Pétanque was featured at the 2015 All-Africa Games hosted by the Republic of the Congo, a former French colony. Boules games have a very long history, dating back through the Middle Ages to ancient Rome, and before that to ancient Greece and Egypt. Good pointing is what scores points, but national and international championships are usually dominated by skilful shooters, who target any opposing boule that comes close to scoring. This Boule set from Garden Games comprises 8 polished alloy boules with a jack supplied in a sturdy metal carrying case. In contrast, pétanque, a throwing game, can be played on almost any relatively flat, unprepared outdoor surface.

All of our sets include a Jack or Cochonnet and this is thrown at the beginning of the game with the players then having to throw their metal boules as close as possible to this. It is very popular, especially in France, but also Italy, where it may often be seen played in any open space in villages and towns. The Confédération Mondiale des Sports de Boules (CMSB) was created (on 21 December 1985 in Monaco) by three international boules organizations for the purpose of lobbying the Olympic committee to make boules sports part of the summer Olympics. Etsy does not evaluate the description, condition, or authenticity of any of the vintage boules set that are listed by individual sellers on Etsy.

Pétanque originally evolved from jeu provençal as an adaptation for a player with a disability affecting the legs. Scoring [ edit ] Team Red has the boule closest to the jack, but the second-closest boule belongs to Team Blue. Petanque is a ball game that can be enjoyed by anyone of any age who is able to roll or throw a metal ball up to around 5 metres. A volo shot is the way of hitting an opponent's ball that is very close to the pallino by throwing through the air and hitting directly the opponent's boule (or the pallino), with the restriction that the ball may first strike the ground within 50 cm of the target.

It's a great game that is traditionally played on specially prepared grit surfaces but in fact, works fine in all sorts of places - including the beach, gardens, parks and any sandy or gritted area. As the game progresses, each team accumulates points until one of the teams reaches 13, the winning number of points. Pétanque also appeared in Season 4 Episode 20 (Pétanque) of the American sitcom The Cosby Show in 1988. Boules-type games are traditional and popular in many European countries and are also popular in some former French colonies in Africa and Asia. The boule can be rolled, thrown to a moderate height, or even thrown to a great height (a high lob or portée).By the 1920s, the growing popularity of boules in France created a demand that could not be satisfied using the available supplies of natural boxwood root, which were beginning to disappear. Before the mid-1800s, European boules games were played with solid wooden balls, usually made from boxwood root, a very hard wood. Punto, raffa, volo (note that this is a single name consisting of three comma-separated words) is a type of bocce governed by the Italian Confederazione Boccistica Internazionale (CBI).

The largest annual tournament in the United States is the Petanque Amelia Island Open (formerly the Petanque America Open), held in each year in November at Amelia Island, Florida. Boule / Petanque played with soft balls like these is also a serious paralympic sport and so is ideal for disabled people. A boule located closer to the player than the jack ("in front of the jack") is much more valuable than one behind the jack.

For more information about the game and advice on choosing your boules, check out our handy Information page. Packed with the solid metal case this elegant set of boules allows players of all ages and abilities join in with this classic game. Most of our boules sets come packed in a canvas carry bag with a strong handle allowing them to be the ideal set for taking to the park or the beach to play with family and friends. Louis Tarchier and Jean Blanc are generally credited with developing, around 1925, the process by which virtually all metal boules are manufactured today—steel blanks are pressed into hollow hemispheres which are then soldered together and machined to make a hollow steel boule. In the 14th century, Charles IV and Charles V of France forbade the sport to commoners; only in the 17th century was the ban lifted.