16U bowling practice plans (ages 15 and 16)

Bowling Warm-Up, Ages 14 and Up 5 min

1. Jog easy for 1 minute, then skip, side shuffle and backpedal for 1 minute.
2. Moving warm-up over 15 to 20 yards: high knees, heel flicks, carioca each way, walking knee hugs and walking quad pulls (one step in each, no long holds).
3. Leg swings, 10 each way each leg; walking lunges with a twist, 6 each leg; then 5 inchworms (walk your hands out to a plank and back).
4. Strength: plank 30 seconds, side plank 20 seconds each side, 8 slow squats, and 6 single-leg reaches each side (hinge forward on one leg with a flat back).
5. Single-leg hops: 3 small hops forward on one leg, holding the last landing for 2 seconds; each leg twice.
6. Cuts: run 5 yards, plant and cut at about 45 degrees off the outside foot, 4 each way at three-quarter speed, knee over the toes.
7. Build-up runs: three runs of about 20 yards at 60, 80 and 90 percent; walk back each time.
8. Sport moves: slow arm swings forward and back with no ball, then walk through your approach 3 times at an easy pace.

Coaching point: Quality over speed: quiet feet, knees over toes, hips level.

Safety: A flat, clear space with room to run. Stop if anything hurts: a warm-up should leave you ready, not tired. Growth spurts: many girls have theirs between about 10 and 14 and boys about two years later. While you grow fast, muscles can feel tight and landings clumsy for a while; that is normal and it passes. Keep the work light (your own body weight), stretch gently and never push into pain. Sore just below the kneecap or at the back of the heel after sport? Tell a parent or coach and rest it. If the pain keeps coming back, makes you limp, or is there even when resting, see a doctor.

Adjust Your Start Position 12 min

1. Note your start dot.
2. Bowl 5 balls and look at where your slide foot ends.
3. If you drift, move your start so your finish is on the board you want.
4. Bowl 5 more and check.

Coaching point: Walk straight to your line.

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.

Change the Ball Turn 12 min

1. Bowl 4 with a small hand turn.
2. Bowl 4 with your normal turn.
3. Bowl 4 with a little more turn.
4. Note which one entered the pocket best.

Coaching point: Small changes, watch the ball.

Safety: Warm up your arm and shoulder first, and stop if your wrist, elbow or shoulder hurts or your thumb tingles. Keep hook practice to 12 balls, then rest.

Angle Change Aim 12 min

1. Bowl 4 with a straight line up the boards.
2. Move feet and target to make a wider angle.
3. Bowl 4 more and compare.
4. Then 4 at your best angle.

Coaching point: Choose the line, then commit.

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.

Five-Ten-Five Technique Rehearsal 15 min

1. Set three cones in a line, 5 yards apart; start at the middle one.
2. Run 5 yards right, touch the line with your outside hand, turn low.
3. Run 10 yards to the far cone, touch, turn, run 5 back through the middle.
4. Do 3 walk-throughs, 3 at three-quarter speed, then 2 timed with full rest.

Coaching point: Low turn, push off the outside foot.

Safety: Use a clear, non-slip space and change direction only as fast as you can control. Stop if a knee or ankle hurts.

Bowling Cool-Down Stretches, Ages 14 and Up 4 min

1. Walk easy for 1 minute and let your breathing slow down.
2. Front of the thigh: hold a fence, wall or partner and bring one heel toward your bottom, knees side by side. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
3. Back of the leg: sit with one leg straight and the other bent, and reach toward the straight leg’s ankle until you feel a gentle pull. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
4. Calf: hands on a wall, one foot back with the heel down and the back knee straight; then bend the back knee a little to move the stretch toward the heel. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
5. Front of the hip: kneel on one knee, tuck your hips under and shift forward gently until the front of the hip feels a stretch. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
6. Seat: lie on your back, cross one ankle over the other knee and pull the bottom leg gently toward you. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
7. Wrists and forearms: one arm straight in front, palm up, and gently draw the fingers back with the other hand; then palm down. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
8. Side bend: stand tall, reach one arm overhead and lean gently to the other side. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
9. Lie on your back with one hand on your belly: 5 slow breaths, breathing out longer than in.

Coaching point: A gentle pull, never pain, and no bouncing.

Safety: Stretch only to a gentle pull and stop if anything hurts. An injured muscle or joint is not stretched until a doctor or athletic trainer says it is OK. Growth spurts: many girls have theirs between about 10 and 14 and boys about two years later. While you grow fast, muscles can feel tight and landings clumsy for a while; that is normal and it passes. Keep the work light (your own body weight), stretch gently and never push into pain. Sore just below the kneecap or at the back of the heel after sport? Tell a parent or coach and rest it. If the pain keeps coming back, makes you limp, or is there even when resting, see a doctor.

Bowling Warm-Up, Ages 14 and Up 7 min

1. Jog easy for 1 minute, then skip, side shuffle and backpedal for 1 minute.
2. Moving warm-up over 15 to 20 yards: high knees, heel flicks, carioca each way, walking knee hugs and walking quad pulls (one step in each, no long holds).
3. Leg swings, 10 each way each leg; walking lunges with a twist, 6 each leg; then 5 inchworms (walk your hands out to a plank and back).
4. Strength: plank 30 seconds, side plank 20 seconds each side, 8 slow squats, and 6 single-leg reaches each side (hinge forward on one leg with a flat back).
5. Single-leg hops: 3 small hops forward on one leg, holding the last landing for 2 seconds; each leg twice.
6. Cuts: run 5 yards, plant and cut at about 45 degrees off the outside foot, 4 each way at three-quarter speed, knee over the toes.
7. Build-up runs: three runs of about 20 yards at 60, 80 and 90 percent; walk back each time.
8. Sport moves: slow arm swings forward and back with no ball, then walk through your approach 3 times at an easy pace.

Coaching point: Quality over speed: quiet feet, knees over toes, hips level.

Safety: A flat, clear space with room to run. Stop if anything hurts: a warm-up should leave you ready, not tired. Growth spurts: many girls have theirs between about 10 and 14 and boys about two years later. While you grow fast, muscles can feel tight and landings clumsy for a while; that is normal and it passes. Keep the work light (your own body weight), stretch gently and never push into pain. Sore just below the kneecap or at the back of the heel after sport? Tell a parent or coach and rest it. If the pain keeps coming back, makes you limp, or is there even when resting, see a doctor.

Multi-Pin Spare Plan 16 min

1. Look at the leave and find the pin closest to you.
2. Decide which side of it to hit.
3. Set your feet with the 3-6-9 move.
4. Roll 12 and count clean conversions.

Coaching point: Find the key pin.

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.

Ball Choice Test 16 min

1. Bowl 4 with your first ball.
2. Bowl 4 with a second ball a coach suggests.
3. Compare how each reached the pocket.
4. Pick one and write why.

Coaching point: Match the ball to the 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.

Beat Your Own Last Game 16 min

1. Write your score from your own last game.
2. Choose one process goal, like "full routine every ball".
3. Bowl a game and tick each ball you kept the goal.
4. Compare only with your own earlier games.

Coaching point: One frame at a time.

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.

Bowling Cool-Down Stretches, Ages 14 and Up 5 min

1. Walk easy for 1 minute and let your breathing slow down.
2. Front of the thigh: hold a fence, wall or partner and bring one heel toward your bottom, knees side by side. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
3. Back of the leg: sit with one leg straight and the other bent, and reach toward the straight leg’s ankle until you feel a gentle pull. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
4. Calf: hands on a wall, one foot back with the heel down and the back knee straight; then bend the back knee a little to move the stretch toward the heel. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
5. Front of the hip: kneel on one knee, tuck your hips under and shift forward gently until the front of the hip feels a stretch. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
6. Seat: lie on your back, cross one ankle over the other knee and pull the bottom leg gently toward you. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
7. Wrists and forearms: one arm straight in front, palm up, and gently draw the fingers back with the other hand; then palm down. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
8. Side bend: stand tall, reach one arm overhead and lean gently to the other side. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
9. Lie on your back with one hand on your belly: 5 slow breaths, breathing out longer than in.

Coaching point: A gentle pull, never pain, and no bouncing.

Safety: Stretch only to a gentle pull and stop if anything hurts. An injured muscle or joint is not stretched until a doctor or athletic trainer says it is OK. Growth spurts: many girls have theirs between about 10 and 14 and boys about two years later. While you grow fast, muscles can feel tight and landings clumsy for a while; that is normal and it passes. Keep the work light (your own body weight), stretch gently and never push into pain. Sore just below the kneecap or at the back of the heel after sport? Tell a parent or coach and rest it. If the pain keeps coming back, makes you limp, or is there even when resting, see a doctor.