Everything on Pétanque Central
Every page on the site, grouped the way the site is built.
Overview
- 8
- sections, from first throw to tournament day
- 53
- pages, each one listed below
- 3
- languages: English, French and Spanish
Start playing
For complete beginners. What the game is, how it is scored and what happens the first time you turn up at a club.
Section hub
The beginner section in one place: rules, formats, the FAQ and the quiz, in the order they make sense.
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How the game works, where it came from and how a round plays out from the coin toss to the measurement.
The official rules alongside the unwritten ones: silence in the circle, marking boules and who measures.
Tête-à-tête, doublette, triplette and mêlée. Which format fits your group size and mix of levels.
The disputes that break out in real games: a dead jack, a displaced boule and equal measurements.
Pick 5 to 50 questions on scoring, fouls and the throwing circle, with the reasoning behind every answer.
Find a club
The club directory, public courts and a country page for each of the three national scenes.
Section hub
Verified listings across the United States, Canada and Mexico, with schedules, surfaces and guest fees.
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Terrain you can play on without joining anything, listed by city.
Submit a club to the directory. Free, and reviewed before it goes live.
FPUSA regions, where play concentrates and the clubs operating outside the federation.
Provinces, federations and clubs from Quebec through to British Columbia.
Clubs and groups across Mexico, with federation detail for organised play.
Where people play
Regional guides for the metros and regions with an active scene, sitting under each country page.
Clubs, courts and where to play across California.
Clubs, courts and where to play in the Carolinas and Atlanta.
Clubs, courts and where to play in central and Gulf Florida.
Clubs, courts and where to play across Louisiana.
Clubs, courts and where to play around New York City.
Clubs, courts and where to play in the Northern California wine country.
Clubs, courts and where to play across the Pacific Northwest.
Clubs, courts and where to play in South Florida.
Clubs, courts and where to play around Montreal.
Clubs, courts and where to play in Ottawa-Gatineau.
Clubs, courts and where to play around Quebec City.
Clubs, courts and where to play across Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean.
Clubs, courts and where to play around Ensenada.
Clubs, courts and where to play around Guadalajara.
Clubs, courts and where to play in León and the Bajío.
Clubs, courts and where to play around Mérida.
Techniques
From a first throw to competitive play. Mechanics, the errors that persist unnoticed and structured practice.
Section hub
All six technique pages, with a suggested order and a path for each level.
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How to hold the boule and set your body so every throw repeats the last one.
Roulette, demi-portée and plombée. When to use each and how to land close.
Tir au fer, rafle and sautée. Trajectory, foot position and carreau against défoncer.
How surface, slope and loose stone change a throw. Adjusting once the game is under way.
When to point, when to shoot and what the score means for how a mène should be played.
Structured solo and partner practice for distance control, accuracy and shooting under pressure.
Events and tournaments
Sanctioned competition, social events and everything a club needs to run one.
Section hub
Dates across all three countries, drawn from the FPUSA, Pétanque Canada and Federación Mexicana de Petanca calendars.
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Formats, Swiss draws, competition rules, entry costs and an eight-week checklist for organizers.
Resources
Free downloads, interactive tools and the reference pages worth keeping open on court.
One PDF covering the rules, boule sizing, court dimensions, the glossary and a club visit checklist.
Five questions on hand size, throwing style and budget return the diameter, weight and hardness that fit.
French pétanque terms with pronunciation, plain-English definitions and an example of each in use.
What separates a leisure set from competition steel, and which boules are legal in sanctioned play.
Official terrain sizes, marking instructions and how much ground a back garden court needs.
Two games that look alike from across a park and play nothing alike.
Printable sheets tracking each mène and the running total, for clubs, leagues and tournaments.
One email a month: rules explainers, club spotlights, equipment notes and events worth knowing about.
Reviews and blog
Hands-on gear coverage and longer articles from the pétanque scene in North America.
About and information
Who runs the site, how to reach us, how to contribute and the legal pages.
Who runs the site, what it stands for and how it stays independent of the federations.
Questions, corrections, partnerships and club submissions.
Write, photograph or send data. The site grows when players pitch in.
What the site collects, what it does with it and how to ask for it back.
Site terms, fair use and the legal basics.