Fitness training at your doorstep

Whizzing through the streets of Beijing on his electric scooter, 24-year-old Wang Linbo has an important deadline to meet. No, he's not one of the capital's many food delivery drivers; he's a physical trainer on his way to a lesson at a customer's home.

Wang is among a growing number of physical trainers being called out by Chinese parents to provide on-demand sports and fitness lessons for their children.

Many parents, faced with already packed schedules, are concerned that their children are not getting enough exercise due to their own tight timetables.

And so the marriage between China's world-class digital infrastructure and on-demand services makes perfect sense in solving these parents' concerns.

Since school went back in September, Beijing Sport University graduate Wang has worked peak hours from 4 to 9 pm, training children in skipping rope, running and fitness conditioning at their residential compounds or parks — bringing professional coaching directly to their doorsteps.

"In this way, parents can save travel time to gyms, kids can exercise conveniently, and I can get a stronger sense of fulfillment from these one-to-one classes," said Wang, a native of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

He regards this service as a new model where certified trainers can offer mobile fitness solutions, adapting exercise routines to sidewalks, rooftops or community spaces.

Wang is not alone. Xia Yun, 27, is in the same line of work in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. Since joining One Jump Sports, a sports education company, in June, he has been carrying his equipment to various communities to offer door-to-door sports classes to customers.

Xia, a trained gym coach, initially thought this type of work would only be part-time. "When I realized that it provides a stable income and allows me to manage my own time, I decided to continue with it," he said.

Both Wang and Xia view what they do as a sunrise industry that they expect to develop rapidly in the coming years. According to a report by Yuboinfo.com, which specializes in market research and investment consulting, the current potential population size for youth sports training is 130 million, and the potential market size for sports consumption from this same group is approximately 235 billion yuan ($32.96 billion), indicating it is a high-growth industry.

"Our original intention was to respond to the national fitness campaign, particularly by providing high-quality, convenient and inclusive sports services for young people," said Huang Ling, the founder of One Jump Sports.

While pledging to offer customers valuable and safe services, she has also called on government regulatory authorities to pay greater attention to this emerging business and strengthen their oversight, in an effort to ensure its healthy development.

Keep-fit convenience

During the recent summer vacation, middle-schooler Wang Weining's parents booked for him a customized exercise program, including resistance training and shuttle runs. He took the classes three times a week in his residential community in Qingjiangpu district of Huai'an, Jiangsu province.

"Having a one-on-one coach provided me with more detailed guidance on movements compared to PE teachers in large classes. Not only have my skills improved more quickly, but my study stress has also been relieved," he told State broadcaster China Central Television.

Weining's mother praised the service, saying that parents need only place an order on their mobile phone, and their children can then exercise right downstairs from home.

"This reduces transportation costs to and from gyms, and saves us the time of picking up and dropping off the kids, which is convenient for both the children and us," she said.

A mother surnamed Hu from Shujiang district in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, ordered a similar training program online for her 10-year-old son. "Weighing 65 kilograms, he needed to lose weight," she said. "My husband and I have to work, and have no time to take our boy to the gym, so the door-to-door service is a better choice."

In addition to playing for fun and improving their overall health, some young people have even used personalized physical training to prepare for exams.

A middle school student surnamed Li from Zhejiang has been using online sports services to practice his standing long jump, rope skipping and pull-ups under a coach's guidance every week.

He said that all the exercises he does are aimed at the physical education tests in the high school entrance exam. "With the coach's more targeted training, I hope to be well-prepared for the tests," Li said.

Greater sense of fulfillment

For Wang Linbo, the coach from Beijing, witnessing the progress of his trainees through providing personalized sports services has given him a greater sense of fulfillment.

"I used to teach large classes at a gym, with many students in each session, but after class, I couldn't remember any of their names," he said. "Sometimes, when some children asked me about their movements, I couldn't specifically identify what their problems were."

However, one-on-one sports services are different. "In a one-hour session, I can thoroughly understand students' physical conditions and athletic abilities, even their nicknames, allowing me to create a tailored exercise plan," he said. "This approach also helps the trainees to master skills more quickly and become more confident."

He cited a student who initially couldn't jump rope as an example. In the beginning, the child was quite reserved, but after receiving targeted training, he quickly mastered the technique. Now, the trainee is more talkative and has developed an interest in other sports activities. "I'm proud to see his growing confidence," the coach said.

In his view, progress not only inspires children to establish a habit of regular physical activity, but also helps cultivate their endurance and perseverance, which are more important for personal growth.

There are seven other coaches like Wang Linbo at the company he works for, serving over 1,000 customers. While traveling between neighborhoods providing in-person guidance, they also develop and design more workout programs to enrich the exercise content and make the door-to-door sports services more professional.

Qualified and safe

The teaching hours for Xia, the coach from Shenzhen, are from 8 to 11 am and 2 to 6 pm. For each class, he is required to wear the company's uniform.

Huang, the employer, said his company has more than 1,000 registered coaches who primarily serve clients aged 4 to 16, and offer a variety of courses, such as jump rope, badminton, basketball, physical fitness and roller skating. Each class is one hour long, with fees ranging from 50 to 80 yuan per session.

She highlighted that for the safety of the young trainees, every coach must hold a qualification certificate, an athlete certificate or a teaching certificate in physical education, and have at least two years of teaching experience. Additionally, they have to undergo the company's training before starting their duties.

"Parents can view coaches' qualifications online, and we have purchased insurance for both the coaches and the students," Huang said. "If clients decide not to attend a class after booking, they can directly request a refund. Furthermore, we have staff members readily available to handle any complaints or suggestions promptly."

She said that the emerging industry is currently quite disordered. For instance, some coaches are found to have independently contacted clients to solicit courses without purchasing accident insurance, and some are discovered to claim to be fitness experts but actually lack qualifications.

Huang stressed the need for the systematic management of coaches, noting that her company has strict review and penalty systems in place for the registered coaches who cancel orders after accepting them on the platform.

She also called for government departments to provide oversight in regulating industrial development while promoting national fitness.

Emerging businesses can expand employment opportunities for young people, but their sustainable development requires regulatory bodies and internet platforms to jointly improve service standards and supervision mechanisms, in an effort to guide industry professionals toward standardized operations, Huang said.

Sun Yanian, a lawyer from Huai'an, advised residents to be aware of potential safety risks during exercise. "Before making a decision to book a session, it's vital to clearly establish with the coaches and their company who will be responsible and how the responsibility will be handled in the event of an accident," he said.

"It's also necessary to verify the credentials of both the coaches and their employers," he added, suggesting users keep detailed records and evidence to facilitate any future claims or legal actions.

Wu Xiaolu, a researcher at the Economic Research Institute of the Zhejiang Academy of Social Sciences, expressed her concerns about privacy related to door-to-door sports services. "When the service location extends to the home, it involves personal private spaces, which in turn raises issues of individuals' rights and privacy," she told Qianjiang Evening News, a Zhejiang-based media outlet.

"If public spaces within residential communities are used, it may also lead to conflicts with neighbors' rights," she added.