Put Every Kid First — From the First Frame to the Final Pin
The complete youth bowling coach training built for real coaches in real situations — covering fundamentals, age-appropriate drills, inclusion, safety, child protection, and parent partnerships so you can walk into any practice, with any group of kids, and know exactly what to do.
"My whole goal is to make sure you walk into that bowling alley feeling ready — for the sport, for the kids, for whatever the day throws at you."— Leigh Baumann
What you'll learn
What you'll be able to do
- Master the essential fundamentals of youth bowling — equipment, rules, terminology, and the 20% of skills that drive 80% of athlete success — and build age-appropriate practice plans and game strategies from day one.
- Design and run engaging, developmentally matched practices for every age group from 3-year-olds to high schoolers, keeping attention spans alive and every player actively improving.
- Create a genuinely inclusive team culture by confidently coaching beginners, overweight youth, athletes with disabilities, neurodivergent players, and kids of all ability levels with adapted techniques and positive reinforcement.
- Recognize, prevent, and respond to common bowling-related injuries and medical emergencies — including sprains, head injuries, and acute health events — and maintain a safe physical environment through proper equipment selection and use.
- Apply youth protection best practices — appropriate boundaries, safe communication, mandatory reporting responsibilities, and one-on-one situation avoidance — to safeguard every athlete and yourself as a coach.
- Partner effectively with parents, set clear team expectations, and lead team-building activities and at-home skill exercises that grow athlete confidence, character, and a lifelong love of the game.
How it works
A school that adapts to you
This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.
We learn your level
A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.
Lessons adapt as you go
Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.
Your AI coach keeps you moving
Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.
The curriculum
What's inside your school
6 modules · 28 lessons
Know Your Lane: Bowling Fundamentals for Coaches
Builds every coach's working knowledge of bowling equipment, rules, terminology, and the high-impact skills that drive athlete success.
- 1.1The Coach's Self-Assessment: Where Are You Starting?Included
- 1.2The Game at a Glance: Rules, Scoring, and TerminologyIncluded
- 1.3Equipment Essentials: Balls, Shoes, Lanes, and SafetyIncluded
- 1.4The 20/80 Skill Set: The Moves That Matter MostIncluded
- 1.5Coaching the Fundamentals: Demonstrations, Cues, and CorrectionsIncluded
Practice Like a Pro: Age-Appropriate Coaching and Planning
Equips coaches to design and run engaging, developmentally matched practices and strategies for every age from 3 through high school.
- 2.1How Kids Grow: Developmental Stages from Toddlers to TeensIncluded
- 2.2Tiny Bowlers: Coaching Ages 3–6Included
- 2.3Building Bowlers: Coaching Ages 7–12Included
- 2.4High-Performance Habits: Coaching Teens and High SchoolersIncluded
- 2.5From Drill to Win: Practice Plans, Game Strategy, and PlaysIncluded
Every Athlete Belongs: Inclusion, Engagement, and Positive Coaching
Prepares coaches to create a genuinely inclusive team culture and confidently coach athletes of every ability, background, and learning style.
- 3.1Communication Unlocked: Talking to Every Age and Ability LevelIncluded
- 3.2Coaching the Whole Spectrum: Beginners, Advanced Athletes, and Everyone BetweenIncluded
- 3.3Inclusive Lanes: Coaching Overweight Youth and Athletes with DisabilitiesIncluded
- 3.4Neurodivergent Athletes: Understanding, Adapting, and ThrivingIncluded
- 3.5Culture, Behavior, and the Winning EnvironmentIncluded
Safe on the Lanes: Injury Prevention and Emergency Response
Trains coaches to maintain a safe physical environment, prevent common bowling injuries, and respond confidently to emergencies.
- 4.1Prevention First: Setting Up a Safe Bowling EnvironmentIncluded
- 4.2Recognizing Injury: What to Watch For During Practice and PlayIncluded
- 4.3First Response: Sprains, Breaks, Head Injuries, and MoreIncluded
- 4.4Medical Emergencies on the Lanes: When to Act and HowIncluded
Protecting Every Player: Youth Safety and Responsible Coaching
Covers the child protection policies, boundaries, and mandatory reporting responsibilities every coach must understand and practice.
- 5.1The Coach's Responsibility: Understanding Your Role in Child SafetyIncluded
- 5.2Boundaries and Safe Communication with Young AthletesIncluded
- 5.3Recognizing Abuse and Neglect: Signs Every Coach Should KnowIncluded
- 5.4Mandatory Reporting: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Do ItIncluded
The Full Team: Parents, Community, and Building Lifelong Athletes
Empowers coaches to partner with parents, lead team-building activities, and foster confidence, character, and a lasting love of the game.
- 6.1Parent Partnerships: Setting Expectations and Creating AlliesIncluded
- 6.2Team-Building Activities That Actually WorkIncluded
- 6.3At-Home Skill Builders: Exercises for Athletes and FamiliesIncluded
- 6.4Rotating Players and Managing a Competitive RosterIncluded
- 6.5Beyond the Scoreboard: Building Confidence, Character, and Lifelong BowlersIncluded
Who it's for
Is this you?
The New Volunteer Parent
You said yes before you knew what you were signing up for — this program gives you a confident foundation before your first practice.
The Rec Department Staffer
You're running youth bowling alongside a dozen other programs and need practical, ready-to-use coaching tools without the fluff.
The Church League Organizer
You want every kid to belong and have fun — this program helps you build an inclusive, safe, and genuinely joyful team environment.
The Experienced Coach Leveling Up
You know the sport but want to sharpen your skills in child development, inclusion, and youth protection — the areas that separate good coaches from great ones.
The School PE or Activity Coordinator
You're introducing bowling as a school sport or activity and need a complete, age-appropriate framework from day one.
The Travel Team Coach
You're coaching competitive youth bowlers and need advanced practice planning, roster management, and high-performance habit-building for teens.
Questions
Frequently asked
Your teacher
A note from your teacher
Leigh Baumann
If you've ever stood at the end of a bowling lane with a group of kids looking up at you, waiting for you to tell them what to do next — and felt even a flicker of "I hope I'm doing this right" — I want you to know: that feeling is completely normal, and it means you care. That's already the most important thing.
I built Put Me in Coach because youth bowling coaches are some of the most underserved people in youth sports. You might be a parent who got volunteered. A rec-department staffer juggling three other responsibilities. A church league organizer who loves the game but never got any real coaching training. Or maybe you've been coaching for years but you know there are gaps — in inclusion, in safety, in the way you handle a parent who's just a little too intense. You showed up for these kids, and I want to make sure you have everything you need to do right by them.
This program is the training I wish existed when I started. We cover the sport — yes, absolutely — but we go so much further. You'll know how to run a practice for a room full of 7-year-olds with three-minute attention spans. You'll know what to do when a kid rolls an ankle or someone has a medical emergency on the lanes. You'll know how to coach the kid who's struggling with their weight, the athlete who's neurodivergent, the teen who's talented but checked out. And you'll know how to have the parent conversation that needs to happen before it becomes a problem.
I wrote every lesson to sound like a mentor standing beside you at the lanes — not a textbook, not a liability waiver, not a lecture. Plain language, real scenarios, and guidance you can actually use at your very next practice. Nothing in here is theoretical for the sake of it. If it's in the curriculum, it's because a coach like you is going to need it.
Youth sports shape kids in ways that last a lifetime. You have more influence than you probably realize — and that's not pressure, it's an invitation. Put Me in Coach is here to make sure you feel ready, confident, and genuinely prepared to be the coach those kids will remember for all the right reasons.
I'm glad you're here. Let's get to work.
— Leigh Baumann
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- 6 modules, 28 lessons
- AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
- Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
- Your own AI learning coach
- Learn on any device, at your pace
- Full access for as long as you're subscribed