Tennis Academy Amsterdam — the performance DNA behind 359 Academy
Laurense Tennis Academy Amsterdam is the historical origin of today’s 359 Academy, which now trains at the NTC in Amstelveen.
Progress. Not perfection.
No promise of reaching the top, but a serious Academy pathway where ambition, training and guidance come together early. Entry starts with intake or tryout.
Tennis Academy Amsterdam is a historic Academy name from the development Roland Laurense began in Amsterdam. Experience from this Amsterdam Academy period now forms part of the foundation of the 359 Academy at the NTC in Amstelveen, where ambitious young players are guided through introduction, placement and Fit · Fun · Focus.
An Academy programme that fits the player
Every player develops at their own pace.
The programmes below show what a complete Academy pathway can look like.
You do not need to follow the full programme immediately.
Depending on level, ambition, development goals and available Academy groups you may also follow one or more individual components.
During an intake we determine the combination that suits you best.
- ✓One Academy session per week can already be a good start
- ✓Individual components possible: group training, physical or private
- ✓Scale up later when player and group fit align
- ✓Intake determines level, ambition, goals and frequency
From foundation to performance
For players from Amsterdam and the surrounding area: one clear development pathway from age 5 to 12, at NTC Amstelveen.
See below how this academy programme is concretely built. Entry runs via intake or audition, so we can assess level, motivation and commitment.
Progress. Not perfection.
Ages 5–7
Playful yet purposeful — the first step
- •Ball sense and motor coordination
- •First technical habits
- •Enjoyment, safety and confidence
- •Learning within structure
Weekly programme
A strong foundation is easier to build than to correct later.
Ages 7–9
Deepening technique and training rhythm
- •Technical foundation: strokes + footwork
- •First tactical awareness
- •Body control and physical development
- •Training attitude and discipline
Weekly programme
In this phase, technique stabilises and training becomes more serious.
Ages 9–11
Serious development becomes visible
- •Technical stability
- •Match-oriented thinking
- •Physical discipline and load capacity
- •Ownership of personal development
Weekly programme
This is where the difference between training and developing shows.
Ages 11–12
Performance-oriented acceleration
- •Independent match preparation
- •High-intensity sparring and match rhythm
- •Physical and mental resilience under pressure
- •Development focused on next-level progression
Weekly programme
This is where progression becomes visible.
Players may also participate in fewer training hours or individual components when their level, ambition and Academy group are a suitable match.
From Amsterdam and surroundings: start with a trial day at NTC Amstelveen.
This program only works optimally when player, coach and parent work together.
Discover from Amsterdam which Academy route fits your child's level and ambition.
Continuation phase
For players who want to continue purposeful development within a professional Academy environment after the younger Academy phases.
Example full programme
This programme shows a complete Academy pathway. Players may also participate in fewer training hours or individual components when their level, ambition, availability and group fit align. One Academy session per week can already be a good start. During intake we decide the combination that suits best.
Development does not stop after age 12
At 359 you can keep training after the younger Academy phases. From around age 12 there is more room for personal goals, match development, physical development and ownership. Training frequency is agreed together — not every player follows the same programme.
Age 16 and beyond
From around age 16, the emphasis shifts increasingly towards ownership. Depending on ambition, studies, competition and personal goals, we build a suitable combination of:
- •Academy training
- •group training
- •private lessons
- •physical training
- •competition
Academy does not mean you have to be an elite athlete
Academy means you want to invest seriously in your development. Every player starts from a different point. The Academy helps you make step-by-step progress from your own level.
Fit · Fun · Focus — stronger together
Academy is not only about performance. Fit = a healthy body. Fun = motivation. Focus = purposeful learning. Progress comes from the balance.
Intake determines the right route
During intake we look together at level, goals, ambition, appropriate Academy group, training frequency and the combination that suits best. Automatic admission is not promised.
Development does not stop after the Academy
The Academy is one phase within a continuous development pathway. Players may remain in a phase for longer, combine components, temporarily train less or increase intensity again later.
- 1
Discovery
Ages 4–6
Discover movement and tennis through play while building confidence.
- 2
Foundation
Ages 6–9
Build a strong foundation in movement, technique, play and learning habits.
- 3
Development
Ages 9–12
Further develop technique, tactics, match skills and ownership.
- 4
Academy
Purposeful development within an appropriate Academy group.
- 5
Academy Yellow 12+
Ages 12–16
Continue purposeful development after the younger Academy phases — technical, tactical, physical, mental.
- 6
Age 16 and beyond
16+
Ownership, personal goals and a training format aligned with stage of life.
- 7
359 Perform
Optional intensification: combination of group, private/duo and physical training.
- 8
Lifelong Development
Stay active, enjoy the game, set goals — a lifetime in tennis.
Curious whether the 359 Academy fits?
Book an Academy intake. We look together at age, level, motivation, goals and available capacity.
Winners
Moments of progress, joy and victory from the 359 Academy. Every match, every point won and every step forward counts.
Academy players
A look at the Academy in action — technique, movement, teamwork and tournament experience. Every session builds progress through Fit · Fun · Focus.
Watch our Academy explanation
In this video, we explain how our youth tennis academy works and how we create an optimal development programme for each phase from age 5 — with a pathway that continues beyond the under-12 phase.
Watch Academy programme explanation
Why this program works
Development does not happen by itself. What children learn in these years shapes what becomes possible later.
- A strong foundation prevents limitations later on
- Structure accelerates development
- Environment determines the pace of growth
How this program works
The 359 Academy is not a collection of sessions. It's one system — where training, guidance and environment work together.
This system only works optimally when player, coach and parent work together.
The role of parents within the Academy
Development does not stop after training. A child's environment strongly influences how fast and how far they grow.
- Parents gain insight into progress and development
- We help parents understand what matters in each phase
- We work on behaviour, focus and routines — not just outcomes
- Parents and coaches work together with one goal: long-term development
That is why we do not work with isolated lessons, but with a system in which player, coach and parent move together.
Academy Proof Layer — Amsterdam
From Amsterdam, choose the right academy foundation early.
Many Amsterdam families deliberately choose an academy environment just outside the city — close enough to sustain, professional enough to grow. No promise of top tennis, but a serious pathway designed to maximize the chance of reaching the highest possible tennis level.
Especially from a young age, this matters: not just more tennis, but learning how to train, think, choose and handle setbacks better. We develop the tennis player and the person behind the player — technique, athletic foundation, motivation, focus, match behaviour and personal growth.
- Mechanism: Fit · Fun · Focus as the way we structure development.
- Entry: Intake or tryout — no direct booking, an honest conversation first.
- Environment: Training at NTC / TV De Kegel, a short distance from Amsterdam-Zuid.
For parents: the question is not only whether your child reaches the world top. It is also what tennis teaches them: resilience, discipline, focus, analysis, improvisation and learning to improve every day.
For talented players from Amsterdam, the right academy environment does not have to be inside the city. At 359 you train near Amsterdam at NTC / TV De Kegel in Amstelveen: a fixed environment where training, guidance and Fit · Fun · Focus come together.
Close enough to sustain, professional enough to work seriously on development.
Meet the 359.coaches
Every 359.coach is internally certified in The 359 Method. This means: trained in our own method, educated in child-centred development, and assessed on both theory and practice. They don't just coach technique — they guide players in their personal growth.
Herke Sombroek
Contact Person Academy & KNLTB Entry
Internally trained in The 359 Method
Cristian Savelsbergh
359.coach — kids, academy, juniors & adults
Trained in the Fit · Fun · Focus™ method
Yoeri Terschegget
359.coach — kids, academy, juniors & adults
Trained in the Fit · Fun · Focus™ method
At 359.tennis you never face one coach. You have a team.
Our players deliberately work with several coaches. They meet weekly, review development together and work from the same method — Fit · Fun · Focus™.
So you don't get the view of one person, but the strength of a team. More perspective, more progress, and no dependency on a single individual.
Read how our coaching team worksQuestions?
Contact Herke Sombroek
Involved in Academy & entry development
Trained internally in The 359 Method
Have a question about Academy, entry training or the right 359 group for your child? Get in touch. Together we look at what fits best based on age, experience, motivation and level. Practical planning, registration and group placement are coordinated centrally by 359.tennis.
Based in Amstelveen – central for Amsterdam and surroundings
Our tennis academy is located in Amstelveen, a short distance from Amsterdam Zuid, Buitenveldert and the Zuidas. Players from Haarlem, Utrecht and surrounding municipalities also train with us.
We train at the National Tennis Centre (NTC) / TV De Kegel in Amstelveen — around 8 minutes from Amsterdam Zuid — in a professional and safe environment for youth tennis. How we work with Fit · Fun · Focus is described in the 359 Method.
From Laurense Tennis Academy to 359.tennis
The history of Tennis Academy Amsterdam began in 2005, when Roland Laurense started the Laurense Tennis Academy in Amsterdam. Following its years at Amstelborgh/Borchland and Tennispark Buitenveldert, an international Academy phase developed under the Tennis Academy Amsterdam name. Experience from that period now forms part of the foundation of the 359 Academy at the NTC in Amstelveen.
2005 — Founded in Amsterdam
Roland Laurense starts the Laurense Tennis Academy at Amstelborgh/Borchland in Amsterdam.
The following years — Tennispark Buitenveldert
The Academy moves to Tennispark Buitenveldert and continues building a recognised junior and competitive development programme.
Around 2010 — An international training environment
The Academy also begins working with international players, training camps and cross-border collaboration.
2011 — Tennis Academy Amsterdam
The established Laurense Tennis Academy joins forces with an international tennis initiative. The combined international phase continues under the Tennis Academy Amsterdam name.
From 2015 — 359.tennis
The Academy experience built over the preceding years is developed further through 359.tennis and Fit · Fun · Focus.
Today — NTC Amstelveen
Today’s 359 Academy trains at the National Tennis Centre in Amstelveen and guides young players through introduction, placement and regular evaluation.
Tennis Academy Amsterdam: the Amsterdam years in the archive
The start in Amsterdam
Roland Laurense started the Laurense Tennis Academy in 2005 at Amstelborgh/Borchland in Amsterdam. The Academy later moved to Tennispark Buitenveldert, where a junior and competitive development programme was built. These sites belong to the history; they are not a current 359 training location.
The international Academy phase
On 16 July 2011 the international Academy phase in Amsterdam was officially opened by sports alderman Eric van der Burg. During that period full-time players from the Netherlands and abroad trained at Tennispark Buitenveldert and Tennis Centrum Amsterdam Kadoelen. Player groups also travelled to the JC Ferrero Equelite Sport Academy near Alicante in Spain for clay-court training camps.
In 2011, the established Laurense Tennis Academy joined forces with an international tennis initiative involving Sven Groeneveld and John van Lottum. The combined international phase continued under the Tennis Academy Amsterdam name.
Sven Groeneveld and John van Lottum are not currently connected to 359.tennis or its present Academy programme.
Names used across different Academy phases
Programmes, press material and archive sources include names such as Laurense Tennis Academy and Tennis Academy Amsterdam. These names belong to different phases and labels in the Academy’s history. This does not claim that every name represented the same legal organisation or a formally registered trade name.
- Laurense Tennis Academy
- Tennis Academy Amsterdam
Media sources (2011)
A selection of the coverage from that period, with the original press release as the source:
- AD.nl (ANP)
- Het Parool — Opening Tennis Academy Amsterdam
- De Telegraaf
- 10sBalls — Tennis Academy Amsterdam launched
- Topsport Amsterdam
- RTV Noord-Holland
International listing — World Tennis Travel
World Tennis Travel includes 10S Academy Amsterdam in its list “The Top Tennis Academies in the World”. That listing notes that Tennis Academy Amsterdam was founded in 2011 by Maria Sharapova's coach, Sven Groeneveld, and fellow Dutch coach, Roland Laurense.
View the list on worldtennistravel.com
From Academy experience to 359.tennis
The experience from the Amsterdam Academy years has been developed further within 359.tennis and Fit · Fun · Focus. Today’s 359 Academy trains at the National Tennis Centre in Amstelveen and works with introduction, placement and regular evaluation. There is no guarantee of selection, ranking or elite tennis.
Read the full history of 359.tennisReady for the next step?
Want to find out if 359.tennis is the right tennis academy near Amsterdam for your child? Academy entry starts with an intake or assessment moment.
After placement, parents receive access to the 359 Parent System.
359.tennis Academy Impressions
A look inside our academy training sessions and events
ABN AMRO OPEN experience
ABN AMRO OPEN team outing
Group photo with coaches
Indoor training session
Academy group in action
Outdoor training on clay
Outdoor group training
The facilities to grow
Progress requires the right environment. The National Tennis Centre in Amstelveen offers everything you need — 12 indoor courts and 14 outdoor courts, all year round. No membership needed for indoor. Outdoor lessons for members of TV De Kegel.
Frequently asked questions about Tennis Academy Amsterdam
KNLTB Pathway Partner
The greatest talents can audition and progress into our academy and KNLTB pathway programmes.
359 has developed multiple junior players who went on to win national youth titles. KNLTB Instroom Partner.
Progress. Not perfection.
"From beginner to talent, to the world top. We guide the most crucial phase in talent development: ages 5 to 12. These are the years where the foundation is laid for technique, motor skills, mindset and character. Early, specialized guidance makes the difference between potential and performance."
Founder 359.tennis
From our Knowledge Base
The first tennis lesson: what parents should know
Practical info about clothing, equipment and what to expect at the first lesson.
Player development per phase
How children develop motorically and cognitively on the court.
Group training vs. private lessons
What suits you better? A comparison of training formats.
Tennis technique per age group
Which techniques suit which age group?
International Tennis Camps at NTC Amstelveen
Bring your club, academy, or school group to Amstelveen for an unforgettable tennis camp. Train at the National Tennis Centre with 5 days of professional coaching, 4★ hotel accommodation, and Amsterdam excursions. From €2,600 per person.
We Develop Players and People
From Amsterdam, parents consciously choose 359.tennis in Amstelveen. Not because it's the nearest option, but because it fits their ambition.
Every activity at 359.tennis is built on the three pillars Fit · Fun · Focus™. Our coaches are internally trained in The 359 Method — they don't just coach technique, they inspire growth and create experiences where body, heart and mind develop together.
Progress. Not Perfection.
Fit
Physical energy, coordination and resilience. A healthy body is the foundation.
Fun
Enjoyment, connection and motivation. Lasting progress starts with passion.
Focus
Mental strength, strategy and reflection. Skills that extend beyond sport.
One 359 coaching team — we work together on one development path per player.