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Speed Control Rolls

Change ball speed on purpose by changing the height of the push-away.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Bowl 4 balls at your normal speed.

Core: Usual. Beat your own best out of 10.

Ages
14 and up
Time
15 min
Players
Just you
Space
Gym or court
Bring
Bowling ball, lane
Level · skill
Advanced · Release

The steps

How it works

  1. Bowl 4 balls at your normal speed.
  2. Bowl 4 with a slightly lower push-away for less speed.
  3. Bowl 4 with a slightly higher one for more speed.
  4. Note how each one reacted.

Coaching point

Push-away height sets speed.

Safety: Warm up your arm and shoulder first, and stop if your wrist, elbow or shoulder hurts or your thumb tingles.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Follow-through freeze: after each roll, hold your finish for a slow count while a partner checks that your hand points at the target. Swap.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (slow roll), Core (usual), More (hold the finish and name your target). Beat your own best out of 10.

Story

You are an archer who holds the pose until the arrow lands.

My best

Beat your own count

Beat your own best out of 10. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

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