Playing Petanque. Down the channels.

Playing Petanque. Down the channels.

We hear a lot from other sports on how to improve your game, some methods you would never think of in a million years but most are basic ideas turned into coaching. Take away the fuss and bother of your sport and tune in to the basic principles. This can be easier said than done, but once you get the idea and put it into practice it will become part of your game as rudimentary as having the right equipment and clothing.

So the scenario we are going to look at in this session is how to get those points that are always difficult to earn and also to stop the opposition scoring a big end. It is a strategy you see in football all the time. Today we are talking man to man marking and working the channels.

In some ends, boule are everywhere. No real pattern to the end and shots or points are taken as they come. The end does not reveal itself as an obvious shot for three or four or a simple point for game. These can be difficult to describe but we have all seen them, they can be frustrating and that is part of the sport. Sometimes these ends just happen, sometimes the opposition have constructed them. We are all looking for a big end to score those valuable points in a tight game. With one boule to come from the opposition it looks like a move backwards on the jack could score three or four points as you have all the back boule. They point their last boule long, it comes flying down and crashes into a front pack and fires another of their boule through the head just missing the jack to stop around your back boule. No need to move the jack now as they have just changed the head radically. It could be a movement on the jack would give them a point after a hard fought end. Is this luck or was it a brave knock up shot. Would it have been better for your self esteem if they had spun the boule around the head to get a boule into this position. The result is the same.  But and this is a big but, what if you push their boule back for them. What if their last boule dies in front, never reaching the head. You now have two boule left to throw and have all the back boule. The move on the jack looks good or a knock up on one of your boule is enticing. This is where you need to look at the channels. Cutting tight to one of their boule could punch it up into the head or push it to a place you would certainly not want it to go. Moving the oppositions boule forward towards the jack can be a very dangerous and fool hardy thing to do. If we look at the photos it can be clearly seen if you are looking for a knock up shot, point in for points or trying to move the jack back one of these channels is a real no no!

This is why you should always know who’s boule are who’s in an end, never assume and always ask your team mates for a 2^nd opinion 

Photo one shows a head looking for a jack movement, the front two blue boule could be shot to bring your back yellow boule in, but the exit route of these boule could cause problems. So with your last two boule you choose to point with a movement on the jack being very important. The channel is straight up the middle, easy but focus is required. The shot is to play around 4 to 5 inches long. This is important as if you miss the jack at least you will still be on. A powerful jack movement could cause it to spring back and die limiting your score this end to one or ricochet of the back boule and jump forward to the blue boule, It can happen!

The reason for the focus on the channels is that playing on a gravel surface can produce a variation in direction, the bigger the stones the bigger the deflection, by looking at the channels you are expecting a slight kick of up to three inches but if it happens you should still be ok. So picture two shows your point was not to length and has stopped short. That is a sin and should be eliminated with practice because a boule thrown with the aim of moving an object be it a boule or a jack must, MUST at least reach its target. So with the last boule the channel has been made smaller but the task is the same. Your boule may hit your front yellow boule or deflect in of the blue boule on the left, if you get a slight kick. The aim is to play through the gap. It is a much tighter shot on the jack moment but still possible, remember you could try spin to get through a gap but practice away from a game. Trying something for the first time in a tight match will not get a good reaction from your team mates.  

So the key factors are,

Practice playing through a gap to score

Practice playing through a gap to move the jack.

The closer you land to the gap between the boule the better the line should be, but remember you want your boule to stop in the head, not on the back board.

Things go well when you go through the right channels.