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At-home bowling drills for 7 to 10 year olds

This is a free sample week of at-home bowling training for 7 to 10 year olds: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 12 to 13 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 7 to 10 year olds

Session 1

Approach at home 13 minutes

  1. Starting Stance and Spot · 4 min
    Same spot, same stance.
  2. Four Step Walk-Through · 5 min
    Small first step, longer last.
  3. Tape Line Walk · 4 min
    Walk the line.

Session 2

Release at home 13 minutes

  1. Pendulum Swing With a Towel · 4 min
    Let gravity swing it.
  2. Handshake Release · 5 min
    Hand behind, reach up.
  3. Sock Ball Pendulum · 4 min
    Low and smooth.

Session 3

Approach: Flamingo Stand Count 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Flamingo Stand Count · 4 min
    Eyes on one spot. Safety: Practice on soft ground or near a wall with clear space around you, so a wobble is no problem.
  3. Balloon Keep-Up · 4 min
    Light taps, watch it. Safety: Clear the space of furniture with sharp corners.
  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

Starting Stance and Spot

Ages 7 and up · 6 min

Find a steady starting stance and the same spot on the approach every time.

  1. Stand tall with knees soft and feet together.
  2. Hold your hands at waist height as if holding the ball.
  3. Note which dot your sliding foot is on.
  4. Step away and set up on the same dot 10 times.

Coach's cue: Same spot, same stance.

Bring: line or tape

Safety: At home, practice with no ball or a light soft object, on a clear floor with nothing to trip on.

Four Step Walk-Through

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Walk the four-step approach slowly without a ball to learn the rhythm.

  1. Right-handers start with the right foot; left-handers with the left.
  2. Say "push, down, back, slide" with each step.
  3. Finish with your sliding foot pointing at the target.
  4. Do 12 slow walk-throughs.

Coach's cue: Small first step, longer last.

Bring: line or tape

Safety: At home, practice with no ball or a light soft object, on a clear floor with nothing to trip on.

Tape Line Walk

Ages 7 and up · 6 min

Walk your approach along a tape line at home to learn to walk straight.

  1. A parent puts a strip of tape on the floor.
  2. Walk your four steps with your sliding foot next to the line.
  3. Check that you finished next to the tape.
  4. Do 12 walks.

Coach's cue: Walk the line.

Bring: tape

Safety: At home, practice with no ball or a light soft object, on a clear floor with nothing to trip on.

Pendulum Swing With a Towel

Ages 7 and up · 6 min

Learn a loose, straight arm swing like a clock pendulum.

  1. Hold a rolled towel in your bowling hand.
  2. Let your arm hang and swing it back and forward close to your leg.
  3. Keep your shoulders still.
  4. Do 20 swings.

Coach's cue: Let gravity swing it.

Bring: small towel

Safety: At home, practice with no ball or a light soft object, on a clear floor with nothing to trip on.

Handshake Release

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Let the ball go with your hand behind it and finish like a handshake.

  1. Kneel or stand at the line on one knee for a short roll.
  2. Swing and release the ball past your ankle.
  3. Finish with your hand up as if shaking hands.
  4. Roll 12 balls.

Coach's cue: Hand behind, reach up.

Bring: bowling ball, lane

Safety: Use the lightest house ball that fits your fingers; if it is hard to hold with one hand, it is too heavy. Children under 7 use a light ball, and a grown-up lifts it from the return for them. Pick it up with both hands from the sides of the return, never the front, and keep fingers clear of other balls.

Sock Ball Pendulum

Ages 7 and up · 6 min

Swing a pair of rolled socks and let them go along the floor toward a target.

  1. Kneel on one knee in a clear room.
  2. Swing the socks back and forward by your side.
  3. Let them go low and roll them to a shoe.
  4. Do 15 rolls.

Coach's cue: Low and smooth.

Bring: rolled socks

Safety: At home, practice with no ball or a light soft object, on a clear floor with nothing to trip on.

Flamingo Stand Count

Ages 5 to 10 · 5 min

Stand on one leg like a flamingo and count how long you can stay steady. Try the other leg too.

  1. Stand on one foot, the other foot lifted near your knee.
  2. Hold your arms out to help.
  3. Count how long you can stay without touching down.
  4. Do 3 tries each leg; try to beat your own count.

Coach's cue: Eyes on one spot.

Bring: none

Safety: Practice on soft ground or near a wall with clear space around you, so a wobble is no problem.

Balloon Keep-Up

Ages 5 to 10 · 6 min

Keep a balloon off the floor using hands, knees, head or feet. Great indoors on a rainy day.

  1. Tap the balloon up with your hand.
  2. Keep it in the air using different body parts.
  3. Count how many taps before it lands.
  4. Play together and count as a team.

Coach's cue: Light taps, watch it.

Bring: balloon

Safety: Clear the space of furniture with sharp corners.

Safety for ages 7 to 10

  • Plans for this age group use beginner 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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