Free drill library · Bowling

At-home bowling drills for 11 to 13 year olds

This is a free sample week of at-home bowling training for 11 to 13 year olds: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 13 to 14 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of bowling for 11 to 13 year olds

Session 1

Aim at home 13 minutes

  1. Arrow to the Pocket · 4 min
    Small moves, one at a time.
  2. Shrinking Target Game · 5 min
    Smaller target, same swing.
  3. Eyes Stay on Target · 4 min
    Eyes stay down.

Session 2

Spares at home 13 minutes

  1. Three-Six-Nine Moves · 4 min
    Move feet, keep the target.
  2. Straight Ball Spares · 5 min
    Straight and simple.
  3. Two Pin Spares · 4 min
    Hit the key pin.

Session 3

Approach: Knee-Drive Skip Rhythm 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Knee-Drive Skip Rhythm · 5 min
    Up, down, under the hip. Safety: Run on flat, clear, non-slip ground with plenty of room to slow down. Stop if anything hurts.
  3. Incline Push-Up Progression · 5 min
    Body like a plank, elbows in. Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 bowling plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Arrow to the Pocket

Ages 11 and up · 12 min

Find which arrow sends your ball to the pocket and repeat it.

  1. Roll 3 balls over the second arrow.
  2. Watch where they reach the pins.
  3. Move your target one board if needed.
  4. Roll 9 more and count pocket hits.

Coach's cue: Small moves, one at a time.

Bring: bowling ball, lane

Safety: Never step past the foul line; the lane is oily and slippery. Wait for the pinsetter to finish before you bowl, and never go down the lane.

Shrinking Target Game

Ages 11 and up · 12 min

Start with a wide target and make it narrower each time you hit it.

  1. Start with a three-board target.
  2. When you hit it twice, shrink it to two boards.
  3. Then to one board.
  4. Count how many balls it takes to finish.

Coach's cue: Smaller target, same swing.

Bring: bowling ball, lane, partner

Safety: Never step past the foul line; the lane is oily and slippery. Wait for the pinsetter to finish before you bowl, and never go down the lane.

Eyes Stay on Target

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Keep your eyes on your target until the ball rolls over it.

  1. Pick your target arrow.
  2. Keep looking at it until the ball crosses.
  3. A partner watches your head and tells you if you looked up early.
  4. Bowl 12.

Coach's cue: Eyes stay down.

Bring: bowling ball, lane, partner

Safety: Never step past the foul line; the lane is oily and slippery. Wait for the pinsetter to finish before you bowl, and never go down the lane.

Three-Six-Nine Moves

Ages 11 and up · 15 min

Use the 3-6-9 system: move your feet 3, 6 or 9 boards for spares.

  1. Start from your strike position and target.
  2. For a pin one step over, move your feet 3 boards the opposite way.
  3. Two steps over, move 6; three steps over, move 9.
  4. Roll 3 at each move and count makes.

Coach's cue: Move feet, keep the target.

Bring: bowling ball, lane

Safety: Never step past the foul line; the lane is oily and slippery. Wait for the pinsetter to finish before you bowl, and never go down the lane.

Straight Ball Spares

Ages 11 and up · 12 min

Roll a straight ball at single-pin spares so the lane has less effect.

  1. Hold your hand behind the ball with no turn.
  2. Pick a single pin to aim for.
  3. Roll 12 balls at different single pins.
  4. Count your makes.

Coach's cue: Straight and simple.

Bring: bowling ball, lane

Safety: Never step past the foul line; the lane is oily and slippery. Wait for the pinsetter to finish before you bowl, and never go down the lane.

Two Pin Spares

Ages 11 and up · 12 min

Practice side-by-side and front-and-back two-pin leaves.

  1. A coach sets or picks two-pin leaves like the 3-6 or 2-4.
  2. Aim to hit between them or the front one fully.
  3. Bowl 12.
  4. Count clean conversions.

Coach's cue: Hit the key pin.

Bring: bowling ball, lane

Safety: Never step past the foul line; the lane is oily and slippery. Wait for the pinsetter to finish before you bowl, and never go down the lane.

Knee-Drive Skip Rhythm

Ages 9 to 14 · 8 min

The A-skip trains the knee drive and foot strike of fast running in a slower, controlled rhythm.

  1. Skip forward, driving one knee up as the other foot strikes under your hip.
  2. Pull the toes up and strike the ground with the ball of the foot.
  3. Keep elbows bent and arms swinging cheek to hip.
  4. Do 4 lengths of 15 yards, walking back.

Coach's cue: Up, down, under the hip.

Bring: cones

Safety: Run on flat, clear, non-slip ground with plenty of room to slow down. Stop if anything hurts.

Incline Push-Up Progression

Ages 10 to 14 · 8 min

Push-ups with hands on a bench, moving lower as you get stronger, until floor push-ups are clean.

  1. Place hands on a bench, body straight from head to heel.
  2. Lower your chest to the bench with elbows at about 45 degrees.
  3. Push back up without the hips sagging.
  4. Do 3 sets of 8; move to a lower surface when all are clean.

Coach's cue: Body like a plank, elbows in.

Bring: bench, step or sturdy table

Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.

Safety for ages 11 to 13

  • Plans for this age group use beginner and developing drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
  • Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: bowling

  • A light ball you can control: if it is hard to hold with one hand, the ball weight is too much.
  • Bowling shoes.
  • Never step past the foul line: the lane is oiled and slippery.
  • Pick the ball up with both hands from the sides of the return; keep fingers clear.
  • Hook practice: short sets, and stop if your thumb tingles or your wrist hurts.
For every sport and age (7)
  • Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
  • Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
  • Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
  • Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
  • Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
  • Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
  • Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 28 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Bowling: governing bodies, safety and development (8)
Youth athletic development and safety (20)

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