Sweetness of life and summer scents, pétanque will be the star of your vacation

Do you remember ? On the village square, the fountain flows peacefully. A breeze caresses the leaves of the majestic plane trees. On the terrace, the waiter chats with the customers who linger in front of their coffee. The hubbub of conversations mingles with the laughter of the children and the song of the cicadas. A little further the tone rises. It's no longer joking, we play the point! Place the pétanque.

Che childhood memory is engraved in the collective memory. The village squares, the shade of the trees, the fountains, the bell that marks the time and the pétanque… An entire part of our country's heritage can be found in these few words. Add to that the local drink, pastis, beer, red wine balloon or even sambuc, and you are transported to a time when everything seemed simpler. Would pétanque finally be our madeleine of Proust?

Relaxation and conviviality are guaranteed with the pétanque. And its success cannot be denied. On the contrary, bowls lives a perpetual renewal and crosses the generations. She is the privileged witness of precious moments with friends, family, during weddings or on vacation. All occasions are good to take out the boules and compete for a few points in the shade of large trees. And when spirits heat up, it's only for a moment. Laughter and discussions quickly resume their course until the next crucial point.

Pétanque attracts 20 million people in France! And vacationers are not mistaken, for several years this hobby is making a comeback in families and among tourism professionals. Pétanque will certainly be one of the stars of the summer of 2020 So if this summer you are planning to introduce yourself to pétanque, we offer you some tips to shine around the grounds. Because make no mistake, if petanque is not taken seriously, this sport is actually very serious.

What type of petanque balls to choose?

There are 3 main types of balls. The famous colored plastic balls from our childhood, leisure balls steel that have a standardized weight and diameter, and competition petanque balls. In carbon or stainless steel, competition balls are approved for tournaments and competitions by the International Federation of Petanque and Provençal Game. They exist in several diameters and weights depending on the players and the size of their hands. The pointers will use the hard balls more, while the shooters will prefer the soft balls. To these balls is added the goal, or more familiarly and depending on the region the cork, the jack, or the little one.

How many boules per player?

It all depends on the number of players. In tete à tete, and in doublet, you will play with 3 balls each. But if you play in triplet, that is to say at 3 against 3, each player will have 2 balls.

What about the points?

At the start of the game, all the teams play their boules. When this first round - or leads for the purists - is over, the points are counted. The winning team is the one with the most boules close to the jack. For this team, we then count all the boules which are closest to the goal than the closest to the opposing boules. The winning team of the leads, raises the jack for the next end. A game is played in 13 points.

And don't let that happen! If you win with 13 points against 12, no official rule imposes a two-point difference at the end of the game. The end of the game usually marks the time for the grill or the aperitif. And it is of course the loser who invites!