Petanque tips. Use the furniture!

Petanque Tactics cont... Using the furniture!This session we will look at a relative of the knock up shot. The In off. The opposition have a good front boule approx 12 inches in front of the jack. It looks prime to be pushed in but you have a boule level with it and due to the angles this boule is not on. There is a gap of about 6 inches between the two boule, just enough to squeeze your boule through and be on. The trouble is this shot could push up the front boule if your line is wrong. No point in thinking the worse could happen but why not try playing your own boule and using it to glance off to get behind their front boule. Play a point to length of the jack, vitally important. If it needs saying again, and again then I have no problem with it. “The secret to the perfect knock up shot is PLAY TO JACK LENGTH. If you miss you will be on, if you make the mistake of playing too hard your boule will be wasted unless you want a back boule. Maybe the boule left and the situation require a back boule if the shot goes wrong but do not use that as an excuse if it goes badly. Remember the team have discussed the shot, yes you have! so the boule to be played should be to jack length. Played correctly it should never bring both boule into a scoring position but that is life. The key is to use your boule to get the thrown boule behind the opposition’s boule and holding the point. It takes practise but set up the boule and try to come in off a side boule. It has dangers as all boule trying to glance or move other boule. Photo one shows the layout with the left hand side blocked for a point. A glance on the right hand silver boule will deflect the boule onto the jack. The boule thrown will be discarded to the right, just visible in photo 2. For one I would not play this type of shot off an opposition’s boule as 1.5 inches out of line and they are now holding two points when you knock their boule straight and towards the jack. However be warned, if you try to play an in off from your boule. If you look at the picture in Photo 2 you will see a successful in off shot but what if the opposition have a boule left. You have just set up a shot for three if they carreau. Hitting a boule at an angle trying to push a boule in will sacrifice one of the boule in the head. Things have to be right for this shot to pay dividends. It has its perils because unlike a straight knock up shot only one of your boule will move to the jack. The other will move away from it. If the situation is different as in Photo 3 you could try a plant if your boule is touching an opposition’s boule as shown. The silver boule on the left is a long way away and is slightly protected by the blue boule on the left so another option could be to play up the right side. The blue boule on the right channel touching your silver boule could push your boule to the jack and be on. This shot can be tricky and like a snooker shot requires perfect weight to the boule but that’s the beauty of Petanque. If it was easy it would not be so much fun.