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Pétanque (Pay-tonk) is a ballgame that originated in France more than 100 years ago. It is played at various levels by millions of people in 88 countries.
The game is easy to learn and does not require fancy equipment or special skills, only the desire to practice a fun sport in a congenial atmosphere.
Pétanque can be played on a variety of surfaces (most commonly on dirt or gravel), using steel balls (boules) about 2-1/2 inches in diameter and weighing about 1-1/2 pounds; and a small wooden ball (1 inch diameter) the coche, which serves as a target.
It involves 2 teams made up of 1, 2 or 3 players. In one-on-one games each player uses 3 balls. In doublettes (2-player teams) and triplettes (3-player teams) each team has 6 balls. A player of the starting team (determined by a coin toss) stands within a circle about 1-½ feet in diameter and tosses the target to a distance between 19 and 33 feet.
A player of the same team then throws the first ball trying to get as close as possible to the cochonnet (target ball).
It is then the other team's turn to try and get one of its balls closer the cochonnet than the opposing team.
The teams continue alternating until all balls have been played.
One point is awarded for each ball closer than the opposition's closest ball.
The first team to reach 13 points is the winner.
Pétanque (Pay-tonk) is a ballgame that originated in France more than 100 years ago. It is played at various levels by millions of people in 88 countries.
The game is easy to learn and does not require fancy equipment or special skills, only the desire to practice a fun sport in a congenial atmosphere.
Pétanque can be played on a variety of surfaces (most commonly on dirt or gravel), using steel balls (boules) about 2-1/2 inches in diameter and weighing about 1-1/2 pounds; and a small wooden ball (1 inch diameter) the coche, which serves as a target.
It involves 2 teams made up of 1, 2 or 3 players. In one-on-one games each player uses 3 balls. In doublettes (2-player teams) and triplettes (3-player teams) each team has 6 balls. A player of the starting team (determined by a coin toss) stands within a circle about 1-½ feet in diameter and tosses the target to a distance between 19 and 33 feet.
A player of the same team then throws the first ball trying to get as close as possible to the cochonnet (target ball).
It is then the other team's turn to try and get one of its balls closer the cochonnet than the opposing team.
The teams continue alternating until all balls have been played.
One point is awarded for each ball closer than the opposition's closest ball.
The first team to reach 13 points is the winner.
