Petanque is one of the three forms of bocce, along with raffa bocce and volo bocce.

 

What is petanque?

The name of petanque is French in origin, deriving from the phrase pès tancats which means ‘feet fixed’ or ‘feet planted.’

This relates to the way in which players must stand within a small circle, with both feet firmly on the ground, when throwing the ball.

 

How to play petanque

Petanque bocce can be played in singles, doubles, triples or quadruples.

Similar to volo bocce, in petanque the ball is thrown rather than bowled.

The aim of the game is to score points by having your balls land closer to the target object (a ball or jack) than your opponents’, after all balls have been thrown.

This is achieved by throwing balls as close as possible to the target object, or by hitting opponents’ balls away from the target.

A throw is valid when aimed at the target.

Depending on competition schedules, petanque matches usually end when one team has reached 13 points.

As petanque bocce is very much a roaming game, it can be played in a number of spaces, such as public areas, parks, or dedicated facilities.

 

About petanque

Petanque bocce is governed by the French Federation of Petanque and Provence Games (FFPJP). The first official tournament of modern petanque took place in France in 1910.

To learn more about petanque bocce, reach out to your state’s bocce federations.