Any advice for teaching younger bowlers?

[AZBowla]

Just wondering if any of you coaches out there have any tips to share about teaching 5 and 6 year olds. I have a 6 year old daughter and 5 year old stepson who both have caught the bowling bug from watching Daddy bowl and they want to learn how to do it too. My 6 year old is really into it, she watched some past PBA episodes with me on YouTube this weekend and wants to "bowl like that". (I told her "so do I!" lol). I've taken them a couple of times over the last month or so, and the 5 year old even got a strike last time we went which shocked both my GF and me, but he's rolling the ball granny style and I think it was more luck than anything. He still had a great time and wants to do better next time we go, which inspired me to ask the experts here how they teach kids that age. I'd like to teach them the basics *properly* and then as they get older if the interest remains strong we'll put them in a youth league to help them learn and improve (and maybe even beat Daddy some day). So any tips or advice on how to teach really little bowlers would be a big help. Thanks as always. :)

[billf]

First thing is to always be patient and make sure they are still having fun. The rule of thumb is a pound of ball weight for each year of age. Even granny style needs accuracy. So teach them to aim at an arrow or between two arrows. When able to hold the ball with one hand, make sure they use the correct fingers. A four step approach with the proper timing is the easiest to teach. Easiest is a relative term when teaching young children. As eager as they are to do well and impress you, their attention spans are only so long. Finishing on the proper foot seems to be an issue for many children when learning so don't be too alarmed if it happens. Hope this helps. Good luck and hopefully we will have two more additional bowlers in the future.

[J Anderson]

Keep everything simple. Keep it fun. Work on one thing at a time. Attention spans are pretty short at that age, show them the skill you're trying to teach, let them practice it for ten minutes or less if they're getting distracted, then let them bowl for fun. Next time out, review what they learned, if they seem ready try something new. Repetition is key. Don't try to correct every shot that isn't right when the formal lesson is over. If they keep making the same mistake over and over you can step in, but other wise let them go. At that age the body and the brain are still trying to figure out how to work together.

[Tampabaybob]

First thing would be to get them into a junior league with kids of their own age and abilities. You may want them to start off in a bumper league as that will keep the ball out of the gutter and give them a little more confidence. It also will get them in front of experienced coaches that have worked with kids that age and respond to them better than coaches of older kids.

At their age, as Bill said they should be using a 6 lb ball. That will help them to get the swing down at the line first, then enable you or the coaches to "slowly" work them into a 4 step approach. Once they get that down and can keep the ball on the lane 'most' of the time you can move them up to the non-bumber league with better bowlers. Keeping them with peers of their own caliber will keep them entertained longer and not get them frustrated because they can't keep up.

Make it fun, and they will love the game. Oh, and as they do get better, get your wallet ready, for a ball, shoes, and bag. It doesn't take long and they make great Christmas or Birthday gifts !

Bob

[billf]

I teach the 4 step approach right away. Most can do it on the carpet and practice it at home but once they get that ball in their hands they just want to run up and roll it. I figure once they learn to contain some of the enthusiasm, they will have the approach and finish position down pat lol

[AZBowla]

Awesome, thanks for all the tips and advice! We're hopeful that they both want to pursue it because we want to get them balls and shoes for Christmas this year, but we'll see.

[hehateme]

I feel like making sure they're having fun is the most important thing to make sure is happening at first.

The toughest part, IMO is kids' short attention spans.. Patience is key! My oldest two are 4 and 6, when they bowled for the first time a couple weeks ago, I was just glad I could keep them interested for a full game.. I believe as a rule of thumb, you can keep a kid's attention for about a minute for every year they are old. They would high five me after every shot, no matter how bad, lots of enthusiasm, trying to keep it fun, making them feel good about themselves. I tried to help my 6 yo with his approach, but he is stubborn, so I let it go, like I said, patience..

I know when my mom taught me, she probably wanted to smack me, I was a bad child. I keep these things in mind, I'm lucky that my kids don't act like i did.

-Chris

[Tampabaybob]

Chris, having had 3 kids, I know what you're talking about. I've worked with hundreds of kids over the years and the hardest ones to crack, were my own. I have parents come to me all the time at the lanes and say, "Gees, I tell them to do that and they don't listen." Well, most kids won't or don't listen to their parents, but get a coach involved, that by the way has worked with lots of kids their age, and somehow it seems to sink in. It's always funny, but it works. I gave up trying to coach my own kids. One of the 3, has actually stuck with bowling and she is now a coach herself at 20 years old and works with all of the younger kids. Makes a Dad very proud !

Bob

[billf]

I have had two fathers in particular that I didn't think would want me teaching their kids squat. Combined they have 48 perfect games and in the past were assistant coaches on the high school teams. Turns out after casual conversation that they both are hoping their kids will listen to me as they won't listen to them. One of the kids has a backswing at 12 that would make Mike Fagan and Dan McClelland jealous. The issue is the boy is so smooth and accurate with it that I hate to change it. So I'm working on changing dad's hateful attitude about it. Yes, dad is a pure stroker.

[Tampabaybob]

Some Dad's have pre-conceived notions about how their kids should bowl. One father last year used to get on his son so bad the kid would have tears in his eyes. We (the coaches) tried to tell him to get off the kid's back but it never changed. Needless to say the kid didn't show up for this years league. A real shame, a great kid, ruined by a dad that wasn't a bowler but thought he knew it all. It happens.

Bob

[TheSheibs]

The biggest thing when I was being taught by my dad was that he would tell me what I did wrong after every shot including saying that I did the same thing as I did last time. It made me frustrated especially since he would only tell me how to correct it once and then the next time bowling, I would make the same mistake and he wouldn't remind how to correct it. Just that I was making the mistake again. I would get frustrated to the point where it wasn't fun anymore. However, now when I make a mistake I hear him in my head telling me what I did wrong and I now know how to correct it. Take the time to teach proper lane courtesy and also that it is more important to enjoy bowling than it is to do well. The more fun they have the more they will want to go bowling.

As for the whole league thing. My personal thoughts on it is that 5 and 7 years old is too young to be bowling in a league. If they are bowling "granny" style, you should focus on lane courtesy, what the arrows and dots are for, and about aiming. Then once they can hold the ball with one hand start teaching that technique. It is a process and you should take it one step at a time. The score will come as they get familiar with the game and what they are doing. I was bowling at a young age but didn't join a youth league until I was in middle school. By then I knew my average and could give proper lane courtesy. As well as understood all the rules and scoring.

[Tampabaybob]

Shelbs, Because I've done this for so many years and had the pleasure of helping so many kids (and adults) along the way, I have to disagree with you. By not letting them participate they (not you) are losing out on several points. First, they'll be bowling with kids of their own age and skill and probably will make some friends that could last for years. Second, this is a good time for kids to learn about team sports and what it means to be a part of a team. This is a learned skill that will apply all throughout their life whether in sports or a working environment. Just the winning and losing aspect teaches kids some real life lessons. And last but not least, how about having fun? Our kids at that age have a peanut gallery of parents that you can hear all the way to the end of the bowling center ! They have matching USBC shirts so they all feel like a part of the team and almost all of the get weekly awards for the scores they posted from the week before. When they run up to the desk to get their award they have a smile a mile wide.

I'll agree there are "some" people that drop off their kids and use it as a babysitting service, but for most it's a time for the parents to allow the kids some enjoyment as their parents look on. Just my thoughts on the subject.

Bob

[billf]

Even the 4 year old in our bumper club, who bowls granny style, understood and followed lane courtesy. Bowling etiquette, safety and having fun are the priorities. And with bowling the kids have to learn how to deal with losing unlike with baseball, soccer and basketball leagues for those ages. It also gives us a chance to teach how to be a good teammate and sportsmanship.