Other Hand
What the other hand is doing
So we have looked at the feet, firm foundations remember. Then we looked at the grip, then the backswing and release. All the focus has been on the throwing arm so far but the question is. What is the other hand doing? It could be in you pocket keeping warm but it is a useful tool in the petanque throw. Generally it should be behind you to give you balance as the other arm throwing the boule comes forward. Some thoughts are it should be held out sideways to give stability to the shoulders to stop you spinning as your throwing arm comes forward. It maybe ok to get juniors used to keeping the shoulders square to the throwing arm but in my view caused more issues than it solves. The arm should be behind you. I personally tend to twist my arm along its length slightly to give it rigidity. This stops it flapping around. It should be holding any other boule you have left to throw. I know a lot of players only hold the boule they are throwing and then turn around to get the next boule to throw but this seems a lot of activity. It also confuses the issue if you have to play two boule in succession. If you play a good boule then you would like to repeat it. Walking to the back of the piste to get a boule and then coming back to the circle is not a good idea. You should be looking forward to the mark made by your first boule, to fill it and to play your next boule.
If you are playing singles or doubles then you will have 3 boule in your hands. One in your throwing hand and two more in your other hand at the start of an end. If you have a habit of keeping your boule in front of you when you throw this will cause you to topple forward as you throw. A boule weighing approx. 700 grams means as you throw your boule you will have a total of up to 2.1 kilos of steel pulling you forward. Not an idea balance.
So to recap. Get comfortable with your feet in the circle. Get a nice grip on the boule with no use of the thumb. Backswing. Straight release. Your other hand should be behind you. 5 simple steps to a good throwing action.
