Game version
Routine game: make a short routine (breath, aim, roll) and teach it to your partner. Swap, and notice how calm it feels.
Pre-Shot Routine at the Ball Return
Build a short routine you do the same way before every ball.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
Set up
Wipe your hand and pick up the ball with both hands.
Core: Full routine. Beat your own calmest routine.
- Ages
- 7 and up
- Time
- 8 min
- Players
- Just you
- Space
- Gym or court
- Bring
- Bowling ball
- Level · skill
- Beginner · Focus
The steps
How it works
- Wipe your hand and pick up the ball with both hands.
- Step onto your start dot.
- Breathe out, look at your target, and go.
- Do the same routine for 10 balls.
Coaching point
Same steps every ball.
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.
Make it fun
Play it, don't drill it
Challenge
Pick a level: Less (one breath), Core (full routine), More (the routine after a miss). Beat your own calmest routine.
Story
You are a pilot running through the pre-flight checks.
My best
Beat your own count
Beat your own calmest routine. Only your own number counts: today against last time.
Practice makes progress
Print it now, or save it free
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