boules – a ball game with many facets

Not only in France is that boules Play popular. Translated into German means boules ‚Bullet‘ and the bullets are the ones that play a central role in the game of skill. The history of ball games began long before our era. Even the Romans trained their skill and their strength when throwing stone balls. Hippocrates is said to have recommended this type of exercise as early as 460 BC. A Greek scholar has described a boule-like game in which the players tried to hit a brick with their bullets. The loser was pretty hard at the time because he had to take the winner on his shoulders and transport him to the finish.

Over the centuries, the rules of the game changed again and again and today there are in the different countries ball games with different rules of the game. boules competitions also took place at the famous 1900 World’s Fair in Paris, which has contributed to its wider popularity. As an Olympic sport was boules – to the regret of many enthusiastic supporters – but never recognized.

The rules of the game – slightly simplified for a better understanding
The ball game, as it is quite common in Germany, corresponds to a special French variant of the ball game. Most fans of this sport think they would boules play – in fact, it is in this widespread variant of boules around ‚Pétanque‘. Pétanque is played with steel balls. Each of the balls has a weight of 700 grams. The throw target is a ball of wood, which is also referred to as a pig. The task of the players is to throw their balls as close to the piglet as possible from the casting circle. Alternatively an attempt is made to hit the opponent team’s best-placed ball and thus get rid of the piggy.

The number of players can vary at Pétanque. Either two people compete against each other, each playing with three balls. This variant is called Tête-à-Tête. In the doublet two teams with two players compete against each other. Each player has three balls. If each team consists of three players, a triplet is played. In this variant, each player plays with two balls. Before you start, you will be drawn who can place the wooden ball. If you have the right ticket, draw a circle and throw away the wooden ball from there, so that it lies at a distance of about 6 to 10 meters. Subsequently, a representative of the same team tries to bring his ball as close as possible to the piggy. Thereafter, the opposing team is on the train and may throw so long, until one of their balls comes closest to the piggy. If that succeeds, she gets a point well written. The first team has to try again to score a point. She may throw until she has no balls left. Then it is scored. For every ball that is better than the balls of the opposing team, there is a point. The team that has reached 13 points first is the lucky winner.

The rules of the game are quickly learned and the equipment is easy to get. Usually complete sets containing both the steel balls and the wooden ball are sold. The set also includes a practical bag for the storage,