Acro / Acrobatics or Tumbling Classes
I’m looking for an acrobatics or tumbling class after school in Oakland (or nearby) for my almost 6-year-old.
She’s really into capoeira right now (she's been doing it for almost a year) and LOVES it. She’s also done gymnastics at summer and winter camps, but we’ve never signed her up for regular classes. The two gyms closest to us have long waitlists, and honestly she’s not super interested in things like the beam or bars.
She’s been begging for a class where she can learn flips and backflips to use in her capoeira. Right now she can do a forward roll, hold a headstand, hold a handstand, cartwheels, and roundoffs (all completely self-taught) so I'd like to find a class that's more focused on tumbling or acro so she polish things up, learn how to do these flips, and can learn how to do it all safely with someone who knows what they're doing (my husband and I have zero experience with gymnastics or tumbling).
Here’s what I’ve found so far:
- Park Gymnastics has a weekend class, but we’re already booked on weekends.
- iFlip in Richmond has some classes, but the weekday commute during rush hour would take us about 45 minutes.
- She tried Athletic Playground, which was more parkour. Fun, but not exactly what we’re looking for.
Does anyone know of any good after-school tumbling/acrobatics classes in Oakland or nearby for kids her age? Or even day camps or winter camps for when school is out? Thanks in advance!
Parent Replies
Hi,
You could also try AcroCats Gymnastics in Berkeley. They don't have specific tumbling classes but they are a brand new program with a decent amount of availability.
Kinetic Arts Center is a circus school that has classes and private or semi-private lessons. There are performance classes that run on sessions but otherwise the classes are drop-in. Give them a call with your specific situation -- the staff are all super friendly! And the coaches are top notch!
Kinetic Arts Center in oakland is probably what you're looking for. They have tumbling specific classes.
Kinetic Arts Center in Oakland has some tumbling/acrobatic classes! Looks like they might start at age 6, but it's probably worth asking if your kiddo can start a bit earlier. I've seen a few of their circus shows and they are all wonderful.
Hello,
We love iFlip. Its space is unparalleled and we love how organized and easy it is to sign up. I also appreciate that it's just month to month as that, with kids, things change. We've also tried Head Over Heals but mainly for camps. The major upside of Althletic Playground is that you can do drop-in classes, which I appreciate; however, I found that there is too much time spent on instruction and too few minutes available for the kids to actually move their body. I wish the ratio of how time is spent was better and leaned more towards the kids getting a good workout.
Good luck on your hunt!
Kinetic Arts offers acro classes that my kid has enjoyed.