Weekly Bowling Training Plan: Spares, Strike Line and Speed

Why a weekly bowling training plan helps

Many recreational bowlers practice by simply bowling a few games. That is fun, but it rarely shows you what to work on. A weekly bowling training plan gives each session one clear focus – spares, your strike line or speed control – so you can see where you improve and where you still lose pins.

The plan below is a framework, not a fixed rule. Adapt the duration and the number of sessions to your level, your time and what your bowling center allows.

The three-session week

The plan uses three practice sessions per week, each with a different focus, and rest days in between.

Session 1: Spare shooting

A spare scores ten pins plus your next ball; an open frame scores only the pins you knock down. Reliable spare shooting therefore raises your average without any change to your strike ball.

• Warm-up: a few easy shots at a comfortable speed to find your rhythm and a clean release.
• Single pins: aim at single pins one after another – for example the 7, the 10, the 4 and the 6. If you cannot set up single pins, aim your first ball deliberately at a corner pin.
• Cross-lane spares: spend extra time on your hardest corner pin – for right-handers usually the 10, for left-handers the 7. A plastic (polyester) ball rolls straighter and makes these shots easier to control.
• Multi-pin leaves: practice common combinations such as the 3-6-10, the 2-4-7 or the bucket (2-4-5-8).
• Spare game: bowl a game in which you aim every first ball at a spare target, so you get as many spare attempts as possible.

Angles and systems are explained in our guides to spare shooting angles and the 3-6-9 spare system.

Session 2: Strike line

The second session is about finding the pocket and hitting it again and again.

• Warm-up: roll your strike ball at a comfortable speed and focus only on hitting your target arrow.
• Finding the line: start on your usual line and adjust one board at a time, with your feet and your target. Note which line works on the day.
• Pocket practice: once you have found the pocket, try to repeat the same shot. Count how many balls hit the pocket.
• Speed variations: hit the pocket at your normal speed, a little faster and a little slower, and watch how the ball path and pin action change.
• Full game: bowl one game and apply what you practiced.

How to aim with the arrows and boards is covered in our guide to targeting.

Session 3: Speed and rev rate

Lane conditions change as oil moves during play. Bowlers who can adjust their ball speed and rotation have more options when that happens.

• Warm-up: a few shots at your usual pace.
• Speed ladder: a few shots slower, a few at your normal speed and a few faster, always at the same target. Watch how speed changes the reaction on the back end.
• Rotation: alternate shots with less rotation and shots with more hook to learn the range of your release.
• Transition game: bowl a game and change speed or release every few frames, as you would when the lane changes.

More on this in our guides to speed control and rev rate.

A sample week

• Monday: session 1 – spares
• Tuesday: rest or light exercises off the lane
• Wednesday: session 2 – strike line
• Thursday: rest
• Friday: session 3 – speed and rev rate
• Saturday: league or open bowling to apply what you practiced
• Sunday: rest

Bowling puts repeated load on fingers, wrist, elbow and knees. If something hurts beyond normal tiredness, take an extra day off, and see a doctor if the pain persists.

Exercises away from the lane

Simple exercises at home can support your game. Choose weights and repetitions that suit your fitness, and ask a trainer or physiotherapist if you are unsure.

Wrist and fingers

• Wrist curls with a light dumbbell.
• Finger extensions against a rubber band around your fingertips, to balance the gripping muscles.

Balance

You finish every delivery on your sliding foot. Balance exercises help you hold that finish position.

• Standing on one leg on your sliding foot, later with your eyes closed.
• Finish position held on an unstable surface such as a balance pad.
• Lunges for leg strength and balance.

Core

• Planks and side planks.
• Dead bugs: lying on your back, extend the opposite arm and leg while keeping your lower back on the floor.

Before every session, warm up for a few minutes; our guide to warm-up exercises for bowling shows how.

Tracking your progress

Keep a simple training log in a notebook or an app, and record a few figures every week:

• Spare conversion: spares made divided by spare attempts.
• Single-pin spares: tracked separately, especially your hardest corner pin.
• Pocket hits: how often your first ball reaches the pocket.
• Average: across all practice games – look for trends, not single games.
• Speed range: the slowest and fastest speed at which you still hit your target.

Review the log every few weeks. If your spare conversion rises but your pocket hits drop, give session 2 more time. A video of your approach can show what the numbers do not.

Setting goals

Set goals from your own starting figures rather than from general targets. After the first weeks of tracking you know your spare conversion, your pocket hits and your average; aim to improve each of them step by step, one focus at a time. Useful first goals are a consistent pre-shot routine and a reliable line on your home lanes.

The mental side of practice

Use your pre-shot routine on every shot in practice, not only on the ones that seem important. When you miss a spare in training, reset and play the next shot as you would in a league match. Our guide to the mental game in bowling goes deeper.

The same slide in every session

Practice pays off when the conditions you control stay the same. Rental shoes vary from pair to pair, so your slide can change from one session to the next; your own bowling shoes remove that variable. BOWLIO bowling shoes have a genuine leather slide sole under both shoes, suitable for left- and right-handed bowlers, and the leather becomes softer and more comfortable the more often you wear them.

Start this week

If three sessions are too many, start with two and pick the areas where you lose the most pins. Regular practice over months brings more than a few intense days. Write down your plan, book your lane time and give every session one clear focus.