Fredrik Yderström’s father once told him: “Fredrik, it doesn’t matter what you’re good at, but what you are good at you should do exceptionally well!”
Fredrik, who excels at sports, teaching and coaching, took his father’s advice to heart and combined his passions by founding one of Beijing’s most successful and enduring sports schools, called Flips & Kicks Plus.
He comes from Södertälje in Sweden, a suburb of Stockholm, and holds a master’s degree in physical education, majoring in martial arts. Not only is Fredrik a fully licensed PE teacher and sports coach with over two decades of experience, he is also an inventor, entrepreneur and actor/stuntman.
Fredrik first came to Beijing in 1996. He calls his journey in Beijing “amazing” and says that he feels fortunate to have witnessed Beijing’s rapid development. This summer, Flips & Kicks Plus is offering some exciting activities for children, such as a Multi-Sports Camp, a Beach Volleyball Camp, a Kids Summer Swimming Camp, and a Smash Hit Action Movie Camp for 6-18-year-olds. Check out their offerings in our earlier post here!
Please introduce Flips & Kicks Plus. What motivated you to found Flips & Kicks Plus and when did you start it?
Flips was founded in 2012. I had worked as a teacher for many years and was looking for new opportunities to change my profession. Coaching was a logical step. Together with a business partner at that time, we offered sports coaching for the local and international community of Beijing. We started the company because of the positive feedback we had from our clients about the way we conducted our classes. It was a truly amazing and fun time! There was also a gap in the market so the timing was perfect.
In the beginning, we focused mainly on gymnastics, martial arts, as well as camps we conducted all year round. Now we offer additional programs and camps such as air volleyball (for younger kids), beach volleyball and snow volleyball, dance (Chinese traditional, Urban, Hip Hop, Competitive), and conditioning and strength training. For camps, our Multi-Sport Camp became our flagship product; it is extremely popular. Another very popular addition was our action movie camp and swimming camp. This year, we are adding beach volleyball camps – time to smash it!
We have established ourselves as one of Beijing’s top sports coaching companies catering to children, working enthusiastically for sports, and building confidence through positive reinforcement. You don’t need to be a world champion to enjoy sports. Flips had the privilege of working with some of China’s top schools and companies, like Western Academy of Beijing (WAB), International School of Beijing (ISB), British School of Beijing (BSB), Dulwich, MSB, Daystar, Kerry Centre, Harrow, DeHong, Jackie Chan’s Stunt Team Training Center, AudreyAnne Studio, AnRic and many more.
What kinds of classes and services do you offer? Who are your customers? What offerings are suitable for children?
All our classes are focused on kids and young adults. But in martial arts, we do offer adult training as well.
We offer:
– Sports classes
– Year-round camps
– Self-defense for students
– Workshops & events
– ASA/CCA programs and activities
– Substitute teaching
Gymnastics: We teach 3-12+-year-olds in gymnastics. Classes are conducted at WAB, which supplies top facilities and equipment. Gymnastics is a great foundation for any sport by developing balance, focus, flexibility, and strength in a fun way.
Martial Arts: We focus on a traditional karate style called Goju Ryu (Naha-te). Goju means hard and soft. This is a pragmatic and functional martial arts style from Okinawa. We train kicks, punches, throws, joint locks, sweeping and much more. We do also implement a bit of Sanda in the training. Karate creates one of the best foundations in martial arts, both physically and mentally.
Air Volleyball & Beach Volleyball: After our camps at the Kerry Centre, we noticed a huge interest in volleyball. Kids loved it. We would have started this program earlier if it wasn’t for Covid. We are not doing mainstream volleyball, but focus on air volleyball for the younger kids and beach/winter volleyball for the older. Our aim is to have FUN with volleyball, but also have a competitive team competing in China and Asia.
Integrity, service, and safety are fundamental values at Flips. All our coaches are required to undergo a criminal background check.
Dance: Is there any better way to train? Pump up some music and have fun, learn body awareness, coordination, flexibility, stamina and strength. We don’t want our students to just learn one style. That’s why we offer our clients to pick freely between three programs, namely Hip Hop & Urban, Chinese Traditional Dance, and Competitive Dance. It’s up to the students to pick what they want to develop, and it gives them the option and the freedom to create something new.
Strength & Endurance: We offer a strength and endurance class. Doesn’t matter what sport you do just get ready to bust it!
In addition, we also offer boxing, Sanda, multi-sport and karate after-school activities at international schools.
Our programs are open to everyone. I think Flips & Kicks Plus offers a very positive platform for development as we’ve got a great balance of international and local students as well as coaches. Communicating in Chinese is very natural for us if the students need help, but our main language is English when we conduct our classes. The majority of our programs are in the international schools.
What brings you the greatest pleasure in holding the classes?
Meeting new students and people every day makes your life more exciting. This makes it easier to maintain good energy. My greatest pleasure is to see our students’ journeys and progression and to witness how they build up their skill sets and confidence.
Are there any special experiences you would like to share about your classes?
During one summer camp, I had a T-shirt with Donald Duck on it. I asked my student if she knew who was on my T-shirt. She couldn’t figure it out so I gave her a clue. “Donald…” And she replied, “Trump.” Cracked me up for a week. Got to love kids!
On that note, did any celebrities attend your classes?
One or two perhaps, “wink.” But we always give our clients their privacy, which is very important in this stressful world.
Can you tell us about your plans for the near future?
We are currently talking about expanding our programs to Qingdao. And also talking to some of our old cooperation partners to restart some programs after Covid. Very exciting times!
Check out Flips & Kicks’ summer camp offerings!
To learn more about Flips & Kicks Plus summer camps and classes, contact Fredrik by scanning the QR code below.
Images: Courtesy of Flips & Kicks
