For clubs
Running a club session
If you’d like to add a bit of practice to your club night, start with twenty minutes before the games. Work in pairs, take turns throwing and watching, then compare what you noticed.
There’s a different idea to work on each week. Week one is set out below, with four free sheets to print.
Choose 20, 45 or 90 minutes
Try twenty minutes first and see how the group gets on.
If people want longer on the exercises, try forty-five or ninety minutes. Both leave time for games within the session.
- 20min
Twenty minutes, before the games
A short exercise before everyone goes off to play their usual games.
- 45min
Forty-five minutes, practice and a game
More time in pairs, followed by a few normal ends.
- 90min
Ninety minutes, a longer session
Time to repeat the exercise, play, and talk about what you noticed.
Every evening follows the same rhythm
Use the timings as a guide. Leave a little longer for an exercise if people are getting something from it.
- 20 min: 3 · 45 min: 5 · 90 min: 10 —
1. Throw
Have a few throws
Let everyone have a few throws while people arrive. Give them time to find their arm and get a feel for the terrain before you explain the exercise.
- 20 min: 2 · 45 min: 5 · 90 min: 5 —
2. Notice
Explain the exercise
Introduce the week’s question and explain what to do. Keep it brief so people can get started.
- 20 min: 12 · 45 min: 20 · 90 min: 35 —
3. Explore
Practise in pairs
One player throws while their partner watches, then they swap. Use the observer’s card below to choose what to watch.
- 20 min: – · 45 min: 10 · 90 min: 25 —
4. Play
Play some ends
Play some normal ends and see how you get on with what you’ve been practising. Distances change and boules get in the way, so it may feel different from the exercise.
If you see a clubmate going back to an old habit, encourage them to try what they did in the exercise. That is all it needs.
In the twenty-minute version, the club’s usual games follow the exercise and notes.
- 20 min: 3 · 45 min: 5 · 90 min: 15 —
5. Take one thing home
Write down one thing you noticed
Ask everyone for one thing they want to remember and give them time to write it down. It might be a throw that felt right, something their partner saw, or a miss they now understand a little better.
For the twenty-minute version, write your notes in the final three minutes before the games. Add anything useful afterwards.
The six evenings
Each week follows the same format, with a different question to work on.
Your first evening: Awareness
Start with a simple question: “What happened?”
This session gives you time to notice something about your throw that you usually miss. You’ll work in pairs and take turns throwing and watching.
Follow the instructions below, or print this evening’s sheet.
The Witness Drill Six boules · half speed · 5s pause
Set the jack at a distance you know well. Before the set, the player throwing picks one question from the observer’s card for their partner to ask afterwards.
Throw six boules at about half your normal arm speed: your three, then three more. After each throw, pause to think back over what it felt like before picking up the next boule. Resist the urge to correct anything during this set.
After the set, your partner asks the question you chose. Say what you noticed before they add what they saw. Then swap.
Try it with another partner and see whether they notice the same thing.
One end rather than two. Three boules, then swap.
What did you notice about your throw for the first time?
Using the observer’s card
Before throwing, choose one thing from the card for your partner to watch. Your partner keeps the card and watches without commenting between throws.
When the set finishes, the partner asks what the player noticed. The player answers first, then the partner describes what they saw.
For example, your partner might ask, “Where did your hand finish?” You might say, “I thought it finished in the same place each time.” They might add, “On the last throw, it finished a little higher.”
Describe what you saw without suggesting a correction. If you couldn’t see it clearly, say so. Choosing something for your partner to watch does not mean you have to concentrate on it while throwing.
The player picks one for the set
- The arm Did your arm keep the same rhythm, or did it speed up somewhere?
- The release Where did the boule seem to leave your hand?
- The head Did your head stay still through the throw, or move as your arm came through?
- The eyes Where were you looking before you started the throw?
- The finish Where did your hand finish?
Watch the one thing your partner chose for the whole set. Keep the card while they throw.
After the set, ask the question they chose and let them answer first. Then describe what you saw, without suggesting a correction. If you couldn’t tell, say so. Swap roles.
What if you have more players than pistes?
The session is built around pairs, so think about how many pistes you have, not just how many people are coming.
- Two on a piste
One throws while the other watches, then they swap.
- Three or four on a piste
Take turns throwing and watching. Swap after each set so everyone gets a go.
- Not enough pistes to go round
Split the group. Half can do the exercise while the others play a game, then swap.
The important thing is to avoid turning practice into a queue.
Before the first night
You do not need much.
- Players
- Pairs work best. If you have an odd number, make one group of three.
- Pistes
- One piste for each pair if you have the room. Three or four can share, but try to avoid having people standing around waiting to throw.
- Kit
- Players use their own boules. Each pair needs a jack and, for some of the exercises, something small to mark a landing spot. A coin or bottle top is enough.
- Notes
- For the first evening, players just need something to write a few notes in. For the full six-week block, each player uses their own copy of The Pétanque Performance Journal.
- Time
- Choose a 20, 45 or 90-minute session. Most of it should be spent with boules in your hands.
Print what you need
Four sheets, all free. The card is the only one you print for every pair.
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Before the night
Print once
What to bring, what to print, which length you are running, and the one thing to explain at the start.
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The observer’s card
One per pair · two to an A4 sheet
The five things a partner can watch for. The same card all six weeks, so print it once and keep it in the bag.
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The evening’s sheet
One copy for the organiser each week
The question, the exercise, the clock at all three lengths, how to split the pistes, and the question players write about afterwards.
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Change one thing
Print once
A few things to try when an exercise starts to feel easy, with a question to ask after each change.
All four are free. Print them and run the first evening before you decide anything else.
What each player takes home
A few words in the journal are enough to remind you what happened. Write them while the session is still fresh.
Read them before you next play. You might want to try the same thing again, or see whether last week’s observation still holds.