The Youth Bowling Round Table: Equipment, Tactics, and Off-Lane Homework

Welcome to Bowling This Month’s second Youth Bowling Round Table article. In this recurring feature, we are taking aim at questions related to youth bowling. We talk about youth bowlers, skill development, getting ready for tournaments, and other topics of interest to young players, their parents, and coaches. We feature trusted Bowling This Month contributors from various backgrounds to lend their expertise and opinions on questions each month. If there’s a question you’d like to ask our panelists, please feel free to comment below and we will try to address it in upcoming segments.

This month’s topics include equipment considerations for youth bowlers, when and how to start teaching the tactical side of the game, and off-lane homework. Special thanks to this month’s panelists, Juha Maja, Andy Penny, Heather D’Errico, Josh Blanchard, and Tyrel Rose. Let’s jump in.

At what age or development level should bowlers start to have multiple bowling balls, and what does that progression look like as they age?

Andy Penny

It’s more about their development stage than their age. If they are competing at any level in tournaments or league then they will need a minimum of two to three strike balls and a spare shooting ball. It is crucial that they are able to understand right from the get-go that bowling balls are tools to be used alongside the other tools in their physical game, such as speed control and/or hand positions. As the patterns they play on become more challenging and they ...