Athletic Playground

Emeryville, 4770 San Pablo Ave, Emeryville, CA 94608 | β˜… 4.9 (168 Review)

πŸ“ž +1 510-355-1626

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About the Club

Athletic Playground is a dynamic indoor play-space, inspiring physical play through a wide variety of movement classes. We have on-going classes, workshops, camps and community events. Some of our offerings include: Acrobatics, Circus, Dance, AcroYoga, Aerial, Parkour, Flexibility, Monkey Conditioning, Handstands, Tango, Mobility and Open Play. Come learn new skills, get stronger, more flexible and add PLAY to your day!

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 Athletic Playground
 Athletic Playground
 Athletic Playground
 Athletic Playground
 Athletic Playground

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Reviews

Lynn Bernhardt

β˜… 5

We had a great time at mini movers. Gisela was active and engaged. She especially loved the rope swing and picking up the stuffed toys. We will be back.

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Margaret Stretch

β˜… 5

My kids love this parkour class!

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Anietie Ukpe-Wallace

β˜… 5

I have been coming here on and off for years and I am now back into attending classes again and have always felt welcomed in whatever class I attended. I did the Tricky Chair Dance class with Bridget and Mika this time and loved it! I love how you can use any apparatus to creatively move. I hope to maintain a consistency of attending this time around!

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Belle Copenhagen

β˜… 5

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Jonathan Stray

β˜… 5

All kinds of circus and aerial classes here, for kids and adults of all levels.

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Daniel Hudner

β˜… 5

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L P

β˜… 5

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Simo

β˜… 5

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April Tzeng

β˜… 5

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David Arias

β˜… 5

This place is awesome! Parkour and acrobatics classes are so fun, and they’ve got a great community of people.

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Emily Fleet

β˜… 5

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Elyse K

β˜… 5

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Mir Farrokh Salek

β˜… 5

This studio is a blessing to this area. The environment is dedicated to playful and communal sports. There is nothing like it. I never have felt so embraced in a studio or a group.

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Jared

β˜… 5

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Sonia Urquidi

β˜… 5

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Sarita Cannon

β˜… 5

Walker works so well with the kids, balancing structure with freedom. My 6-year-old loves Walker's class!

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Sharon Smith

β˜… 5

Such a fun place - take acro-yoga classes here, but there are also so many other adult-oriented classes that look appealing, like aerial. Great place - feels like a community-space, playful and low-ego.

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Autumn Katherine Peak

β˜… 5

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Chuck Rockey

β˜… 5

The classes are small and top-notch! And practicing on their padded floors is a real treat.

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Emma Sherwood-Forbes

β˜… 5

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Sonicah Sanon

β˜… 5

Love this place! Many class options so you'll never be bored.

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McKenna Leighton

β˜… 5

I love the Tuesday hammock class - the primary teacher is phenomenal. She knows so much about physical therapy and caring for the body, and she provides new and challenging sequences every week that are flexible for different skill levels.

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alvina wong

β˜… 5

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Lex Moorman

β˜… 5

I've been training here for years and I guess never left a review. I love the Athletic Playground! All of the classes here are fantastic! I've specifically done a lot of aerial classes here and although The teachers have come and gone over the years they always find experienced and friendly teachers. The community, staff both and other students, is warm and welcoming no matter your skill/experience level. I especially recommend Homer's classes. He teaches a bit of everything - kids aerial, adult aerial, tango and I think handstands now, too!

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Brock Simon

β˜… 5

Friendly atmosphere and my son really enjoyed his first class.

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Lauren Tatasciore

β˜… 5

Absolutely love working with Brittany and Coco in this Friday night hammock class! They break everything down with great explanations and detail. Can't wait to continue taking classes in this series!

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Junia Kim

β˜… 5

I lurv this place!

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Rina Nagashima

β˜… 5

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Ruth Yagiz

β˜… 5

My son loves it, he says: It is so much fun! Walker is a great teacher. I have learned to do flips!

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L J

β˜… 5

Great instructors, my kid loves it

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Billy Martin

β˜… 5

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Jeremy Gleick

β˜… 5

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Katie K.

β˜… 5

I love the classes here. This is the coolest place in the bay to nurture the part of yourself that wants to do cool things, go upside down, learn new skills, and have a ton of fun. I've enjoyed every teacher that I've had. I've made a lot of progress here.

I wish they had classes in the evening on weekends since I can't do morning and mid day classes.

And one other downside is that class packs expire, so if you don't use your credits quickly enough you might waste them or have to take classes that you didn't really intend on doing

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Bernice

β˜… 5

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Woodwindsrock

β˜… 3

On the good side I do think the teachers are nice and there are upsides to the flexibility allowed in enrolling for adult classes. I've been going here for a while and I haven't really had major issues with safety or classes and I've been going for a few months now.

That being said, I have noticed an issue with class levels and lack of structure. Because classes are drop in you don't have to worry about missing part of a series. However that also means that instruction can be all over the place. I have been in introductory/beginner classes where a significant number of the students are more advanced swinging the class harder with less time given to a beginner skill. A mixed level (or beginner/intermediate) class might be based around a specific skill, and if you do not have that skill it can be hit or miss if the teacher will take the time to work with you and troubleshoot or give an alternative sequence. If they do give an alternative sequence then it could be a well thought out progression to work towards the skill or it's something they pulled out at the last minute and they don't spend a lot of time on it.

Broadly speaking I wish the teachers of mixed level classes were more consistent with planning out alternative material and spending a fair amount of time with everyone in the class.

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Steve Trutane

β˜… 5

Great variety of challenging classes, relaxed atmosphere, & knowledgeable instructors. The emphasis on functional mobility and body awareness is a great compliment to my triathletic endurance activities. :)

I'm a big fan of Creative Conditioning, which involves innovative equipment to build strength while having fun, and All Levels Acrobatics, during which coach Zach proved to me that, "Yes, you can learn how to do a backflip!" After an excellent, total body warmup & activation routine, he expertly guided us through a series of conditioning exercises that address the fundamental movements involved in backflipping. Then he set up a series of stations that progress the skill from basic to advanced levels. He provided individualized pointers to each student (covering a wide range of different abilities), engendered great camaraderie and a supportive environment. Challenging and lots of fun! πŸ€ΈπŸΌβ€β™‚οΈ

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Max Shannon

β˜… 5

I've lived many places in the US and having a studio with beginner adult classes for all these skills is just an incredible resource. Plus knowledgeable teachers and a welcoming vibe!

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Pamela Fox

β˜… 5

The teachers were so fun, kind, and accomodating to Beverly, who was brand new to aerial arts and the youngest in the class. She loved it, despite her risk aversion, and was able to make progress throughout the three days. We'll definitely come back. We'd love more aerial classes and intensives for her age (5).

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Kathy Brandt

β˜… 5

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Tassie Gordon

β˜… 5

Welcoming environment and cool classes.

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Sarah Sage Sobel Robinson

β˜… 5

Woop! Padded walls, mats and hanging ropes, silks and rings: this place has all the freedom for kids who need to move and staff who communicate clearly and sensitively with children about safety and acrobatics. (Looks like they also have cool adult classes though I can't speak to those.)

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Kimberley Healey

β˜… 5

The classes at AP are life-changing! Today I did a spontaneous handstand while teaching class, right up against the blackboard and balanced! Thank you Mike!!

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Ilya Baykin

β˜… 5

Great place for kids to learn physical skills. My daughter learned how to rope-climb, vault, and take flips off a mini-trampoline in one lesson. Excellent instructors, excellent space.

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RenΓ©e Pelton

β˜… 5

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Tiago Romero

β˜… 5

The Soft Acrobatic series is so fun! Mike leads us through movement patterns individually and then combine them into mini-flows, so that by the end of class we put everything together into a slightly longer sequence. Mike is excellent at teaching and giving corrections, and everyone is very encouraging so that we get to feel a sense of community and belonging.

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Corinne Guichard

β˜… 5

Love the variety of classes and times, awesome teachers, open play / training space, clean facility, focus on safety and respect, non-competitive community feel :)

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HOAI LAO THI HONG

β˜… 5

nice place for chireidn

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Mel Passaretti

β˜… 5

Nice

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Monica Lilta LeMaster

β˜… 5

Allie is a great teacher!

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TJ Jones-Heintz

β˜… 5

The whole family can take classes at AP. My son has been enjoying Adv Monkey University, my son loves Walker’s parkour class and any class that Homer teaches. Now that I have become familiar with the process oriented environment I am loving all the classes I take at AP! Yesterday, I took Kate’s level 1 aerial class for the first time and I have to give her teaching ability a huge shout out. She is an ace at differentiating instruction. She taught me a piece of what I would need to know for the much more difficult sequence she was working on with the more experienced students. This made me feel so comfortable being new and less intimidated being inexperienced and like I was part of the group. Coach Kate is a gem. I am proud of myself because I could barely climb a silk 8 weeks ago, but since I’ve been attending monkey conditioning with Kelton and Shira and acro with Colin I’ve been getting so much stronger and it was so much easier! I’m also happy I can do a proper cartwheel. Being in my 40’s it’s very important that I stay fit and get strong! We drive to AP from Castro Valley because we love it!!!

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Lorian Schaeffer

β˜… 5

My 5 year old LOVED the parkour and acrobatics camp. She was drawn in right away, and had a lot of fun and learned to do some really cool things. She's normally pretty risk-adverse and cautious so I was really happy that she tried some things outside of her comfort zone, even if they took a few attempts.

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Mendy Blank

β˜… 5

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A Backster

β˜… 5

Great place for aerial arts and other circus training. Has a small parking lot. Surrounding neighborhood seems very safe.

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Roman Fan

β˜… 5

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Shonia Porter

β˜… 5

Great place to take children who are sensory-seeking and enjoy movement. This is a safe space for my son to get all of his wiggles out and enjoy other children. The instructors have been kind and welcoming.

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Emily Phillips

β˜… 5

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Jayaram Natarajan

β˜… 5

Very well designed place which provides kids options to make their way through different acrobatic moves. The classes offer a good mid-ground with respect to systematic vs open play for kids 5-8 years old.

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Faith Personal Training and Hypnotherapy

β˜… 5

Marria and Walker are beyond amazing on every level. I'm blessed to have them coach my child.

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Florencia Halty

β˜… 5

She had an excellent first time and already loves it!

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Han F.

β˜… 5

Great little place to get some circus training. I particularly like the aerial classes here. As an adult I cannot do better than those who trained since they are kids, but it is a lot of fun.

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Anna Aguila

β˜… 5

So far so great! Great community. No snobs. And all the instructors I've had so far are really engaging and supportive. I take aerial silks as somewhat of a beginner and I really appreciate the patient personalities--thank you, instructors! The facility is great, no nonsense, tidy and clean. Parking is pretty painless. They have enough classes so that if I can't make one class, I can choose another within the same week. At least, that's been my luck. I will keep going back and I highly recommend them.

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Tom Weksler

β˜… 5

Best space for movement and play in the Bay Area!
Great classes, good atmosphere and professional instructors. HIGHLY RECCOMMEND!

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Zac Diener

β˜… 5

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G K

β˜… 5

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Domino Valdano

β˜… 5

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James Stahlman

β˜… 3

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Daniel Orjuela, MD

β˜… 5

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Liam Kaplan

β˜… 5

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Gabrielle Simard-Moore

β˜… 5

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Corey McGuire

β˜… 5

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B

β˜… 5

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Yosem Companys

β˜… 5

Best gymnastics class for kids in the Bay area

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Marria Grace

β˜… 5

I've never been to such a welcoming gym. It's like the Cheers of gyms.

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Kaitlyn June Cheung

β˜… 5

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Erin Ginder-Shaw

β˜… 5

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char sidney

β˜… 5

Loved open gym!!

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Nick Huemmer

β˜… 5

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Brent Cotton

β˜… 5

Great facilities and teachers supporting an amazing community who are welcoming and helpful

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Laura Copenhaver

β˜… 5

Great Classes. Great energy. A place my son, who is on the wild side, can feel safe and welcome.

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Charley Wang

β˜… 5

Absolutely love it here - the instructors are all super professional and informed, and wonderful to be around.

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Anna Yoney

β˜… 5

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Juliana Van Cleve

β˜… 5

My children consistently enjoy classes here. they get wonderful exercise, while always having fun- a rare & priceless combination.

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Holly Tarter

β˜… 5

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melanie Bogni

β˜… 5

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Angel Bonser

β˜… 5

The energy of Athletic Playground is so positive and welcoming! I've only had one class so far and I'm already hooked! Zach was such an enthusiastic coach! He described and demonstrated the acrobatics in a comprehensive way. It still took several tries to correct my form but I felt supported and joyful the entire time!! And Eventually I nailed that cartwheel down the giant cheese wedge! ;P I'm looking forward to returning this Sunday for parkour!

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Ashley Townsley

β˜… 5

The guy at the front desk was so friendly and helpful.
The coach was amazing with my two girls, extremely patient and explained every thing to them in a calm and reassuring voice.
The bathroom was clean and so was the room the girls practiced in.
It's not a huge place and it's kind of in a weird location but I liked that is wasn't a super fancy facility just trying to get money out of you. You could tell the employees really liked their jobs and had a true passion for teaching the classes.
My girls had the best time and begged to go back the next day,

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Jenny Liu

β˜… 2

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Lauretta

β˜… 5

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Micayla Album

β˜… 5

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Sibel Guner

β˜… 5

This place is an amazing workout and a really supportive environment. Weirdos who want to have fun and meet other alternative spirits, come out!

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Hannah Creasy

β˜… 1

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Luca Mirza

β˜… 5

Its a really good place and I learned a lot of flips and tricks here

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Di Buddah

β˜… 5

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Lauren Robinson

β˜… 5

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Katherine

β˜… 5

It’s a lot of fun, and I’ve never felt bad or judged for being horrible at most of the activities. I’ve also got hard core ADHD and a tendency to talk, which other students and teachers have been great about tolerating while creating clear boundaries for me. Often in larger classes, more experienced students will jump in to help walk me through sequences that I forgot several seconds after hearing them. The classes I’ve attended seem to have a very group oriented goal of success rather than individuals focusing on purely themselves.

My teachers have also all been super attentive and have noticed physical issues in me that I wouldn’t have noticed myself, particularly given my generally sedentary lifestyle. I’m sure that the steps I’m taking now will greatly improve my quality of life in my later years, which is something I’m grateful to the staff for noticing.

Also really cool that there’s a PT somewhat associated with the place. Jaimie is super nice and has thus far tolerated all of my uneducated/nonsensical questions. My lack of awareness about my own body is impressive, if not sad, and students and teachers alike are down to help me find different bones and inform me if I’m accidentally bending my joints in a creepy way.

While I enjoy all the classes I take, I’d like to specially mention Homer’s 12pm Wednesday mixed apparatus class. It’s a good class to get a taste of what each aerial apparatus is like, and there’s all kinds of switching around which has incredible appeal to my ADHD lifestyle.

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Konni Stalica

β˜… 5

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Valentina Montagna

β˜… 5

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Bex Nagy

β˜… 5

I loved Level 1 Aerial Skills with Katherine-- she's hilarious and amazing and I learned a lot. I'll be back!!!

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This Guy

β˜… 5

Excellent Parkour workouts and the ability to practice in open play when times work out for you.

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Salaine McCullough

β˜… 5

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Kit Soo

β˜… 5

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Erica Kane

β˜… 5

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Itzel Vizcarra

β˜… 5

This place have changed my life I love all the classes. But my favorite is aerials.
The environment there is amazing πŸ˜‰. You gotta try

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Melissa Blizzard Brown

β˜… 5

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Yvette Y

β˜… 4

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Robin Barbara

β˜… 5

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Christine Lee

β˜… 5

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Valerie Lines

β˜… 5

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Stefanie Baldwin

β˜… 5

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Martin Tessier

β˜… 5

Great place to have fun and exercice for the the little monkeys and the grown up ones! I did AcroYoga and handstands class already. Can’t wait to do aerials!

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Tim Chevalier

β˜… 5

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M Kitchell

β˜… 5

Athletic Playground is the best! Love the way the teachers are able to teach skills and technique in an environment devoid of the tight strictures of "professional aspiration" -- which is not to say the teachers don't know what they're doing (they do, and they know it well), but rather that they understand that movement-based skills are better acquired when the motivating factor is simple jouissance, pleasure, enjoyment, rather than competition.

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Anthony ong

β˜… 5

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Janet Ozzard

β˜… 5

My child is here every weekend taking parkour, and I often take stretching classes. It's a relaxed but well-run place, where all the teachers and students take responsibility for themselves, each other, and the facility. Definitely recommend.

Source: Google

Thomas Fowler

β˜… 5

Everyone was so nice there, the teacher was amazingly helpful and a great instructor plus inspiration, 10/10 will go back

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Jerrilee Geist

β˜… 5

Wonderful people, fun classes

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Taras Shkvarchuk

β˜… 5

AP has teachers who are truly passionate about movement! You see them pop into each other’s classes for the pure joy of it. That wonderful energy is contagious, attracts great people, and makes me want to play there more!

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Adrian

β˜… 5

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LeAnn Bischoff

β˜… 5

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Natasha Pendergrass

β˜… 5

I love this place!

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Elissa Berall

β˜… 5

Athletic Playground has fabulous instructors and staff, all of whom are fun, knowledgeable and inviting.

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Diana Rivers

β˜… 5

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Lauren DiMarco

β˜… 5

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Richard Juntos

β˜… 5

One of the best facilities I’ve been to! Highly recommend

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beatriz motta

β˜… 5

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Allison Walgrave

β˜… 5

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Michelle W

β˜… 5

Loved the monkey conditioning class. Great workout in a fun and welcoming environment.

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Boone Cruise

β˜… 5

Great teachers, and a variety of movement classes to take. I have learned so much already in my short time being a member and have had so much fun each time!

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Adam Moreno

β˜… 5

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Alex Moore

β˜… 5

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Debra Tjoa

β˜… 5

My daughter is the youngest, least experienced student in the Sunday 4:30 aerial class, but Caitlyn Kilgore still manages to teach her skills at her level while also juggling teaching up to 5 other older, more experienced girls so they all learn things within the one hour class. And she was understanding when we were late b/c the seat belt in our car got stuck and I lost 10 minutes dealing with that; took some of the stress away. My daughter has only gone a few times but loves it! She positively beams when Caitlyn teaches her a new trick.

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jade jeng

β˜… 5

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Homer Ladas

β˜… 5

This is my second review...now entering my sixth year of training at the Athletic Playground (AP). I can truly say that it feels like a giant extended family. Not only are all the teachers friendly and approachable but also highly skilled & knowledgeable athletes. As a 48 year old, higher than the median age of attendees, I do not feel any age discrimination either. Everything is geared to personal challenges and goals. You progress at your own rate and not a week goes by where I don’t feel I’m making slight improvements in my technique, flexibility, or strength. Since making AP my go to place for physical activity I have hardly set foot in a standard gym. I hope to continue learning and training at AP for many years to come!

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Peter Ajemian

β˜… 5

Solid teaching, nice people.

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Katrina Poole

β˜… 5

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oehlda2000

β˜… 5

The instructors are really great. Very enthusiastic and helpful. The atmosphere is encouraging, accepting, and goofy.

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Teresa Sumiyoshi

β˜… 5

Instructors are great, and classes are fun and motivating.

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Devon Jameson Wolfkin

β˜… 5

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Tyler Van Arsdale

β˜… 5

My favorite place of both learning and community. I will recommend this place to everyone looking for some amazing skill- and community-building.

Classes expertly scheduled and run. Teachers very knowledgeable, prompt, and safety-oriented.

Made some amazing friends here for my life. Can’t wait to visit again now that i have moved away. There’s nothing like this place and these people.

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Charlie Kehoe

β˜… 5

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Maziar Minoui

β˜… 5

Unique place to monkey around, face fears, and sweat your ass off!

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James β€œJT” Bymaster

β˜… 5

Great space to practice and explore movement!

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Kathy Crebbs

β˜… 4

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Miranda Worthen

β˜… 5

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Isabelle Dove

β˜… 5

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Lulu Bon Coup

β˜… 5

LOVE the classes so far! I've taken a couple weeks of flexibility and level 1 aerials. The pace is great and the instructors make sure all levels are engaged and attended to. As a fairly non-flexible beginner in the aerial arts, I feel very welcome and energized to get more bendy and strong. It's also very inspiring to see the more experienced people working and training. They are all very willing to share their journey and offer encouragement. Great place!

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Jenna Gutierrez

β˜… 5

My twin boys had their first parkour experience with Coach Maya and assistant and they both loved it!!! They're always tumbling and rolling around at home so I wanted to find a place where they can do just that and have fun. We will definitely be back.

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Agi Ban

β˜… 5

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Winny Pooh

β˜… 5

A happy place to improve one's handstand and movement skills.

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susannah mackintosh

β˜… 5

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Liuba Adar

β˜… 5

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Lisa Russ

β˜… 5

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Rommel Suratos

β˜… 5

Bring your kids here for parkour!

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Lynne B

β˜… 5

The class was super fun. High energy and very playful. The desk staff was very friendly and helpful and the instructor (Zach) was super sweet and tons of fun. Want to play? check it out!

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Aaron Jessup

β˜… 5

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Courtney Clark

β˜… 5

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Karyn Simpson

β˜… 5

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Adam Session

β˜… 4

Great staff and facility. Intro deal was awesome for trying out new classes

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Amy L

β˜… 5

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Jonathan Yim

β˜… 4

Very friendly staff. They have a dance studio at the top room. I wish they had a bigger single room like head over heels.

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Marcus Hayes

β˜… 5

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HAHA Haha

β˜… 5

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solar phoenix

β˜… 5

Took my boys to try Parkore and acrobatics and they loved it!!! Said they had loads of fun. The staff were super helpful. We are visiting from overseas and wish we had something like this at home. Only improvement to make would be to offer better casual rates for one off visitors. At $30 per person for a weekly pass, this didn't suit us. The staff were able to assist however and gave us a better deal.

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Michael Smith

β˜… 5

I love this place! :-D

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Tyler Parks

β˜… 5

Love it here!

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Circus OfSmiles

β˜… 5

Amazing place to play!

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William Chan

β˜… 5

I love the classes at Athletic Playground. They usually leave me feeling absolutely destroyed, in a good way. All the instructors have been great, and if I am around the bay area on the weekend without any specific plans, my default is to take a class at Athletic Playground.

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Jeffrey Yasskin

β˜… 4

It's a little expensive, but the equipment and creativity of the classes are outstanding.

Source: Google