Getting your kids interested in bowling austin at an early age will better prepare them for success if they elect to pursue the sport as they get older. So consider these bowling tips for teaching them how to play the game and hone their skills for competition:
Wearing the Shoes
Kids are going to think they can just walk up to the lane with their outside shoes and you need to explain why this is not allowed. First of all, no bowling alley will permit you or your kids to wear anything but bowling shoes to play the game. Secondly, the shoes are worn for safety as they have rubber soles which will help your child to get into the right motion for proper release of the ball.
Finding the Right Ball
Choosing the right ball to use will go a long way towards helping your child get a firm grasp of the fundamentals of the game and lay the groundwork for building their skills. It’s very important that you assist the child in finding a ball of the proper weight and with the right sized finger-holes.
A ball that is too heavy for the child to lift and control or contains finger-holes that too large or possibly too small to fit their fingers into comfortably will set the child up for nothing but failure time and again. They will not roll the ball down the lane properly and continue to receive poor scores. As a result, frustration can then set in and they will lose all interest in the game entirely.
Kids want to see results and if you are stacking the deck against them by allowing them to use the wrong ball, they won’t elect to continue playing the game.
Safety First
There are some very basic safety precautions that you should review with your child before you allow him or her to begin play. Teach the child to wait until the pins are correctly placed and set for play. If the child tries to roll the ball while the barrier is sweeping the pins from the previous frame or when the mechanism is replacing them, it could damage the equipment.
In addition, make sure you emphasize the importance that only one player stands at the lane at one time. When multiple people are huddling close to a player about to release the ball towards the pins, someone could get hurt or disturb players in other lanes nearby.
Finally, be sure to teach your child to remain alert and careful near the ball return. There are a lot of moving parts that could pose potential injury if a child were to stick his or her hand inside the return slot.
Remain Behind the Foul Line
In order to bowl properly, explain to the child that he or she must respect the foul line that exists at the top of the lane. Stepping beyond that line when the child rolls the ball will disqualify him or her for that frame and could pose a risk of injury from a slip and fall accident due to the oiled surface of the lane.
