An introduction to the game of Petanque or Boule 

A brief history of Petanque

Ball games resembling Petanque have been played for many centuries throughout Europe in various forms. In France today there are still three distinct games played with different kinds of boule and on different pitches; they are Petanque, by far the most popular, Lyonnaise and Jeu Provencal.

 

Petanque in its present form was introduced in 1910 as a less energetic variation of Jeu Provencal. It soon became popular, spreading rapidly throughout Europe. Today Petanque had developed into the second largest participant sport in France and is played worldwide. Young and old, men and women alike have been captivated by this basically simple but skilful game which is both easily learned and inexpensive to participate in.

Buying your first set of boule

To play you will need to buy a set of boule, of which there are two different types. Leisure and competition boule are similar in appearance but competition boule can be identified by the manufacturers name, serial number and weight stamped into them. Most importantly, competition boule are manufactured to a higher standard, allowing for more accurate play.

 

When you buy your first set of boule you need to consider pattern, size and weight, buying what suits you best. Steer clear of the ‘shooters’ and ‘pointers’ until you are confident enough to know what and why you are buying, instead be content with a middle-of-the-range weight boule. Handle the boule before you buy making sure the size is comfortable for your hands.

 

The Boule:

• These must be manufactured in metal.
• Diameter between 7.05cm and 8.00cm
• Weight between 0.65kg and 0.80kg
• Stamped with the manufacturer’s name and weight

The Cochonnet (the jack):

• Manufactured in wood
• Diameter between 25mm and 35mm
• Can be painted in any colour according to the playing surface

The Terrain or Piste

Petanque can be played on practically any surface except grass; no elaborate pitches or courts are needed. The play area ideally needs to be roughly 15m x 4m. The surface itself is more interesting if it is slightly uneven and a little loose allowing the play to be more challenging. Much of the skill of Petanque is reading the terrain as well as the opposition.

 

How to Play:

• Petanque can be played in singles, doubles and triples. For singles and doubles each player uses three boules, for triples each player uses only two boules.
• The team that starts the match is decided by the toss of a coin. One member of the winning team chooses the starting place and draws a circle roughly 35 – 50cm on the ground in which to throw from. Both feet must remain in the circle until the thrown boule lands.
• The first player throws the cochonnet so that it lands between 6m and 10m away and not nearer than one metre away from any obstacle.
• He then throws his first boule trying to place it as close to the cochonnet as possible - see 1 above.
• A player from the opposing team then steps into the circle and tries to throw his boule closer to the cochonnet - see 2 above.
• The boule closest to the cochonnet leads, therefore the opposing team must keep throwing until they gain the lead.
• When a team has no more boule left the opposing team throw their boule trying to place them as close to the cochonnet as possible.
• When all boule have been thrown then the points are countered. The winning team is the one with the most amount of boule closest to the cochonnet than the best of the losing team - see 3 above.
• The boule are gathered and a player from the winning team starts the game again from where the previous game ended.
• The game continues until one team reaches 13 points.
  
  
  Information taken from 'An Introduction to PETANQUE' published by the British Petanque Association