Pétanque explained: rules, equipment and why French sport is booming with Americans

Pétanque, a French sport known traditionally for being played among older adults, has increasingly become a hit among young people, foreign tourists and Americans in France.

La Boulisterie, a French lifestyle brand specialising in temporary pétanque courts, is putting itself at the heart of this transformation.

Traditionally, it took being a registered player in a sports club to play pétanque on a proper court. Alternatively, you could take your chances with an empty lot or an outdoor court. Instead, La Boulisterie launched its temporary courts in 2015 as a way to make the sport even more accessible, turning the game into an easy addition to a work event or celebration.

At their boutique in Nice, the past three years have also seen an important change: each year, there has been an increase of around eight to 10% in American clientele, said associate director and co-founder Guillaume Lieutier.

That is hardly a surprise considering the sport's presence in the US. Despite not being a nationally sponsored sport, its popularity and the number of clubs are growing, said Heidi Davison, vice-president of the Federation of Pétanque USA. The federation has 55 clubs, though there are likely more that are not affiliated with them, Ms Davison said. 

She said that pétanque was particularly popular at US motorhome parks, known as RV lots. 

In total, the country has an estimated 30,000 pétanque players, according to Pétanque America, which provides supplies for the sport. While Ms Davison said most Americans who play are older adults, the sport’s accessible nature attracts players of all ages. Players at her own club range in age from 11 to 100. 

Pétanque's story

The word pétanque comes from pieds tanqués, or planted feet. This is because when you play the game, your feet do not step outside a 35-50cm diameter circle.

Invented in the early 1900s, over time pétanque has come to be widely associated with the French art de vivre.

"Relaxing, aperitifs, family meals - so many heartfelt, family-oriented and simple moments revolve around pétanque," Mr Lieutier said. He added that this aspect of French life particularly resonates with Americans.

It is also the most widely-played boules game in the world.

So how does one actually start playing pétanque? As it turns out, the rules, equipment and strategies are, at least at beginner's level, fairly straightforward. In fact, the game's accessibility is one of the things that make the game so popular with rookies and longtime athletes alike, Ms Davison said. 

“It's easy for us to have a wide range of players in any of our clubs,”  she said. 

The Connexion stopped by La Boulisterie's Nice store for a lowdown on getting started with Pétanque.

Equipment

When playing competitively, the pétanque court has very specific dimensions: 15m by 4m. However, when playing for fun, any size of court works.

Mr Lieutier said it is nice to play on a court of at least 12-13m to have enough range.

Competitive players use 100% steel balls, whereas those playing for fun can use soft balls. The latter are less durable and also less expensive.

The cochonnet, or jack, is the small target ball used as a point of reference to measure each throw. Mr Lieutier advised getting one that is brightly coloured, instead of white or wooden.

As for the circle you must confine yourself to when playing, you can either draw it on the ground or buy a flexible circle marker to place there.

A key component of the game is measuring the distance between balls, for which you will need a tape measure.

These are the basics, but the world of pétanque equipment is not without innovation: Mr Lieutier came up with a special tape measure with a magnet to pick up 100% steel balls, and the espadrilles brand Payote designed a pair of viral sandals with a magnet, a pocket and a tape measure built in to play the sport.

Rules

Guillaume Lieutier demonstrates how to throw a pétanque ball. 

Pétanque can be played in teams of one, two or three people. Usually each player has three balls, but when playing three-a-side, each person has two.

The teams face off in multiple rounds, each one called a mène.

The jack is thrown around six to 10 metres from the circle and serves as a target. The main objective of the game is to get your balls closer to that jack than the other team.

Team one throws the first ball, then team two throws. At this stage, it is crucial to get your ball in front of the jack, Mr Lieutier said. This way, you block the other team from coming closer than you to the jack.

Whoever's ball is closer to the jack gains a point, and the opposing team plays until they regain the point or until they have no more balls.

There are two strategies for a play: pointer, which means throwing the ball as close as possible to the jack, and tirer, which is strategic shooting in order to hit an opponent's ball away from the jack.

Either way, throwing the ball happens through a fluid, pendulum-like motion of the arm.

Once all the balls have been played, only the team with the ball closest to the jack scores. They score as many points as the number of balls they have that are closer to the jack than the opponent's first ball.

The team that has scored points launches the jack for the next round, or mène, and the game ends when one team reaches 13 points.

Mr Lieutier described pétanque as a game that is "easy to access," and while playing, it certainly feels that way. The rules are easy to follow, the balls straightforward to throw and the court is smaller than for most sports. 

However, while pétanque often starts as an activity that accompanies an evening apéro, do not be surprised if the game draws you deeper and deeper into its complexity.

"You don't just play it once and get the hang of it, and then you play again just for fun," Mr Lieutier said. "The more you play, the more you realise just how rich and complex this sport or hobby is, and the more you get hooked on it, too."