Petanque tip Round in circles cont….

Petanque tip Round in circles cont….

If ever you have a chance to witness the spectacle that is the shooting championships you will see two umpires performing the task. One-umpire marks the boule shot and if the boule scored as it entered the target circle. The other umpire is looking for foot faults. It amazed me how many throws were deemed invalid by this second umpire.

One of the funniest moments I have seen on a petanque piste was also the saddest. During a game, a player who liked to stand with his feet two foot apart as he shot was forced by the opposition to keep his feet inside the circle by careful monitoring of his foot position. His shooting deteriorated and he lost the game. He always practised and threw with his feet wide apart to get his balance. He had embedded bad play so far into his game he was not capable of playing to his normal high standard with his feet in the circle. Did the opposition go too far with the rules or should they have been prepared to lose to a team whose shooter was standing outside the circle. I am not here to judge or be a stickler for the rules, all I am trying to do is improve the standard of play in this country and get players talking about how we look at the rules and how without them we do not have a game. I can remember having a boule taken out of a game over eight years ago when I was alleged to have my toes over the front of the circle. It will never happen again as I take extreme care when placing my feet.

It must also be remembered if you are shooting and you spend more time checking your feet are in the circle than focusing on the boule, you may miss!