Pétanque

Pétanque is a fun and popular sport that is part of a group called boules sports. Other games in this group include raffa, bocce, boule lyonnaise, lawn bowls, and crown green bowling. In all these games, players throw or roll balls to get them close to a target ball.

In pétanque, the goal is to score points by getting your boules (small metal balls) closer to the target ball than your opponent’s boules. This can be done by throwing your boules close to the target, called a jack, or by knocking the opponent’s boules away from the target. Players must stand inside a circle with both feet on the ground when they throw. The game is usually played on hard dirt or gravel and can be enjoyed in parks or special places called boulodromes.

The modern version of pétanque began in either 1907 or 1910 in La Ciotat, in the Provence area of France. The name pétanque comes from the Provençal dialect of the Occitan language and means "foot fixed" or "foot planted," referring to the rule of keeping both feet on the ground while throwing.

History

Invention of the game

Boules games have a very long history, going back to ancient times.

In France during the 1800s, a popular game called jeu provençal or boule lyonnaise was enjoyed by many. Players would roll their boules or take a few steps before throwing them. Pétanque began as a variation of this game in 1910 in La Ciotat, near Marseilles.

A player named Jules Lenoir, who had trouble moving because of rheumatism, could no longer take those steps. His friend Ernest Pitiot, who ran a café, created a new way to play. The field was made shorter, and players stood still in a small circle to throw their boule. They called this game pieds tanqués, meaning "feet planted," which later became pétanque.

The first pétanque tournament was held in 1910, organized by Ernest and his brother Joseph Pitiot. The game quickly grew and became very popular in France.

Before the mid-1800s, boules were made from solid wood. Later, they were covered with nails. After World War I, metal boules were developed. Paul Courtieu made the first all-metal boule in the 1920s, and soon after, steel boules were created.

Global spread of the game

After metal boules were made, pétanque spread quickly from France to other parts of Europe and to countries with French influence. Today, many countries have their own groups to manage the sport.

In France, there is a large group with over 300,000 members. Strong groups also exist in Germany, Spain, and England. Pétanque is played in many places, especially in Southeast Asia, such as Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Puducherry in India, as well as in parts of Africa like Madagascar. It was even featured at the 2015 All-Africa Games in the Republic of the Congo.

Pétanque is not very common in the Americas. There is a group in Québec, Canada, and in the United States, about 30,000 people play. The main international group for pétanque was created in 1958 in Marseille and now has almost 800,000 members.

National and international competitions

There are several important world championship tournaments for pétanque.

The world championships happen every two years. Men's championships are in even years, and Women's and Youth championships are in odd years.

A famous yearly tournament is the _Mondial la Marseillaise à Pétanque, held in Marseille, France, with thousands of players and spectators.

The biggest yearly tournament in the United States is the Pétanque Amelia Island Open, held each November in Amelia Island, Florida.

Pétanque is not an Olympic sport yet, but groups have been trying to get it included. It has been part of The World Games since 1985. The 2022 World Games in the United States included women’s pétanque for the first time.

Playing the game

Pétanque is a fun game played by two teams, with each team having one, two, or three players. Each player uses three boules (small balls) in singles and doubles games, and two in triples games. There is also a small wooden ball called a "jack" that serves as the target.

Players throw their boules trying to get them as close as possible to the jack. The game can be played in any open area, like a park, or on a marked field. Players throw from inside a circle drawn on the ground. The team with the boule closest to the jack after all boules are thrown wins that round and scores points. The first team to score 13 points wins the game.

Equipment specifications

Boules

Leisure boules are used for fun games and are cheaper than competition boules. They come in one size and weight, making them easy to use.

Competition boules must follow special rules set by the FIPJP. They are usually made of metal and have a certain size and weight. Players can choose different sizes, weights, and patterns for competition boules.

Jack

The jack, or target ball, is a small wooden ball, often made from boxwood or beechwood. It is usually painted in bright colours and comes in different names in French.

Playing area

Pétanque can be played almost anywhere flat and open. The ground does not need to be perfect and can have trees or rocks. Special areas for pétanque often have loose gravel or sand. In France, many villages and parks have places to play pétanque, and some towns have special buildings called boulodromes for the game.

A single game is played in a spot called a terrain. For tournaments, big areas are divided into rectangles called marked terrains where many games can happen at once.

Strategy

In pétanque, players throw a boule (ball) with two main goals. The first goal is to place the boule very close to the target ball, called the jack. This is known as pointing. The second goal is to hit an opponent’s boule and knock it away from the jack. This is called shooting.

A perfect throw where a boule knocks an opponent’s boule away and lands right in its place is called a carreau. Skilled players who are good at shooting are called shooters, while those who focus on pointing are called pointers. Usually, pointers throw first to get close to the jack, and shooters wait to knock away any opposing boules that get too close. Good pointing helps score points, but in big competitions, skilled shooters often win by targeting the opponent’s boules.

Glossary of special terms

Here are some special words and phrases used in the game of pétanque. Each one has a French word or phrase shown in brackets if it is different from the English word.

• Join battle: This happens when both teams have 10 or 11 points, and the game could go either way on the next throw.

• Bombard: This means to throw at an opponent’s boules one after another after they have taken the lead.

• Jack: The small wooden or plastic target ball that players aim for.

• Circle: The marked area from which players throw their boules.

• Have the point: A team “has the point” if one of its boules is closer to the jack than any of the other team’s boules. This puts the team in a winning position.

• Point: To throw a boule trying to stop it close to the jack.

• Shoot: To throw a boule at an opponent’s boule or at the jack to try to knock it out of play.

• Lob: A boule thrown high so that it lands and rolls only a short distance.

• Fanny: To lose a game without scoring any points. This is called a shutout. In some places, the losing team has to buy drinks for the winning team.

Image gallery

Here are some pictures showing people playing pétanque in different places:

• Playing pétanque in the late afternoon at Aigues-Mortes
• Men playing pétanque next to the Fort St. Louis in Toulon
• The 2006 Pétanque World Championship in Grenoble, France
• Action on the Pétanque field in Batignolles
• Players of the Brighton & Hove Pétanque Club on the Peace Statue Terrain, Brighton & Hove, UK
• Pétanque players at the port of Bonifacio in 1975
• Pétanque is a popular game among pensioners, here in Ystad 2022.