So to draw a close to the top Five things new players to the Petanque game get wrong we are focusing on the piste itself.
Part 5 Where the boule lands. This is the Landing Spot.
This session draws the attention to the most sought after place in the country for us boule players. No, not the Bar, but the landing area! Many players get bad kicks when their boule land on large stones on the surface or a brick level with the surface and look skyward as if some evil boule god is wreaking revenge for past sins. It is a simple matter of physics to place the boule in your hand close to the jack. You have to throw the boule at the correct weight so it ends up at jack length. The direction in which you throw the boule depends on any slope on the piste. On a perfect level piste the spot the boule lands together with the weight and direction of throw will depend on the finished position of the boule. Simple? Well it is fairly simple but pistes have many obstacles. Some are in plain sight and some are hidden below the surface and will deflect your boule away from the intended path. When we go around the country we try to pass on to new players the circle is for throwing from, but, you can walk out of it if you wish! You can walk up the piste and have a glance around to see any areas of bare rock, large stones or deep patches of gravel. You only have a minute to throw your boule but a trained eye can soon learnt to spot potential bad areas. Do not day dream while the opposition are throwing, take a look at how their boule reacts when it lands. You can even test the potential landing area if required before you throw the Cochonnet. (FIPJP Rules Article 10). Once you have looked at the area you intend to land upon the key is then to land there! Then, if you have worked out the right place, your boule will take its heavenly course to the jack and gently nestle beside it like an old friend. That is of course if you want to get that close. Many players will try to aim to stop their boule in an area 6 to 12 inches from of the jack.
To practise, just draw some circles, approximately 10 inches or 25 cm diameter on the ground, (or you can use string or old washing line circles. Use a thin line so it does not affect the boules travel at a suitable place from the throwing circle and practise landing in them. Please note! Landing in them not stopping in them! No jack used for this, just land your boule in the string circle. Good Luck
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