Pétanque: The Greatest Game You Never Heard Of: Beyond Bocce, The Elegant & Intelligent French Game of Boules (Volume 1)

Description

Almost everyone is familiar with the Italian bowls game Bocce. With the exception of those who have traveled to France, few Americans know Pétanque the "Elegant & Intelligent French Game of Boules." Contrary to the opinion of many ill-informed Americans, the French are a warm and generous people - that is except when it comes to their national game of Pétanque. In America too many clubs are tightly controlled by elitist French-Americans who practice Pétanque as an extension of French culture rather than a competitive sport. This book lets the genie out of the Bordeaux bottle. Americans are the most diverse and sporting people in the world. With respect and admiration to my French friends, now is the time to relinquish control and let the entire world embrace this great sport. Since I'm stepping on cultural toes (and with apologies to U.S. Bocce players who outnumber U.S. Pétanque players by a 1,000-to-1 ratio) Bocce is to Pétanque what checkers is to chess. Bocce is a simple, two-dimensional rolling game. Although it reputedly can be played on any surface, other than the most casual Bocce game is confined to expensive, smooth and level groomed courts enclosed with side and backboards; Pétanque is a three-dimensional throwing game in which the concept of a formal court doesn't exist. Even the world championships are played on rough, unlevel, ungroomed dirt and crushed gravel terrains. Ugly terrains tend to make Pétanque both aerial and savagely aggressive - boules are rarely rolled, instead they are gracefully lofted high into the air and competitor's boules are removed from play with sniper-like precision before the shooter's boule even touches the ground. If you're looking for a fun distraction during a family barbeque, stick with Bocce; if you want to be challenged with a subtle, complex, multilayered, inexpensive, egalitarian, environmentally friendly and truly universal sport - then you've got to give Pétanque a hard look . Like all great sports it can be played casually, but it's true essence is only revealed (and fully appreciated) during intense competition. This is the first comprehensive English language Pétanque book. The 8-1/2" x 11" format accommodates comfortable viewing of the over 100 diagrams and photos. With a few minutes of introductory practice throws, you can play games and have a great time; however, after teaching over 120 people how to throw in just the past year I can unequivocally state that the more technique and strategy one masters, the more engaging and fulfilling Pétanque becomes. The book starts at the absolute novice level and provides sufficient technique and strategy instruction to take a player to a regional-level competition. In Pétanque (like all things French) "function follows form"; throw effortlessly with style and grace, and your game will flourish! You probably don't live near an existing Pétanque club - but that's not necessarily bad. Starting a new group provides the opportunity to establish baseline etiquette and player ethics to create an inclusive and supportive, yet uncompromisingly competitive environment. Without any prior Pétanque experience you can create a start-up group for less than $100 and a few hours of time. You don't need a formal terrain; play on the types of public spaces reminiscent of the south of France where Pétanque originated: packed dirt public plazas, gravel walking paths, unpaved parking areas, and in America you're never more than a few miles from the dirt infield of a baseball diamond. These surfaces are great terrains. Strive to have club demographics reflect your community. More than just a great game, Pétanque is an ideal tool to unite a diverse neighborhood with a fun, challenging and inclusive activity in which all can participate. And never forget, we have the French to thank for it! Review: Best Book on PETANQUE yet! - The BEST book on Strategy and improvements. I found its the best i read so far: it goes to thehead of the class for PETANQUE books. Great Author..,. Review: A must-have book for anybody who wants to learn to play petanque - I initially reviewed this book in June 2012, when I was first learning petanque. It is now May 6, 2013. I have been playing, and using the book, for almost a year, and I am revising my review in light of what I have learned in the last year. One of the parts of the book that was most useful to me when I was starting out was the explanation of the difference between bocce and petanque. While useful at the time, that tiny tidbit of information now seems to me trivial. In my earlier review, I wished that the book contained more material about how to construct a petanque court (a "terrain"). I no longer have that wish. With more experience, I have come to realized that Putman is right, and that the best petanque is to be had when playing on natural terrains. As with other reviewers, my first impression of the book was shaped by the introduction and the first chapter. These parts include criticisms of bocce, criticisms of the FPUSA (Federation of Petanque USA), and criticisms of FPUSA clubs for failing to promote a higher level of play. Some other reviewers have criticized this material as "whining" and reduced the number of stars they gave the book. I find the criticisms in those reviews to be rather misleading, for two reasons. First, what seems to others to be "whining" seems to me to be (mostly) simple factual reporting of Putman's experiences. Putnam's reports seem to me realistic because, quite independently, I have had virtually identical experiences. So despite Putman's perhaps over-harsh tone in the early pages of the book, those pages raise valid issues. Second, these parts of the book are not typical of the book as a whole. After Chapter 1, the book's attention is completely devoted to the game itself, and the presentation is calm, clear, and extremely informative. After Chapter 2 (on strategy and etiquette), chapter 3 examines throwing techniques (basically, what happens to the ball when it is thrown or rolled). Chapter 4 is devoted to throwing mechanics (basically, how to move your body in order to be an effective thrower/player). Chapter 5 is devoted to competition boule selection. Chapter 5 is extremely useful in helping you separate important facts from urban legends when it comes to selecting boules. That chapter alone is worth the price of admission. The real strength of the book is Chapter 4: throwing mechanics. Chapter 4 discusses the basics of what you should be doing with your body in order to throw effectively, the various movement options you have, and ways to practice effectively. I didn't begin to appreciate the importance or usefulness of this information until after I had been playing for six or eight months. Only after you have been playing for a while do you start to have questions such as: "When I'm throwing with my right hand, what should I be doing with my left hand?" Or "How should I be holding the boule so that I can get some consistency in my pointing and shooting?" When I started having those questions, I went back to the book, and I found the answers there. I think that as I gain experience, in the future I will have more advanced questions, and I will be able to come back to the book and find the answers. I can see that there is advanced material that, now, is beyond me, but will become relevant and useful as I become more experienced. This is why I think the book deserves 5 stars, and why I think everybody who really wants to learn and play petanque will want to own this book. It has the depth of information that will allow you to come back to it every year or two, study it again, and each time to find something new and useful. Since the book went to press, two things have changed. (1) Petanque America has started selling leisure boules, and Putman now recommends the generic boules from Petanque America (as opposed to Playaboule). (2) The amount of useful information on the Web, about petanque, in English, has improved considerably (google "PETANQUE PORTAL USA").