year. The week before my high school cheer try-outs, I lost all of my flexibility when Hillary forced me to hold a scorpion for a minute and a half when I could only hold it for a few seconds. My legs gave out because my back couldn't handle it and she held me standing and pushed my leg up higher. Since then, its been very hard to get my flexibility back. Two months ago, I switched to Pyramids/Cheergyms.com and I have my back walkover and almost my back handspring. The coaches are better and more hands on, and they know what they're doing better. All of Encore's staff are teenagers, and some of them can barely do the things they teach. Pyramids costs less than Encore, and its not just for cheerleading. You don't have to be part of their teams to participate, and the gym is friendly and they have huge fans so it doesn't get as hot as Encore does. I wish I never wasted my time at Encore. Just go to Pyramids. It'll save time and money. read more

So large and spacious and the classes and coaches seem so FUN and engaging! Got my 4 year old to follow instructions and she loves it! Lots of apparatuses and the classes for young kids are both fun and instructive! Would definitely recommend this place for kids around age 4! I also like that's it's very non committal. Punch card option. You can easily make up classes when you are on vacation, sick, kids don't want to go and having melt down, etc. Very organized, affordable! Also, close to shops, so if you need to sneak away and run errands, u can easily be back licketly spilt! read more

Review is for the kids gymnastics: Our 3 year old loves this gym, Miss Melissa is a great help for the kids, good trainer, and the staff and other kids are pretty easy going! One recommendation I am sure every parent has is this (Listen up other parents), if your kid is sick and coughing everywhere... don't bring them to class... Jeeeeezzzzz). Overall, great time for the kids, gives them some focus, you'll see your kid "practicing" walking through parking lots (walking the beam, toe walking, and balancing). It's pretty cool, good pricing, and great for the kiddos! go here, you won't go wrong! read more

The staff is super friendly, the teachers are awesome with kids. My daughter is pretty shy but she warmed up quickly because of the amazing care of the teachers. They truly care that each child gets the attention that they need. Now she gets super excited when she knows gymnastics day is coming! The building is pretty terrible but I think they are getting a new facility soon. read more

The front desk administration at Encore is frustrating and frankly stupid. I'm shocked the women sitting at the desk have jobs. I have class registration issues and payment issues then I can count on one hand. How hard is it to charge the credit card you have on file? How hard is it to change a class date and time? I'm thinking it's not hard at all and yet they always get something wrong. Grrrr.... PS, the teachers are great. read more

This review is from my 9 year old grandson. He loves going to Rocktopia in the Encore Gym in Concord to climb on the climbing wall. The staff is great and you can be sure all safety precautions are being taken care of. They strap you into a safety harness and there are two adults nearby at all times. It seems like a great place to have a party. We see large groups everytime we have gone in. My grandson is fearless, but this wall is high and even he was a bit nervous at first. Now, after a few sessions, he is eager to try more and more challenging walls. We'll see. For now, this is a fun and safe place to go and have a neat experience you can't get everyday. The price is good too! read more

New location is nice but could use more chairs and tables on the upper viewing area.

If you like inattentive, foul-mouthed, gum-chewing, languid pre-teen instructors, then this is the place for you! If you're interested in having your children taught by real teachers with a real curriculum and relevant guidance, then you'll be sorely disappointed by Encore. I personally never cared if it was a competitive gym or not, but I *did* want competent... read more

My daughter has been going there since Dec 07. She's in a 5's class. While the place looks like they have nice equipment, they really dont do much with the kids. Seems not worth the money. read more

WOW!! I've been coming to Encore for some time. Two girls $$$$. I find the staff rather young but at least they seem enthused. I do find that the instructors do a lot of talking rather than assisting the child "AS" they do the exercise. Since my kids are so young they don't notice this but they look forward to coming back. So I keep paying for now because they enjoy it and its so close to my house. So after today's class my daughter's instructor approached me and stated," she's not in any trouble but your daughter may have "ADD" because I've noticed she doesn't pay attention to instructions well. So you may not want to start her on MEDICATIONS right away but..." I was so upset not to MENTION ALL the parents listening in shock!!! I stopped her because my daughter hugged me thinking she WAS in trouble. I immediately asked her what was her formal training, is she specialized in ADD, licensed to prescribe medication and how old was she? She answered no to each question and told me she was 18. I immediately asked her to take me to her manager, in which she did. The young lady told the manager at the front desk what she said to me and I told the manager this is not acceptable. The young lady was excused at this point by the manager. I was offered to change my time slot with another instructor. I did not accept that because I thought it was inappropriate. I requested that assistant instructor to be removed and NOT have any contact with my young child. She said she would be removed from my child's class and the business manager will be contacting me. I'm still so upset I needed to post this. Normally I wouldn't but I'm not posting specific names at this point because I want to see how this is handled. The bottom line is my kids are there to have fun, interact and build self-esteem! How dare is my child judged and diagnosed. By the way she is shy. That's why I put her in gymnastics!!! She's just turned 5! I'm curious, I see the website offers Special needs classes. How are those instructors trained? read more

My 5 and 7 year old attended Encore for just over 6 months which was far too long. Let me start with the facility---dirty, dirty, dirty. No air conditioning which makes it excruciating hot in the summer. The whole place has a "cat" smell about it--maybe it's because of the age of the building (really old). The facility needs a complete overhaul and remodel. Teen coaches provide no attributes to this facility. They do not seem a) interested in working there and b) interested in providing gymnastics training to children. It was a complete waste of time. I kept hoping it would get better and it didn't. We switched to another local gymnastics center and couldn't be happier--qualified, certified and motivated coaches and a clean facility. read more

It was good 3 yrs ago, but the incoming coaching staff seems immature and they don't seem to be getting adequate training. We are looking for a better place! read more

And today was our last day, no individual attention is being given, I enrolled my son early this year and today I had the time to go myself and boy was I shocked! During the entire hour the teacher " told" my son what to do and just moved on to other kids without actually helping my son with whatever moves he needs to do. No thank you read more

This place could be so much better, and really should be. Instructors tend to be very young and seem to have little experience or training. Some are naturals, others clearly shouldn't be doing this job. The facility needs attention -- for example, the ceiling in the parents' waiting area is made of plastic sheeting and the rafters are coated with a heavy layer of dust. We tried their summer camp and were very uncomfortable with the lax supervision of very young children. Considering the huge population of young kids within a 10-mile radius of this place, it has the potential to be really successful. But to be successful, they're going to need to up their game. We're seriously considering driving 30 minutes for a better experience. read more

We love Encore! My little guy is 3 1/2 and has the best time during his class. His teacher is Miss Kari and she's great! She's so patient and help push him gently to do things. They always do a new activity each week and he's ALWAYS excited to go :) Thanks Encore read more

Had a HORRIBLE experience here. Took my daughter there for some extra help on her back walkover. When I got there they were quick to take my money, but didn't give me any instructions. Then my daughter took the lesson, and after the lesson was over the coach taught a class so I didn't speak to her. I left a message for her to call me back and let me know how my daughter was doing. She didn't call till 2 days later. Then called and left a message for her to call me back to schedule another lesson and she NEVER returned my call. So UNPROFESSIONAL! read more

Upon reading my review, Encore sent me two gift certificates with an apology for our time being cut a bit short. I thought that was over and beyond customer service & I will definitely be a regular! read more

Brought my 5 year old daughter here for a trail session for the long weekend. My daughter loved it and wants to continue taking classes, the facility is pretty decent and it was fairly welcoming. My daughter wants to go back read more