Head Over Heels Athletic Arts

This review is dictated to me by my daughter Star, who is 5 and a half. She just completed a 3-​day winter camp. She says:
I like the Winter camp. They have good gymnastics routines and art, too! I like the other kids. I like the coaches, especially Bob and Kai-​ya. I was in the blue group. I love all the gymnastics equipment, especially the trapeze and swinging into the foam pit, off the bar. I like how the coaches get me right out of the car for morning drop off. I’d love to go every break!

My daughter has had an amazing experience so far. We switched from another gym and love this one so much more. The staff are very helpful and make sure that you learn a lot. Degenerate a place to go to learn gymnastics.

Money hungry and stuck up staff. They REQUIRE athletes family to donate time (16 hours at least) otherwise you will be charged $ 300 – 400 on top of the $ 1000/​month tuition. Then if you ask for detailed invoices Joy Kent will tell you that it was never been asked before what is wrong with you. If you don’t keep paying what they tell you she will just punishes your child and tell you that your child will no longer allowed to practice here even if your child has been supporting the business over 7 years. wow. Do you want your child to be involved in this kind of business?

We had all three of our kids enrolled for over 4 sessions at this gym. Below is an overview based on age and gender. The toddler and boys program were good. The reason for our review was managements zero response to our concerns and the consistent poor level of instruction from the female teachers we had for the girls 6 yr old program.
Toddler class– Great instructors, program started in older larger bldg. and moved to neighboring bldg. My son always had a blast and I saw a HUGE improvement.
Girls 6yr old Sat class– Horrible. Yvonne was our last instructor at HOH. I put my daughter into this program to build self esteem and to learn new skills. The other female teachers I did not feel worked with the girls and they did not seem as skilled or experienced as the boys program instructors. Most Saturday sessions the ladies all seemed to just be going through the motions at least this was the parent perception. Even with all of this, Yvonne was the worst instructor. She never smiled, interacted with the girls or seemed to work with them. I noticed that she spent on average 3 – 5 minutes with my daughter, if that each session. Most of the time she was standing around or talking to her fellow instructors. If she wasn’t doing that, she was playing with her hair and re-​arranging it at least three times per class! I got increasingly more and more frustrated when I watched my daughter struggle to perform a move and Yvonne did nothing to teach or support her. She would just let her move on to the next station and or she would let her stand around and talk to the other girls. After the end of each session, we did not get any instructor feedback or involvement as to our children’s progress. We just got a she did not pass level I, finally I was able to get a instructor to tell me what that meant, who was not Yvonne as she could not be bothered. The move she needed to complete the instructor never worked with her on. How much sense does that make, no wonder she wasn’t progressing on to the next levels. We became so frustrated at the extremely poor teaching and attitude of this instructor that I made sure to never miss a practice and watched her interactions with my daughter, which took away from participating in my other two children’s classes. I spoke with management about, why isn’t my daughter progressing, the lack of instruction Yvonne gave and her over all attitude and interactions with the girls. I received zero follow up from management and staff. I even wasted my time to fully fill out an evaluation form on this instructor and again the staff/​mgmt. at HOH didn’t respond.
Feels like a puppy mill, they have no problem taking your money but can’t be bothered to actually interact with you to tell you where your child is at, via verbal or written progress report.

I love the toddler/​preschool classes here. I’ve tried other dance/​tumbling classes at other places, but this is definitely the best! They divide the room into a bunch of different stations and the classes rotate between the different setups. They seem to have it timed perfectly to stay at each station just long enough before the kids lose focus. They are great with the kids and super nice. They have various sitting areas for the parents to watch, without interfering. My daughter absolutely loves this place and it is a welcome change from other places we tried. I also love the diversity of the coaches and students. It is really important for me to have my kids in diverse settings and this place is a great mix.

NOT DOG FRIENDLY! Even though my dog was sitting/​lying down quietly while I was watching my granddaughter in her gymnastics class, I was told I would have to leave because they have a no dog policy. Socializing my young dog is extremely important to me and I love exposing her to all types of environments. Sorry they have a no dog policy.

I broke my ankle on my first visit to Head Over Heels Athletic Arts.
I am a fit and athletic guy, but I had never done gymnastics before. I enrolled in the «Adult Gymnastics» class, whose description on the Head Over Heels website indicated it was for «students with or without gymnastics experience.» The class had about 12 students. The instructor was Rick Tolden. The class consisted of a short warm-​up on trampolines, guided stretching, and then students taking turns (about 2 or 3 students at a time) doing an activity to cross an open floor area, such as forward rolls, cartwheels, or walking on one’s hands.
Each activity on the open floor area was demonstrated by Rick once, briefly, and then it was the students’ turn to perform the activity. Guidance as to proper form and technique, especially before first attempting each activity, was minimal at best. After a poor attempt, Rick would sometimes comment on how it could be done better, but these comments were also brief and not sufficient to really understand how to improve.
At one point, Rick brought out two springboards and two mats. On one of the springboards, the students’ task was to perform a forward flip (like a forward somersault in the air) and land on one’s feet. I did this twice and landed just barely, before I’d had time to straighten my legs after completing the rotation. Rick instructed me to extend my legs earlier. On my next try, I attempted to follow this instruction. When I landed on my right ankle, there was a loud «crack» sound, followed by considerable pain.
I lay there for some time, elevating the leg. Rick brought ice in a bag and some paper towels, and I was left to wait with my leg elevated for ten or twenty minutes. Eventually, Rick brought me a pair of crutches that Head Over Heels had on hand, and he helped me get out of the building. I called a car and went to the emergency room, where they X-​rayed my ankle and found that I had a spiral fracture of the right fibula (the smaller of the two bones in the lower leg).
It has been over a month since the accident, and I’m still in a cast. In the end, I will have spent a total of more than six weeks in a non-​weight-​bearing cast, walking on crutches, followed by an unknown amount of physical therapy to restore the strength and range of motion lost during the time in the cast.
While some amount of risk is inherent in an activity like gymnastics, I think there are specific things Head Over Heels could and should do to make their adult class safer for students.
First, there should be an adult class that is more accommodating of beginners. While there are many different class options for children of various skill levels, there was only a single Adult class (offered twice per week). This means that more and less advanced students are together, and some of the activities we were instructed to perform were not suitable for beginners, such as front flips off a springboard.
Second, the quality of instruction should be improved. The proper technique should be more thoroughly described before each activity. Perhaps students should have hands-​on guidance (e.g. with a spotter) when attempting challenging moves. Additionally, easier activities should be used to build up to the harder ones, and students should only be allowed to attempt the harder activities once they’ve demonstrated that they can complete the easier versions.
Head Over Heels should consider either (a) splitting their Adult Gymnastics class into two classes– one for more advanced students and one for beginners, and cap each class at about 6 students, or (b) use two instructors simultaneously in the Adult Gymnastics class, and cap it at about 12 students. Either of these approaches would allow beginning and advanced students to have activities more tailored to their ability levels, and it would allow for more attention to each student by improving the instructor-​to-​student ratio. Finally, I think the manner of instruction should be improved, to be more hands-​on and to involve a clearer progression through easier activities that build up to the harder activities.

Great teachers. Great facility. They really work hard to connect with your child at every age. I gotta say there were, at one time, two big problems with this place, one was parking, the other was the whack priority reg system, which required parents to stay up til midnite to get the class of choice. Really? Miss work the next morning for your child’s rec activity? AWFUL. they recently expand the facility, and got rid of priority reg. Bravo. Now. The parking is still super broken. Great small business. City of Emeryville needs to work with them to accommodate parking. We are not New York yet Bay Area, or are we?

I took my 2 yr old son to the open gym. First off, it is very hard to get into, as the gate is locked without a code visible. Once you get into the gate, there are about four entrances. And now that you are actually in, you are charged $ 15 for a small space for toddlers to play including: two trampolines, foam pit, and a couple mats to play on.
The issue is their «one person on the trampoline» policy. I understand the need for this if there are bigger kids (which there are because it is all ages) but perhaps creating a separate toddler time/​section so the smaller kids can play and jump on the trampoline together would be better suited? Unfortunately, my son is too young to understand the concept of waiting his turn/​getting off so someone else can go and quite frankly I paid a lot of money for him to play and he wasn’t able to. Very disappointed. For this reason, we won’t be returning.

My granddaughter has been taking gymnastic classes here for two years. Her body strength and flexibility since coming here leaves me totally floored. Her coaches know how to challenge and are amazing beings and athletes, to boot. Now that my granddaughter has turned 5 she takes her classes in the same spacious gym that the competitive children and teenagers use. They are a constant source of inspiration for her as she take her classes. I can’t say enough about all the coaches she has had and am so glad there is THIS school and THESE coaches to begin her on her lifetime of physical activity. I believe that already she would always be a physically active person from the solid foundation that this school has given her.
She told me that she wants to live there and has already indicated where she would like her bed to be placed!

I love Head Over Heals. My daughter has been in Gym tots for about a year now. And we’ve and seen the growth has they expanded to another neighboring space for the tots and with their new pre-​schooler director David. The new space is amazing. Love the loft trampoline set up and wall slide. Prefect for the age group. It’s smaller so there is less distractions of the big kid classes. David has done these adorable murals all over the space making the tots gym extra special. The other difference I’ve noticed since David came on is the quality in the coaches. They are more engaged and positive with the children which is a huge plus!
My only complaint is that the coaches (and we’ve had a few) is they show too many stations per obstacle. It drives me nuts and looses the tots interest! Just need to make that tweak for the tots group and I’d give 5 stars!

I can’t comment on the instruction since I was there for a swap, but it sure looked fun! I was there during open gym, although it looked like at least some of the kids were following instruction.
The gym space is very long and they have a variety of equipment. The one as a non-​gymnast that caught my eye was a big pit filled with blue blocks. It’s probably not meant for jumping into but that is what I would do. For the open gym with the parents of the swap (and some others) the mix of boys and girls seemed pretty even. The kids in a «uniform» seemed to be mostly girls though, unsurprisingly. Girl or buy you kid would have fun playing here.

I give this gym 5 because coach Sara T worked incredibly hard with the girls in her development 1 and 2 class. Sara truly developed them and while the kids certainly have natural talent, her coaching skills developed that talent.
My daughter had the benefit of coach Sara for almost 2 years and my child’s skill set, motivation and love of gymnastics truly exploded while with Sara. I am grateful my child had her as a coach and I am glad HOH assigned her to the role of developing young athletes.
I highly recommend her, if you have a young child who might like to compete.
My 3 year old son loves his classses and has had the best time in gymnastics. He loves coming and he loves the relationships he developed with the everyone both on the floor and on the sidelines.
The program:
We came from a great gym in L.A. LASG. My daughter was on the advanced preschool team there. When we arrived at HOH for a trial class, we discovered that that gym kids class, did the same routines that her advanced preschool class did. HOH sets the bar high.
My daughter has had the same coach her entire time at HOH. My son has had different coaches. Most have been good, a few great ones. The great ones made him forget he is sometimes shy. Parents should probably take an hour to observe the coaches and choose.

Great open Gym!
lots of inspiration at this gym especially for the youngsters.
Gymnastics, acro-​dunking, capoeira, tricking they have it all and its cheap.
The bathrooms are clean and facility is heated and very safe.
great place to blow off some steam.

I am writing about the camp and the kids gymnastics class. We found this gym to be very expensive and very little flexibility, actually no flexibility, or make up classes when kids at sick (which we all know happens often). The management says they have this policy because they are a non profit, not sure what that means? But, do know that you will be paying about $ 18 – 22 per class, with no make us sessions.
Can’t say much about the instruction, as I am not a gymnast, but for children under age 6 y.o. I’d say this place is not a great fit. Also, parking is very bad, and the gym is noisy and crowded.

My kids love this place, we have had 2 birthday parties here and I am booking our 3^rd party. We ask for the last time slot of the night on a Saturday evening since we ask for more time and have large parties. The kids have the entire gym and love the foam pit but everyone in our party has a great time including the adults. Book early since they fill up very quickly.

I’m writing to explain my experience with the Gym Tots program so that folks might know what to expect. My toddler loves to explore and is just learning how to follow rules (he’s 2) so this environment was very challenging for him.
The class is in a big gym with a dozen other classes going on at the same time. Our instructor would be hollering instructions at all of us and requiring that we ‘sit on the red line’ and the like while other teachers are also hollering and young children are bouncing all over the place.
She would give us a combination of 7 or 8 things to do that had to be done in order, in the direction she prescribed. This was too much for us and my son would just get frustrated with not being able to run around, (it looks just like a playground!), and then being expected to do certain things in a certain way. Granted some children in our class could handle this kind of directed play just fine, but for us it was just too hard. So this isn’t a general critique but more of a word-​of-​warning for those of us who’s children aren’t used to directed play.
I’m also kicking myself for not checking the place out before signing up. They have a very strict no cancellation no transfer policy. I didn’t even bother to try to get a refund.

Update: my daughter has steadily lost interest since moving into level 3. The classes are not fun at all, are 2 hours long, the coaches hardly smile at the kids… And after a year of persevering in level 3 we are hobbling through the end of the session, and will not re-​enroll. It’s really too bad, because she has been in gymnastics since 2 years old. To top it off, we are spending $ 300/​session for 12 weeks of instruction and have just been alerted that there is no longer sufficient parking, so parents should plan to walk in and out of the compound from city streets a block or more away. in the soon early dark evenings, at almost 8pm? Hmm. We will try some other places including circus arts and hope it isn’t like extremely expensive detention that ends after 7:30 in the night. Sports should be fun…
Old review: — —
This is absolutely excellent gymnastics instruction. My daughter has taken Gymnastics Levels 1 and 2, has just started Level 3, and has done summer camps and Saturday free play. She has had half a dozen of their coaches, and all have been excellent and have kept the classes focused and challenged.

I am reviewing the adult gymnastics class only.
When I first started going it was a lot of fun considering I had almost no gymnastics experience. The first hour consisted of stretching and drills and the second hour was tumbling or practicing whatever skills you wanted. The classes were small at first and everyone was relatively inexperienced, so there was a lot of one on one or small group instruction. The gym itself is great because it’s huge and has every piece of equipment you could want and also many different types of mats and other things to use for assistance when learning new skills.
However, as time went on, more and more experienced gymnasts started coming and other classes seemed to expand so it got so crowded that everyone would have to compete for space/​equipment. The adult class turned into more of an «open gym» format and much less like an organized class. The experienced people basically took over the mat and eventually, the coach stopped giving much instruction at all.
Clearly this gym is geared towards kids but then why bother having an adult class? It’s pretty annoying because this class is definitely NOT cheap and there are ZERO refunds. I didn’t feel like I learned any new skills in the nearly 4 months I went. I can practice my cartwheels on my own. I had high hopes and really, this class could be awesome… but it just wasn’t for me.

My two kids go to this place and love it. The teachers are nice and very patient. In six months both of my kids have made strides in tumbling and flexibility.
We go during the week and it is not that busy.