Petanque. A new vision to introduce new players. 5 Part series

Petanque. A new vision to introduce new players. 5 Part series

I always say “The great thing about petanque is anyone can play it.” I follow with” The terrible thing about petanque is anyone can play it.”

Now that may sound a bit hypocritical but there needs to be explanation behind that short statement.

Get ready it is a long explanation and will cover many parts. Picking up a boule for the first time can be a great feeling, many have seen the game played in France whilst on holiday and were intrigued by what was happening on the shady dusty area near the campsite or café.  There seemed to be no order or concept that was understood by the onlooker. The game seemed easy enough as the players walked to a circle and threw their boule towards that tiny target boule. Could it be that simple?

Petanque. A new vision to introduce new players. Part 2

I always say “The great thing about petanque is anyone can play it.” I follow with” The terrible thing about petanque is anyone can play it.”

The game of petanque can be so much more complex than just throwing a boule at a wooden jack. It has depth and complex twists and turns. Tactics can take years to develop as do the skills required to play at the very top levels. So what happens when the experienced players find themselves playing the beginners? This is a subject very close to my heart. The clash of experience can lead to problems that may start even before the first jack has been thrown. Petanque. Anyone can play it! The clash for the new players can be disappointing for many reasons. The main one is they may not know what they are doing! This can be hard to take as the fun game they enjoy playing suddenly descends into something a little more serious then they maybe used to. Petanque England have worked hard over the years leading up to the pandemic and continue now to train coaches at a Club level. I can recommend any players taking up the sport find themselves a local coach who has passed the Club Coach exam. These coaches can take new players through the basics and will try to answer any questions they may have. These coaches have links to the National body so if they cannot answer the question the new player may have they will be able to clarify the details later.