Boy do I wish I came to yelp before enrolling my daughter. We were in the Fullerton team, which was 7 girls. Apparently this was too small to justify a squad. They transferred us to Anaheim squad VIA TEXT MESSAGE! This should have been a red flag. We came to the first practice in Anaheim and there are 27 kids in this class. Way too many for the one coach alone to handle. I called the office for 4 days in a row to request a refund. I left messages and NEVER received a call back. The following class I came in and there is a child now teaching the class. And they don't even have the supplies they need. Like a charged speaker to play the song the girls need to learn this dance. This is insane!!!! This organization is an absolute joke. I can't believe my child's elementary school suggested this group. I've already contacted the school district and gave them a complaint to see if they can stop recommending this organization. read more

This was a truly terrible cheerleading experience for me. Out of 15 classes, the coach spent the entire time from the very first lesson tracking who was participating in competitions and who wasn't, labeling people accordingly. Those who weren't competing were ignored and not given any training. These 15 classes were completely unproductive; there was no progress or any real dance experience. It was either drinking water or the coach constantly talking about competitions, wasting everyone's time. I've never encountered a coach like this or been in a cheerleading class like this before. I'm extremely disappointed. Please, if you see my review, do not sign up for this class with the coach named Miko. This is my sincere advice! read more

Enrolled our daughter, but she fractured her arm the very day classes were to start (karate) She had to have a cast on her arm. OK, we saw the 'disclaimer' - No Refunds. Young Champions won't even extend our payment to the next class. NOTHNG for our money. No Refunds, No Credits of any sort. In the year 2025 this organization, WILL NOT accommodate this request. Even with an injury there will be NO CONSIDERATION. read more

Young Champions is fantastic for kids of all ages and abilities. My daughter was a beginner when she joined, and the coaches made her feel so welcomed. With the help of great coaches She's now thriving and helping assist with her younger teammates. read more

My daughters cheer coach is an awesome coach who is really patient with kids & even goes out of her way for the team to be in the competition but YCOA in general can definitely use some improvements. I had an upsetting experience when I tried ordering a bow for my daughters competition. To start off, this bow was a whopping $20. Not only did I never receive it but when I called them , the lady I spoke with was NOT HELPFUL AT ALL. Her attitude was extremely stern saying that on their side it showed that the bow was delivered to the practice site so I needed to speak with the coach. I am not sure what happened but even though it showed it was delivered, I never saw it when I would take my daughter to practice. The representative did not want to do anything to help me & basically gave me a "that's not our problem" attitude. They charge soooo much for classes & supplies yet they couldn't reimburse me for a overpriced $20 bow that I paid for because of someone else's mistake? I know they do not do refunds or exchanges but it wasn't fair to me that I had to pay so much for a bow & miss out because of someone else's mistake. (Thank god the coach had an extra bow of hers that she gave to me because of this). Also speaking of everything being overpriced , I feel with all that money the should definitely invest in their website because it is so bad. They should also have a flyer for the girls who come to competition about what is required because I went to the competition not knowing my daughter needed who her shoes & socks. I know the coach probably told the kids but for better communication I feel flyers would be helpful. Also I'm not sure if they keep track of how many sign ups there are because the coach was overwhelmed with how many girls there was which I understand but they should know how many kids are gonna be enrolled. Would not recommend them to anyone. read more

I DO NOT recommend this cheer organization at all!!! The ladies at the office Olga and Maggie they're useless! They don't take responsibility of anything so pretty much parents are on their own. I bought the whole attire and some else from the same Covina Cheer team (Pirates) got my daughter's Pom Poms and they never return them. This organization is a completely fraud. As soon as you signed up you're on your own. Thought this cheer organization will have integrity but unfortunately they don't know what is that!!! Also I'll go to my daughter's School District to stop advertising this business because of their lack of integrity!!! read more

I've known about this program for many years. I enrolled my nephew in karate when he turned five. He's been going for 2 years. He's learned discipline and made lots of friends. read more

My child loves it here!!! Can't wait to go back! We are so looking forward to the cheer program!!

The parent helpers are amazing. Sensei Tony is a great value to our community. He makes each child feel welcome and special. There is no other karate class my child would be in. read more

My son started the Karate program in Pasadena, CA, 9/15 after being at another martial arts center Sityodtong, which was great, but they moved away and we had to find another one... Young Champions is it, wish we knew about this several years ago. Great caring master instructors, not a belt mill, they earn it and they even work with my son who has special needs. It is 1/2 the price of the others and 1000% better... even the equipment is 1/3 the cost of the other places and the tournaments are great. Well organized, encouraging and perfect to learn physical fitness, self-defense and character... read more

We attend Karate with Sensei Alex at the Downey Location. Although there are many students- Sensei Alex is great at targeting strengths and weaknesses of all his students- in order to build their skill levels. He teaches the children to respect themselves, others, safety and to have confidence. My daughter is truly enjoying her experience! And I know she is learning and paying attention when she quotes Sensei's lessons regarding respect and safety. read more

A post received from another family that was involved in Young Champions: "The 1st. competition was unorganized and we were promised it would be better. I was out of town for the 2nd. and was not about to send my kid without my husband and I there due to very interesting group of adults. I'm not surprised at all the the verbal fight broke out. It almost did the last time at the registration table. As for the class, there are too many student for one coach to deal with and need at least two assistance. Too many students without good listening skill and the parents are the worst." read more

They have some amazing coaches and instructors. Several of the Cheer coaches and karate instructors have students and teams that have won National Competitons. read more

We were interested in the Karate program in Davis and we registered and paid in full for entire season, the first class was canceled which we were informed by a personal there when we got there. The second time we arrive before the class and wait around until 15 mins past the class start time, no one showed up and there was no email or person there telling us the class was canceled again. We called the day before the third class and was notified the entire season was canceled due to low enrollment. It is ok to cancel but we think you should at least inform the families who enrolled for the entire season, so we don't have to go there every Wednesday and figure if there is a class or not. And if we were never called the center, does that mean there is no refund for what we paid for? When we registered on site we leaved all information including email and phone number, it is a VERY BASIC CURTESY TO NOTIFY US THE ENTIRE SEASON IS CANCELED, it's not like you do not have any of our contact info and can't let us know, and didn't even bother to have someone on site for the second class to let people know it is canceled, again. I am very unhappy about the whole system and I will not recommend it. read more

My son Adrian joined the Tustin basketball team last session. He was shy and really nervous at first. His coach, Coach Young is an awesome coach. He helped my son to get over his shyness and really motivated and encouraged my son a lot. My son has more confidence then ever, Coach Young taught him so much about basketball. I also like how he keeps the parents informed with the program. I'm so glad to have met a coach like Coach Young and I thank him for giving my son the opportunity to become the basketball player that he is today. We appreciate him very much!! read more

Young Champions - Tustin basketball tournament. 1st place winner. Go Coach Young!!! - Cheerleading Near Me - Brea, California

We signed our daughter up for cheer at the Elk Grove, CA location. We were very disappointed. On the first day, we were told the teacher had car problems and would be back the next week. The second week, we were told the teacher had an emergency. At the third week, we were told that the "substitute" for the first two weeks would be the teacher. There were classes with no music. They would change the routine every week. They were allowing kids to sign up weeks into the program. It seemed disorganized and like there was no plan. Our daughter asked to stop going after 5 weeks. read more

The only star is for the local staff. (I'd actually give them four stars but the organization as a whole is so far below zero that it barely averages out to one star.) Local staff was dedicated and sensei taught my sons great lessons not only about karate but also about bullying and respect. But this organization is ALL about money. Don't be fooled by the low weekly rate. That's just the beginning. Every week the kids are "required" to buy some item that doesn't come in until weeks later and is not even used. Example: a plastic clapper that could be purchased for $3 online. YCOA gave my son a flyer with a "special" selling the required clapper with a T-shirt (you couldn't buy the clapper alone) for $20. It didn't arrive until the last week of classes and was never used. Every week YCOA is pimping something, and asks the children to sell overpriced junk to earn credits against these purchases. Class size is ridiculous. There were probably 30 kids in my son's white belt class. At $7 a pop, that's over $200 for 45 minutes in a church basement. Sensei did a fabulous job of keeping all the kids busy, but there's absolutely no individualized attention. You certainly get what you pay for. When we talked to YCOA early about the fee structure, we were told that there were no fees charged for testing. A lie! My son not only had to pay for every class (including missed classes, whether they were made up or not) in order to test, but we also had to pay a $12 "testing" fee. When I objected, they told me it was for the cost of the belt, and that I could NOT get that elsewhere. I calculated the cost for four months of class and, with all the extras, it came to well over $300. For that, my son could have joined a local gojo and attended as many classes as he wanted, with fewer students. Unless money is not an object, avoid this place like the plague. It's a huge rip-off. read more

My son has been in the Karate Program at Fountain Valley Recreational Center for over a year and I couldn't be more pleased with his Sensei (Sensei Jason), all of his helpers, and the program. It is very affordable, helps instill confidence in my son, gives great structure, teaches discipline, and is fun for him. I would highly recommend this program to any parent. read more

My daughters (age 6 & 9) have been attending the sessions at Marie Kerr Park with Sensai Eric for almost a year now. They love the program and are always excited to practice moves at home. I love the boost in confidence the program has given them as well as the knowledge that they are far better able to defend themselves. read more

Sensi Mario has been very helpful at maintaining my child's progress which Sensi Jorge established. Both are very professional and have taught my son to love martial arts. My wife and I are very grateful for their influence and support. read more

My daughter has been attending a self defense Karate class in Azusa for the last 6 years. Sensei John is a true blessing to have as an instructor, All the children Love and trust him. He is an inspiration for all the children. The lessons that are taught are meaningful, very useful, and also character building. Please keep up the excellent work. read more

Our daughter has been involved in karate with Young Champions for two years now. The values and discipline instilled in the children is fundamental and we are seeing the results of this firsthand. She attends in Fountain Valley with Sensei Jason. He runs a tight ship and commands respect, all while providing the right blend of humor and instruction. We look forward to continuing the journey and have enjoyed this experience as a family, too. read more

Man, wish I can give this youth organization negative stars. This applies to the cheerleading program in Arcadia. At $8 per hour class, I really wasn't expecting much. My daughter was interested in learning about cheer so I signed her up to gain more knowledge. Showed up on the 1st day of class and the first thing I noticed was a very pregnant and flustered instructor. She reiterated that she's pregnant and cannot show the kids any of the jump moves. How are these girls suppose to know what to do if they know nothing about cheerleading? At least show some drawings, videos, etc!! She was very rude when talking to the girls. I called the next day and cancelled the class but wasn't able to get my registration fee back which was unfortunate. My daughter's friends decided to give this class a try so they stayed. 4 weeks in, the instructor spent 30 minutes during class lecturing the girls and the parents about the complaints she has received and how expensive cheerleading is so the parents need to stop being so cheap and pay the $100+ for the cheerleading outfits to go to competition. Nowhere on the flyer states that it's mandatory to enter competition and pay for the uniform. The instructor threatened to cancel the class since no one was willing to enter the competition. So unprofessional!!!! Do not sign up. Not worth your time. read more

This place is fantastic! Their karate instructor turned my kid around. After a session with the young champions karate program my six year old is now very respectful and has a new attitude! read more

My daughter attends young champions karate in San Pedro with sensei Carlos. My daughter was apprehensive at first but now she loves it. Sensei carlos sets the tone with discipline and respect and takes the time to coach the kids. Although my daughter is young and some times struggles with the patterns she is taking the time on her own to learn and memorize. We love the class and hope to continue through as she moves up in belts. The location is perfect as there are not a lot of great spots in San Pedro. We are very happy with young champions and sensei Carlos. My daughter also sees the student teachers and what she can work towards. It's great! read more

Young Champions is a company dedicated to helping today's youth. They have an outstanding leadership team, operations team and in-the-field team in the form of instructors and coaches. I have personally witnessed the level of passion and love these coaches have for their sport or recreation activity and the kids they teach. I commend this company for its mission to keep kids off the streets. Their programs are geared toward not only making classes fun and educational but also geared toward fostering confidence, self-discipline and teamwork among the students. Love this company and what it stands for! read more

My daughter is taking the self defense class at Maria Kerr Park in Palmdale and she loves it! She is 8 and has been wanting to take Karate for a long time. They are very courteous and helpful. She will definitely be returning for the next class. read more

My daughter was not only discriminated against. I contacted Shanazz (Nor Cal Office) and was treated like dirt. Then my email was forwarded to her boss who didn't even bother to contact me back. Right now i'm looking into legal action for their failures to comply with ADA. This was all in the spring session. My daughter who loves Cheer really wanted to continue. So we go for 3 weeks in the summer session.. The girls completely learn their cheer (which was amazing) only to show up for week 4 to it being cancelled. No one was contacted about it. I stayed at the location for both classes and warned about 20 parents from the two classes that it was cancelled. I guess none of us got calls. This is the most disorganized organization I've ever encountered. It is a lot cheaper than many organizations around but you get what you pay for. read more

My 9 year old daughter attends Cheer at the Pico Rivera location. Coach Andrew is AWESOME!! This is my daughters second session. She NEVER wanted to do anything active, so I "forced" her to go the first class and she's loved it ever since. Coach Andrew makes all the girls feel equal and no one is better than the other. He has patience and teaches the girls how to have confidence. He is also very informative with the parents, emailing us, updating Facebook with announcements. Unlike the city park and rec cheer program, which is all about winning and competitiveness. My daughter needs to know that this is about having FUN FUN FUN!! They also offer a scholarship program, which we are involved in. So it helps me afford to send my daughter to cheer. I highly recommend Young Champions!! read more

I am so disappointed in this organization for a month you have been taking La Crescentas Money we show up to practice to find you will no longer have class in La Crescenta? That is EXTREMELY UNPROFESSIONAL AND EXTREMELY UNETHICAL. You do realize that you have hurt the hearts of children that LOVE CHEER! I expect a FULL REFUND FOR THE PAYMENT OF THE CLASSES ALONG WITH MY REGISTRATION FEE. Extremely disappointed. After TEN SESSIONS I get no phone call nothing. I WILL BE CALLING TOMORROW. 3 times I called and asked and everytime reassured there would be class. read more

We attend Nate's karate class. He's outstanding with the kids, teaching discipline and creating a fun environment. Highly recommend this program. read more

Program itself is great! However if your child is in Cheerleading don't expect for the judging to be fair at competition! I've closely observed that the judges have favorites regardless if the team falls, sloppy, uniforms not on properly, Poms in wrong hand etc... the politics is ridiculous. Should be about talent of the team as a whole but it's not! read more

Registered both of my sons for soccer at the Montebello location for fall 2014 and what a disappointment! Paid for registration and the 1st class and the coach didn't even introduce himself. 2nd week of practice -coach was a no show. All of us parents thought it might be an emergency and the coach was not able to call us for whatever reason. 3rd week- instructor was a no show again. By this time we were upset looking at the disappointment on the children's face. Called the organization and was only able to leave a message that saturday so I decided to email as well. No call back or reply to my email. Tuesday I called Corporate (since they don't seem to know how to return a call or reply to an email) to be notified that the class had been cancelled. I was never notified of this not by email or by phone and I know I was not the only parent that wasn't notified because there were at least 6 other parents showing up to practice with their children. I was completely appalled and upset at the lack of professionalism both by the coach and the organization!!!!!!They were not considerate of our time, energy and money. As of today i have not received a refund for the registration. I will NEVER allow my kids to part of this organization. 10/27- (update) I did receive a refund for the registration fee. And as far as an apology from the organization well the Yelp reply was as far as it went. And the poor excuse that maybe because I registered online and that might have caused the miscommunication well that doesn't sit well with me because besides registering online the 1st day of practice I completed all the paperwork again so the coach had all our information. But thanks to that bad experience now my boys are part of the YMCA-Montebello soccer league and they are loving it! They are organized, professional and truly care about the children! read more

#1, I never ever write reviews so this shows how great this is. My daughter has been attending young champions Van Nuys cheer for a little over a year. She loves it. She never wants to miss a class and now I can use keeping her from class as a punishment when she doesn't do her chores. Coach Maria is the best!! She loves her students and is very supportive. read more

I've had my son in their karate program in Baldwin Park with Cindy and in Riverside with Fabian. Both classes were really good. I was really able to tell the difference in discipline and respect. My son will be staying at the Riverside class. read more

My kids are in the karate class with sensei Jason and they love it. They look forward to it every week. He is really kind and patient, and I like that he has several helpers so that all the kids have help and are taught correctly. read more

My daughter was in the cheer program for 3 seasons. She absolutely loved it and looked forward to cheer. Her 4th season started and she was as excited as ever. After one week of class, we had the next class cancel and the following class, they let us know that classes would be cancelled for the entire season. So our 5th season just started. We have had 2 classes and I'm finding out from her coach that they are cancelling again. I have reached out to both our local location and the Santa Ana office and am not getting a call back. It's sad that the management doesn't even have the decency to call me back. I have yet to receive a phone call from young champions to let me know classes will be cancelled. It's sad that all of these girls are going to miss out on something they love so much. Definitely won't be back. Very disappointed and would much rather give my money to a program that cares about the kids. read more

I did karate with Young Champions when I was younger. Made a huge difference in my life and met some good friends. Glad to see they're still making a difference! read more

The cheer program in Northern California is rigged. On June 2, 2013 our daughter competed in a competition against another team from Union City who is coached by Lizzy. My daughters team the Wildcats are an All Star teamed that performed Liberty, ball back, prep stunts, hitch, show and go, we also did tumble front walkovers, back walkovers, cartwheels and round offs. http://youtu.be/2GP0YvhTWek check out YouTube video of our routine. . Lizzy's team only performed prep stunts. To make a long story short, the crowd and Lizzy's own team new we won first place but because Lizzy is not only the coach, she is a director and a boss to all the coaches. She was seen going back and forth to the Judges table during deliberation of the scores. She is a Cheater!!!!! This organization is all about money!!! They DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE GIRLS!!!! read more

The program misleads parents from poor neighborhoods into spending money they don't have, by not disclosing full amount of fees upfront including the cost of competition and uniforms. The YCUSA enter girls between the ages of 4-6, whom have very little coordination, into competition is a rip off being that the girls practice one day out of a week, they can not retain nor perfect a routine with such little practice to begin with and to enter them into a competition which charges $30 per child is a SCAM! The coaches have no training as cheer leading coaches, and they do not know proper cheer leading forms or techniques. But worst of all none of the coaches are CPR or First Aid certified! The amount of girls in a group per coach is insurmountable and a recipe for chaos. Lastly, to add insult to injury, this organization actually charges parents $10 for an uncertified coach, to evaluate a child's performance to move or not move them up to the next level, when in fact the child moves up to the next level when she reaches a specific age group, as the girls are grouped according to age and not cheer ability. What a RIP OFF! Shame on you YCUSA read more