Akademia Sportu

A Silesian tennis hub with a traveler's spirit

Ask juniors around Gliwice where the local tennis scene gathers and many will point to the bright halls at Jasna 31. That is where Akademia Sportu has been shaping players and families since 2010, when coach and former Polish Tennis Association player Gloria Mokrzycka set out to build a practical, year round pathway for everyday athletes. The idea was simple and ambitious at once: deliver consistent coaching close to home, keep group sizes small, and use travel strategically so juniors learn to adapt to new courts and climates. Fifteen years later, the academy has grown into a multi venue network with a licensed club status in the Polish system, a monthly junior league, and a travel arm that carries groups to camps across Poland and abroad. The blend of routine and adventure is now its calling card.

Founding story and mission

Akademia Sportu began as a grassroots project. Mokrzycka saw two gaps in the local market: a lack of structured on ramps for young beginners and too few opportunities for intermediate juniors to test themselves often in friendlier settings than formal federation events. She gathered a small coaching team, booked the best available courts around the city, and started a rhythm of weekly groups, seasonal camps, and regular matchplay that families could plan around a school calendar. Over time the academy broadened its staff to include former national level competitors, licensed strength specialists, and a mental training component. The mission, still unchanged, is to make tennis accessible, technically solid, and competitive without forcing families into a boarding model.

Location, climate, and why the setting matters

Gliwice sits in the Silesian region of southern Poland, roughly a 30 to 40 minute drive from Katowice Airport depending on traffic. That proximity matters when the weekend draws include Kraków, Wrocław, or regional events across the border. The climate brings four real seasons. From May to October, clay is king around the city. Once temperatures fall, tennis migrates indoors, where surfaces swing from carpet to hard to artificial turf. Akademia Sportu leans into this cycle rather than fighting it. Summer blocks emphasize patient clay patterns, higher contact points, and footwork that builds neutral ball tolerance. Winter blocks on faster courts sharpen first step reactions, return depth, and transition play. In practice this mirrors the Polish junior calendar: outdoor tournament learning during warm months and indoor tactical refinement when nights get early.

Facilities across the city, not behind one gate

Akademia Sportu does not sit behind a single gate. It functions across several Gliwice venues, which gives it flexibility to place the right player on the right court at the right time. The tournament base is typically the multi sport complex at Jasna 31, a modern building with indoor playing halls, fitness spaces, squash courts, and a compact pool and wellness zone. That mix keeps warm ups, cool downs, and basic recovery work all within a few steps of the tennis.

For outdoor blocks, the academy books the municipal clay complex at ul. Kosynierów 6, a five court site with changing rooms and a small stand for spectators. When demand spikes or schedules collide, sessions rotate among additional indoor halls on ul. Knurowska, ul. Akademicka, and ul. Kozielska. Across these halls, surfaces include carpet, hard, and artificial turf. Variety is built into the week, so a junior learns to adjust spin and court position to different speeds without long commutes.

Families often ask about housing. Gliwice is a day student city for tennis. There is no full boarding school on site. Instead, weekend visitors and camp groups can use the apartments at the Jasna SportHotel inside the Jasna 31 complex, or the academy coordinates lodging as part of its travel program. The system works well for Silesian families who prefer to keep school stable and save longer stays for summer camps.

Coaching staff and philosophy

The staff mixes licensed coaches, active competitors, and specialists who understand the Polish pathway. Founder Gloria Mokrzycka brings ITF Level 2 coaching credentials, plus personal training and nutrition qualifications. She is supported by coaches with Academic Championships of Poland titles, Silesian championship wins, and league experience in Germany. A notable addition for many parents is former WTA singles world number 182, Anna Korzeniak, who contributes on the technical and tactical side and leads video supported error analysis during camps.

Philosophically, the academy puts quality of contact first. Groups for children and teenagers are intentionally small, usually capped near five per coach, so each player gets meaningful feedback and more live reps. For very young players, the curriculum follows the Tennis 10 framework with red, orange, and green progressions, scaled equipment, and a simple logbook that makes effort visible. As juniors move up, the staff shifts toward phase of play tactics, serve plus one patterns, return depth, and neutral ball management on clay. Because winter training often includes carpet and hard, coaches also rehearse lower bounce footwork and early contact habits that carry into indoor tournaments.

Programs that meet players where they are

Akademia Sportu organizes its offers into blocks that match both the calendar and a player's development stage:

• Tennis kindergarten for ages roughly four to seven. Sessions focus on fundamental movement, balance, and hand eye coordination through multi skill games, with modified courts and balls.
• Junior development groups for pre teens and teens at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Each tier carries clear goals for contact height, rally consistency, and tactical decisions by phase of play.
• Performance pathway for tournament players who appear on Polish Tennis Federation lists. This track adds weekly matchplay, scouting of likely opponents at local events, video review, and structured goal setting.
• Adult programs that range from technical rebuilds for returning players to fitness oriented group sessions for parents.
• Day camps in Gliwice during school breaks. A typical day blends four on court hours with supervised games, lunch, and recovery.
• Travel camps that expand perspective. Groups rotate through mountain venues in Poland and Mediterranean sites, sometimes hosted at established academies. When the calendar points south, families often ask how these experiences compare to well known destinations such as Valencia Tennis Academy, and the staff is open about the differences in climate, facilities, and training volume.

A distinctive feature is the JASNA Kids Cup, a year round juniors league that runs monthly tournaments at red, orange, green, yellow, and advanced youth levels. Players collect ranking points across the season. It is a simple mechanism that turns practice into purpose. They see the same faces often, learn to manage nerves, and carry match tasks from lesson to competition.

How training sessions are built

Akademia Sportu breaks development into five strands that show up in every week.

• Technical. Early ages shape swings that will survive on a full court later, with a strong emphasis on stable base and contact out in front. For teens, serve mechanics and the first two shots in a rally are priority, since those are phase changers in junior tennis.
• Tactical. Clay blocks emphasize depth, height, and court position. Indoor blocks on carpet and hard push players to take the ball earlier and compress time on an opponent. Coaches use simple language and insist that new patterns are rehearsed first in controlled drills, then in live ball, then in matchplay.
• Physical. Sessions integrate footwork ladders, resisted sprints, medicine ball rotation, and deceleration work to protect knees and ankles. Having gym and wellness areas inside Jasna 31 means groups can add injury prevention without losing time in transit.
• Mental. Juniors learn pre match routines, changeover breathing, and one or two reset cues tailored to their temperament. Younger players keep engagement high through a sticker style logbook, while older ones track month by month match goals.
• Equipment and service. The academy helps with racquet selection, demo days, and stringing. It is a small detail that allows first time competitors to learn what tension and string type can do for ball control and arm comfort.

Alumni and outcomes

Akademia Sportu is a city academy, not a global talent factory. The scoreboard that matters here is the steady flow of juniors who learn to compete, qualify for Silesian championship draws, and earn places on national lists. Several coaches hold regional titles and high national placements and feed that know how back into the groups. Families who want headline names and a full boarding environment may gravitate toward major international centers such as Mouratoglou Tennis Academy. Families who want proof that a path from red ball to real competitive competence exists locally will find it in Gliwice.

Culture and community

Because the program is not confined to a single campus, culture is built on court and through rituals that repeat. The monthly league gatherings at Jasna 31 feel like a traveling classroom where familiar families meet often. Adult players filter in during early mornings or late evenings and many enter local doubles and mixed events the academy organizes. Younger siblings drift toward the swim school under the same ownership, building water confidence and general coordination that cross over to the court. The tone is friendly and purposeful. Coaches know which schools their players attend and schedule around exams and holidays. Communication is direct, with clear expectations about attendance and effort.

Costs, accessibility, and how billing works

Prices are transparent for local lessons. Individual sessions typically carry a modest hourly coaching fee plus separate court rental. Group tuition is billed monthly for one session per week, with a lower per session rate as group size increases. Activities in English can be arranged for international families. Day camps and travel camps are priced per event because hotel, transport, and court packages vary by destination and season. Families who want to control spend can favor Gliwice day camps and the municipal clay blocks in summer, which keeps costs predictable. The academy does not advertise a formal scholarship system, but multi child or multi session savings and early booking offers for camps are available on request.

What sets it apart

• Multi venue flexibility. Training runs across indoor and outdoor courts around Gliwice, giving players exposure to clay, carpet, hard, and artificial turf without long drives.
• Built in travel program. With a licensed tour operator number, the academy coordinates adult weekends, family trips, and junior camps across Poland and abroad. Players gain the habit of adapting to new conditions, a skill they will need if they later explore neighbors such as EMPIRE Tennis Academy in Trnava.
• Small groups and thoughtful progressions. Children and teens train in tight groups where feedback is specific, reps are high, and progress is visible.
• Staff with real competitive pedigree. From former WTA player input to coaches with regional titles and league experience, the staff knows what wins matches at each stage.
• Monthly juniors league. The JASNA Kids Cup turns practice into regular matchplay with a simple, motivating points structure.
• Practical recovery and cross training. Gym spaces, pool, and sauna inside Jasna 31 make winter training more sustainable.

Comparisons that help families choose

If you are weighing Gliwice against a full boarding option, start with your family's rhythm. Akademia Sportu is designed for students who benefit from sleeping in their own beds and keeping school routines steady, then leveraging travel to expand tennis horizons during breaks. Boarding heavy models promise immersion, but they also require long absences and higher costs. A hybrid path is common: build foundations at home, then add a summer week at a Mediterranean academy to absorb higher training volume and sun. Destinations like Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca are frequently on family shortlists for that purpose, and the staff can advise how to bridge learnings back into autumn in Silesia.

Safety, logistics, and communication

Travel is part of the academy's identity, so logistics and safeguarding are formalized. Group sizes are kept manageable for camps. Clear itineraries outline daily tennis loads, meals, downtime, and supervision. Parents receive contact points and updates. For city training, the booking and billing process is straightforward and transparent. The academy encourages early communication about exam weeks, injuries, and planned absences so schedules can flex without compromising group quality.

Future outlook and vision

The next chapters are pragmatic. Inside the city, the priority is to keep building the juniors league and deepen the performance pathway for Silesian competitors. That means more structured scouting, better analytics for serve and return patterns, and consistent video feedback in camp settings so technical changes stick under match stress. On the facilities side, the network approach already offers flexibility. The near term win is securing peak winter slots for the most advanced juniors by strengthening relationships with venue operators. On the travel side, the plan is to expand the camp calendar for adults, families, and juniors so there is always a next trip on the horizon that keeps motivation high.

Who thrives here

• Aspiring juniors moving from green ball to full court play who need small group coaching, a clear set of tactical priorities, and regular monthly matchplay.
• Competitive teens targeting regional and national events who benefit from training across varied surfaces through winter while staying close to school.
• Active families that want to combine local routine with well organized travel camps that broaden a player's perspective and social network.
• Adults who value technical clarity, fitness focused sessions, and the chance to join friendly doubles or mixed events without an intimidating club atmosphere.

Conclusion

Akademia Sportu is a practical, citywide system built for real families. It offers a clear pathway from a child's first contact with the ball to meaningful competition in Silesia and beyond. The coaching is hands on, the group sizes are small, and the monthly league keeps purpose alive. Add a travel program that intelligently exposes players to new surfaces and climates and you get a model that works nine months a year at home and uses the other three to stretch horizons. For those who want reliable coaching, regular matches, and the option to take tennis on the road when it matters, Gliwice's Akademia Sportu delivers exactly that.