How to Win at Petanque

Petanque or boule as it is often known is a game played all over the world. It is seen in every French town square being played by a selection of people of all ages and abilities. It has been adopted in most countries as a recreation sport and is extremely popular in China where there are now over a million registered players.

The game is a simple one to play but one that is hard to excel at. There are many methods used by players to win at Petanque, some underhand such as putting your opponents off the throw, others involve endless practice. By far the most successful way to win at Petanque is to train your mind to win.

In every sport the subject of sports psychology is used and it is now creeping its way into the sport of Petanque. The easiest way to attain victory is to train your mind for success and to visualise the perfect shot and the perfect game before you have even stepped onto the piste. Many people in the game have never thought of this concept, mainly due to the fact that Petanque is considered a recreation sport. However like any sport, victory for either team is uppermost in their minds.

Most books that have been written about Petanque are in French and the only books in English cover the basics of the game and not the inner workings of the mind. In my e-book How To Win At Petanque I have introduced players of all abilities to the vital aspects of the inner mind and how their thinking can affect their game.

Many things can affect a players game, their state of mind, the teams they are playing, the weather, their team mates, their perceived ability and many more aspects that can alter the intended outcome. If a player or team wishes to succeed in any tournament they first have to learn how to control their mindset. This can take years of practice, endless days of routine throwing, losing and sometimes winning and attempting to identify a common thread, struggling to cope with the many issues that affect their minds. The alternative is to train your mind in the correct way, your body will naturally follow.

Any player who wishes to attain the level of Unconscious Competency must first learn how to drive. When we are beginning to learn to drive we are in a state called unconscious incompetency. This is where we have to think about each and every move we make, we are nervous and have no real idea of what we are doing, everything is difficult and strained.

The next level is called conscious incompetency, this is where we now are able to drive a car but are still not comfortable. We can make it from A to B but still have to concentrate with huge effort.

Following that we achieve conscious competency, this is where we can drive quite well, we are getting used to the feel of the vehicle and can even drive on our own at times. However there are still days when we stall and make mistakes as it has not become natural yet.

Finally we achieve unconscious competency, we can drive, talk, listen to the radio and still end up at our destination often automatically without consciously thinking about it. It is this level of skill that is important in the game of Petanque. The only way to achieve unconscious competency is to gain control of the mind first. If you can visualise your shots being played perfectly then your body will naturally enable your arm to replicate this.

Of course some practice is necessary, but not the endless hours of drills and practice games which are often promoted by the current coaches in the game. Save time and effort and learn how to control your game internally first and the natural game will automatically follow.