Karate For All

Highly recommend Karate for All. Everybody that works here genuinely cares for the kids.

Karate for All has been amazing for our son. He attends speech class at Centra Pediatrics with Jill (who is an amazing speech teacher) and attends karate right before speech. Since beginning karate, he has been able to focus so much more during speech, allowing him to make greater progress in a shorter amount of time. I am so grateful to Wayne and Karate for All, as well as to Jill, for the help with getting our little man to progress in his speech, focus, and discipline. Thank you!

My son has progressed to Brown Belt! Still have only positive things to say about Sensei Wayne and Karate for All.
Highly recommended for kids.

My daughter just received her black belt last Saturday. She has been with Karate for All for 5 years. Sensei Wayne is an inspiration to her. He is always positive and teaching the kids to never give up no matter what comes their way! There were times that she wanted to give Karate up but Sensei kept encouraging her to keep going! And so, here she is with her black belt! Thank you so much Sensei Wayne for all you do for the children!

My child started KFA earlier this year. What a phenomenal experience it has been! In my opinion, there is no need to look elsewhere. Sensei Wayne is incredible! He is a highly experienced Occupational Therapist with a long history of teaching kids with a variety of conditions. Not to mention, Sensei has a black belt and is an avid surfer. He is VERY caring and personable, in addition. This is not a regular dojo. Sensei holds his staff and students to a high standard. The education that children receive at KFA goes beyond karate itself. It is a therapeutic program. Children are helped emotionally, socially, as well as physically. I cannot say enough about our positive experience at KFA. My son did not want to take karate. Sensei Wayne went above and beyond what ANYONE would do to encourage him and to make karate possible for him. I am so grateful for this. I know my son particularly likes the variously themed obstacle courses they do towards the end of class. They are so fun and creative. I love the music! For example, today’s obstacle course related to Shark Week. Also, today’s class included 5 minutes of handwriting practice for the students. Sensei showed them a very helpful method. I appreciate his friendly and approachable manner. He is a serious professional who wants the best for our children. We’re lucky to know him and his supportive staff. KFA is a family. Thank you all!

Karate For All is an amazing experience. Both my sons, one on the spectrum and one neurotypical, developed so many lasting life skills way beyond the karate. Sensei Wayne is a skilled professional karate instructor as well as a motivating «life coach». Who knew that karate could be so wonderfully inspiring to watch every week? The joy and enthusiasm that Sensei Wayne and his staff bring out in every type of child and adult is beautiful! Truly the best therapy we have ever done… And we have tried them all!

This is hands-​down the best activity/​therapy we have done for my son who has autism. Sensei Wayne and his staff love what they do and it comes through in every activity and every karate class. They teach the kids to be disciplined and independent, and instill self-​confidence in our kiddos. They are such a support network for the parents as well.
There’s just aren’t enough words to describe what an incredible program Wayne has with Karate For All. We thank you for your commitment and love for our children!

Its been two years so I wanted to update my review. KFA has been the thing that has helped my son the MOST. Sensei Wayne holds the kids to high standards but he has a heart of gold. The kids respect and admire him. My son has made great friends through the program and all the employees and volunteers are caring and professional.

I highly recommend KFA. We were told about KFA by neighbors who attended and raved about how Sensei Wayne not only taught martial arts, but also social skills including manners. My son was shy when he first started karate. It took 2 classes before my son could be coaxed to join the class. Over time he became more confident. He introduces himself to others, shakes hands and maintains eye contact. He was challenged and grew into a leader. At KFA the Senseis taught my son discipline, respect and courage. He is also physically fit and an athlete. He won second place in a sparing tournament, which was confidence building. He can really hold his own if ever in a position where he needs to defend himself. He is on his way to earning his black belt. When we started I never could have imagined that my son would be as outgoing and confident as he is today. I owe KFA and Sensei Wayne a huge debt of gratitude.

Karate For All is an oasis for children who don’t benefit from a mainstream karate school approach. Finding Sensai Wayne and his amazing staff has been such a gift for my child and me. Sensai loves his students and pushes them just enough to help them succeed. He is exactly where he needs to be. He was made for this job. Truly.

I am so happy to have found Karate for all! I had been getting referrals from my sons neurologist for two years and I was like there is no way we can afford karate as I had priced it out at the local places and asked about helping kids on the autism spectrum only to be told they can handle them. So I left the other places not being confident in the non specific programs meeting my sons needs. My son begged and begged to do karate so after i enrolled our daughters into gymnastics, we decided to enroll our son in Karate and try out Karate for all after being told by my sons school that he needs try something with kids like him so it will help his self esteem.
I have been taking our son for 5 months and I absolutely love the progrchase99
am. I love the fact that Sensei Wayne knows that these kids have struggles but teaches the kids social skills that are huge for my son along with showing him that there are no excuses to not accomplish your goal and to not hide behind a diagnosis because in life there are no free handouts. I am looking forward to my son getting his black belt one day.
Because this program is also OT based, I notice that my sons not so awkward when he rides his bike or climbing or anything physical aside from running. He has improved his balance and flexibility as well. I know that he will stick with this and it will be the best thing i have ever done for him.
I am contemplating taking the parents course as well so my son and I can bond over our love for Karate.
They also offer sibling classes as well which is awesome!

We have been going to KFA for years. Sensei Wayne truly cares for each child as an individual, and his enthusiasm shows in every class. Yes, the volunteers fluctuate, and yes, Sensei is loud. We love it! The quality of the program (real Shotokan karate), and the practical application skills he learns are priceless. Some weeks are hard, but our son is learning perseverance, pride in himself, and lifelong skills.

Nice place, lots of interns for 1:1 assistance. None of that cheezy «let’s break boards» junk. They like working with kids with issues & do a good job with them.
My only concern is the focus on sparing in the higher belt ranks.
At the lower belt ranks, they say it’s optional and you don’t have to do it. But by the time you’re at green or brown, every other class is sparing based.
Some of us like Asian themed calisthenics without the fighting.

Karate for All is amazing and unique. We’ve been there for many years and are not only happy, but grateful Sensei Wayne and co. are there. This is unique in the sense that many «special needs» sports may have lower expectations… this is not so with this studio. Instead, kids who learn a bit differently (and their siblings or parents) are taught in the manner they need, at the pace they need as well. The Black Belts who come out of KFA are fierce :), competent, and respectable.
And, what’s also amazing is that the program has HEART. In the earlier belt level classes (and sometimes in the higher level as well) there are actual social skills lessons integrated within the karate lessons. GOOD social skills lessons, including role play for practice. Social skills lessons that actually educate and stick and make sense in the «real world.»
Truly, if every business that accommodated special needs kids had the heart and expectations of Sensei Wayne and Karate for All, the world would be a better place, with happier kids. This program understands that just because a child can’t do things in the exact same way as perhaps most kids might, that doesn’t mean that they can’t learn to do them at all. The entire program has a «You Can Do This» feeling throughout every component.
And the humor element… there is a wonderful blend in every class of laughter and learning and everyone striving to be their best, beyond perhaps what they (and others) ever thought they could be. Plainly put, KFA is FUN… which is amazing considering the outstanding results and progress the kids make while they are smiling.
Absolutely excellent.

My daughter has been taking classes for the past two months and this program has been truly a blessing! As a parent is amazing to see the pride in her accomplishments, to see her push herself physically all while having fun! This program has helped her socially, physically and emotionally! Sometime I get a little emotional seeing all the kids at the class because they try so hard. Anyway, I’m so grateful to Sensei Wayne and his volunteers for their patience and commitment to the program. We love karate!

There are no words to describe this incredible place. I would highly recommend to anyone who is considering. Wayne and the rest of his staff are committed and genuinely care about every single child that attends. I commend them for putting a program together for kids that goes above and beyond.

I have been sending my children to KFA for two years. This is a great environment for my kids. Sensei Wayne and his staff do a great job of teaching Shotokan Karate. This is not an MMA style gym that teaches kids to fight for the UFC. This is an Occupational Therapy influenced karate studio.
My wife and I have been very happy with the growth our children have shown. They both have a great passion for learning the art now, thanks to Sensei Wayne and his staff. They both also have a greater level of self confidence now. I feel that KFA does a great job of connecting parents of whose children are similar. This program is a good one for kids who need extra support. I have been to other studios and those were «all about the money».
I hope people who may see these reviews take everything with a grain of salt. There are a lot more positive reviews.

Karate For All is a special place owned and operated by Sensei Wayne Centra. He is truly a compassionate professional that understands and works with the individual needs of all his students. He has a true passion and energy for his work and his background is working with kids on the Autism spectrum.
His programs teach life skills and he has a unique ability to get the child to focus and take karate seriously. He offers different classes and approaches to help meet your kids needs. He offers an environment that is safe, fun and supportive. He is truly a leader and visionary in providing such a unique place to help special needs children. He is passionate and kind about what he does and I would highly recommend this place to other parents that have kids with special needs.
I am grateful and appreciative of the fact that Sensei Wayne is able to help positively affect and help my sons learn life lessons, skills and physical activity as they develop and mature in life. Thank you Sensei Wayne!

My son loves Karate for All. The lesson are taught are in a positive manor, no degrading of your child’s self-​esteem. We love the extra volunteers from UCI. This difference makes it a 3:1 ratio that is closely supervised by Sensei Wayne, Taking Karate has been an excellent experience for my son.

My Son has attended Karate For All for about a year and a half now and is lead by the Owner, Sensei Wayne Centra. His educational background is Occupational Therapy (Centra Pediatric Therapy) while his passion is Karate and helping others. His direction is different in that he truly focuses on each student paying attention to their individual needs while coordinating the group together as a whole. His specialty is working with children with disabilities, especially Autism. Sensei Wayne uses Karate to engage the children socially enabling them to interact appropriately with peers in a typical environment. The children are challenged in a safe setting and are encouraged to reach individual goals at their own pace.
I first became aware of Karate For All at my Sons first Speech Therapy Office, Tustin Speech. I quickly called and spoke to Sensei Wayne who offered to meet my Son (even at our home) for an evaluation. Because my Son did not meet the age requirements yet, we had to wait six months. By then, Sensei Wayne open this great new location. Unlike most American Dojos, this setting is less militant and rushed, but formally disciplined appreciating the true art form of Karate. Belts are earned by determination and accomplishment, not time.
Your child will most benefit from his direction and will have fun learning too! I encourage anyone interested to visit his website and/​or Dojo. Better yet, Google Karate For All and you will find the accolades of media coverage Sensei Wayne has received for serving the community and those in need.
Like many other parents, I feel fortunate to have something like this in my Sons life.