How to play petanque ?

How many players do you need ?

There are 3 ways of playing:

Alone (the head to head) meaning one against other, in teams of 2 (the doublet) or in teams of 3 people (the triplet).

When you are 2 In the team, usually one points and the other one shoots. Each player has 3 balls in hand. However, it happens to rotate according to the performance of each and the development of the game.

At 3, the first points, the second is midfielder and the 3rd is shooter. Players have 2 balls each. The tricky position is in the middle, because this player has to both point and shoot, and he is often the one who has to finish the lead.

How do we play ?

We start by determining which team should throw the jack first. Very often, we draw "heads or tails" with a coin. The team which must start can then choose its side of the ground and must trace or pose a circle at the desired place.

When a participant is playing, they must stand inside the circle, and both feet must be touch the ground.
The jack must then be thrown at a distance between 6 and 10 meters (while being in the circle), while respecting 1 meter distance with the loss lines and/or obstacles. The team throwing the cork throws the first ball.

Then the opposing team plays a ball. If this one does not take the point (meaning the ball which is closest to the jack) they have to play again. But if they succeed and take the point, it's the other team's turn, and so on.

This continues until both teams are out of boules in hand.
Then the round is finished, but it can be also the case when the jack goes out of bounds or touches an obstacle.

Who wins ?

A match consists of several rounds and is played in 13 points max.
The first team to reach this score wins the match.
A round ends when the players have launched all their balls (or when the jack is no longer valid).

After all boules have been thrown, the team whose best ball is closest to the jack wins the round and the team gets one point for every ball that is closer to the jack compared to an opposing ball.

With this said, in head-to-head is possible to score a maximum of 3 points in 1 round, then in doublet and triplet, the maximum score of a round is 6 points.

The ball is held full palm, your fingers should not be too far apart and the end of the thumb should almost touch the index finger.
It is advisable not to overtight the ball.

Then depending on whether you are a pointer or a shooter, the grip may be different.

If you shoot, the ball can be placed at the end of the fingers whereas at the point it remains well in palm, one says that one “palms” the ball.
Once again, these are just tips and everyone has their own way of playing.

Well, it is a matter of precision !

When you throw the ball palm down, you can give it spin (with your wrist), this is called cushioning, so you can measure and appreciate the distance more easily.

Open hand, the ball is delivered to itself, this technique can work on smooth ground, but on uneven ground, the result is too random.

In addition, the feeling of play is increased when you throw your ball palm down.

Finally, you should have noticed that some players drop the balls too much early when they hit, they are said to be hitting "in force". They do succeed sometimes, but over time, the result is rarely there.
These shooters tire very quickly, as they expend a lot of energy, and after a few matches or rounds they are no longer effective.

A good ball release must be a balance between the force and the flexibility. It is necessary to accompany the ball during the gesture and very important the arm must be straight when letting go.

The ball is held full palm, your fingers should not be too far apart and the end of the thumb should almost touch the index finger.
It is advisable not to overtight the ball.

Then depending on whether you are a pointer or a shooter, the grip may be different.

If you shoot, the ball can be placed at the end of the fingers whereas at the point it remains well in palm, one says that one “palms” the ball.
Once again, these are just tips and everyone has their own way of playing.