Boule game

Rules of boules

First, we need to distinguish between pétanque and jeu provençal.

Both pétanque and jeu provençal are played with metal boules between 71 and 80 mm in diameter and weighing between 650 and 800 grams.

The jack, also known as the "cochonnet" (or piglet in French), is a small wooden ball 25 to 35 mm in diameter.

Now that you know what you need, you can choose your game: pétanque or jeu provençal...

The hardest thing about pétanque is its relative simplicity.

The terrain

First you need to choose a terrain. This is the easy part, since pétanque can be played almost anywhere. You should, however, choose a flat area (unless you want a real challenge!) 3 to 4 meters (9 to 13 feet) wide and about 12 meters (39 feet) long.

The players

You can play one-on-one (called "tête-à-tête"), or in teams of two ("doublettes") or three ("triplettes").

In triplettes, each player has two boules. In doublettes and tête-à-tête, each player plays with three boules.

Of course, in informal play, you can play one against two, two against three, etc. The important thing is that each team has the same number of boules.

The Aim of the Game

The aim of the game is very simple: each player tries to throw his or her boule as close to the jack as possible. At the start of the game, you draw a circle on the ground. This is where each player has to stand to throw. But first, for the game to begin, someone needs to throw the jack 6 to 10 meters (6½ to 11 yards) from the circle. The jack must also be visible from the circle. Once the jack has been thrown (and can be seen from the circle, or you need to throw it again!), one player from each team throws a boule. The team whose boule is closest to the jack is said to be "holding".

Winning

Play now transfers to the other team whose players throw one or more boules (depending on their skill!) to try to gain the point. The team can choose to POINT (i.e. put its own boule closer to the jack than its opponent's) or SHOOT (i.e. hit its opponent's boule away from the jack).

Once all the boules have been thrown, the round is complete and the points are counted. The winning team receives one point for each boule it has that is closer than any boule of the opposing team.

How many points do you think the blue team has won in this end?

To avoid arguments over measurements, use a La Boule Bleue tape measure or telescopic pen measurer!

Games generally go up to 13 points, though you can also play to 11 or 15 points. As we said earlier, there are two ways to throw a boule: "pointing" and "shooting". They are so different that some champions have specialized in just one type of throw.

When you point or "place" the boule, you try to throw it as close to the jack as possible to score. Check out our advice to learn how!

When you shoot, your want to move your opponent's boule which already has the point. Shooting allows you to score in several ways:

• 1. by hitting away your opponent's boule, leaving one of your teammates' boule closest to the jack.
• 2. by clearing the area around the jack allowing your team's pointer to score by placing his or her boule.
• 3. under ideal conditions, by knocking the opponent's boule away from the jack and taking its exact place. This is the famous "carreau".

Also see our advice for shooters.

These are the basic rules of pétanque.

You can also try your hand at jeu provençal.

Jeu provençal

Jeu provençal is also called "longue" in the French Midi. It's like the major leagues of boules! While the basic rules are the same as pétanque, it is much more difficult to play. But once you've tried it, you'll know why people get hooked. The main difference between pétanque and longue is... the length of the terrain and, naturally, the way the boule is thrown. A jeu provençal terrain can be up to 24 meters long! The jack must be thrown between 15 and 20 meters from the circle.

Because of the distance, the boule is pointed and shot differently, though the purpose is the same. To point, the player takes one step (and one step only) outside the circle, whether forward or to the side (which is strictly forbidden in pétanque!). After taking one step, the pointer can throw the boule with either both feet on the ground (with one foot in the circle and one foot outside it), or balanced on one leg (both feet are outside the circle, but only one is touching the ground). Sound complicated? It is, but oh so elegant! Shooting requires perfect precision because the player has to take three steps before throwing the boule. This "run-up" allows the shooter to give the ball the momentum and force it needs to reach the opponent's boule and knock it away.