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Pointing: getting close, most of the time
The goal is simple, land your boule as close to the jack as possible. The execution is where players separate. Lob, roll, carry distance and reading the surface before you throw.
Pointing is placing your boule as close to the cochonnet as possible. It is the skill most players use on most throws in most games.
Two methods do the work. The high lob drops steeply and stops quickly. The low roll skims the surface and lets momentum carry it in. Shooting is the dramatic move; pointing is the match.
The two methods
High lob and low roll
The difference is arc height, and therefore how the boule behaves once it lands. Both are legitimate and both have clear use cases. Choosing between them is the first decision of every throw.
High lob
Drops steeply with very little roll after landing. It can be aimed at a precise landing spot and it skips most of the ground between you and the jack, so surface irregularities en route stop mattering. Harder to execute consistently, and it needs a clean release.
Use it whenRough or uneven surfaces. Obstacles in the path. Any time the aim is to land right on the cochonnet.
Low roll
Lands earlier and rolls the remaining distance. More forgiving on distance, since small errors smooth themselves out over the roll, and easier to execute with a consistent swing. Surface bumps and slope work on it the whole way in.
Use it whenThe surface is flat and smooth, the distance is short to medium and the path to the jack is clear.
Same target, two routes to it. The roll asks the ground to do half the work, which is fine on a clean surface and unpredictable on a rough one. The lob carries over the ground entirely and pays for it in difficulty.
Start with the low roll. New players are almost always more consistent with it. The arm swing is more natural and distance errors are smaller. Once your roll is reliable, practice the lob specifically on rough terrain, where rolling stops being predictable. Both sit on top of the release mechanics covered in grip and stance.
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Distance
Controlling how far it goes
The most common beginner frustration is distance rather than direction. The line is right and the boule is long or short every time. Distance control comes from two variables: backswing length and arc height.
For a given release point, a longer backswing produces more distance. For a given backswing, a higher release produces more arc and therefore more carry with less roll. Pairing those two deliberately is what distance control means in practice.
| Distance to the jack | Backswing | Arc | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 to 6 m | Hip height | Low and short | Roll, minimal backswing |
| 6 to 8 m | Hip to shoulder | Medium | Roll or a soft lob |
| 8 to 10 m | Shoulder height | Full | Lob, palm down or palm up |
| 10 m and beyond | Full swing past the shoulder | High and steep | High lob at maximum power |
Treat these as starting points rather than rules. Every player has a slightly different natural swing and the numbers shift with body size and arm length. Use a table like this to calibrate quickly at an unfamiliar court, then adjust on your first few throws. The legal throwing distances themselves, 6 to 10 meters for the jack, sit on the court dimensions page.
Where to look
Aim at the landing spot, not the jack
The single most useful adjustment a new player can make. Stop aiming at the cochonnet and start aiming at the spot where you want the boule to touch down.
For a low roll, that spot might be 50 to 80 cm short of the jack. For a high lob it moves much closer: 20 to 30 cm short, or right on top of the jack for a dead stop. The French call that chosen spot the donnée, and choosing it well is most of pointing.
Aim at where you want the boule to land rather than where you want it to finish. The roll takes care of the rest, and the moment your eye moves to the jack your distance starts drifting.
The shift in focus also helps you read the ground. If you are rolling, the corridor between the landing spot and the jack is the route the boule will take, so bumps, stones and slope in that stretch decide the outcome. A lob skips most of that corridor, which is its main advantage on rough ground and the reason reading the terrain changes which method you pick.
Surfaces
Adjusting for terrain
Every surface changes how the boule behaves after it lands. A few rules hold almost everywhere.
| Surface | What it does | Adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Loose gravel | Slows the boule quickly | Plan for less roll, or lob closer to the jack |
| Packed gravel or clay | Predictable medium roll | The standard low roll works well |
| Compacted dirt | Fast or slow depending on moisture | Test with the first throw and adjust |
| Grass | Varies enormously; damp or long grass kills the roll | Lob almost everything |
| Slope | The factor players underestimate most | Downhill extends carry; uphill is easy to misjudge short |
Your first throws are information, not attempts. The opening two or three pointing throws of a game tell you how the terrain is playing today: fast or slow, with or against the slope, sticky or free. Experienced players treat them as calibration. Do not be frustrated when the first one is off; use it to set up everything after it.
The sequence
Pointing step by step
- Read the ground before you step inWalk alongside the terrain and look at the path between the circle and the jack. Note slope, rough patches and obstacles. Five seconds, and it changes the throw.
- Choose lob or roll, then commitDecide before you step into the circle. Rough or obstructed ground calls for the lob. Flat and clear invites the roll. Do not switch mid-swing.
- Fix the landing spotFor a roll, 50 to 80 cm short of the jack. For a lob, 20 to 30 cm short. Directly on it for a dead stop. Put your eyes there and keep them there.
- Set the grip and the stanceBoth feet inside the circle, shoulder-width apart, square to the landing spot. Grip firm but relaxed. Take a breath and do not rush the backswing.
- Swing, release, follow throughRelease at knee height for the roll, slightly earlier for the lob to add arc. Follow through naturally and keep both feet inside the circle until the boule lands.
Corrections
Four faults and their fixes
The boule rolls past the jack
Aiming at the cochonnet rather than at a landing spot, so every throw is calculated too far forward.
FixPick a physical mark on the ground as the landing spot and hold your focus on it through the whole throw.
Distance varies with no pattern
Sometimes short, sometimes long, with nothing obvious in common. The backswing length is changing from throw to throw.
FixSet the backswing height consciously before each throw. Pick one reference of hip, waist or shoulder and hold to it.
Switching method mid-game
Mixing lob and roll at random produces distance errors, because the landing-spot calculation is different for each one.
FixChoose one method for the terrain and stay with it for the game, unless the situation clearly demands the other.
Ignoring slope
Consistently short uphill and consistently long downhill, which means no adjustment is being made at all.
FixWalk the path before the throw. Add power uphill and take it off downhill. Aim to the high side of a cross-slope.
Practice
The ladder drill
Fifteen minutes, distance only
The drill builds distance control without asking you to think about direction. Place five markers in a straight line at 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 meters.
- Work the ladderThrow six boules at each marker using your standard low roll. Count how many land within 50 cm.
- Find the gapsNote which distances you are strongest at and which need work. The weak one is usually at the edge of your natural swing.
- Repeat with the lobSame ladder, high lob only. Compare accuracy at each distance and you will see where each method earns its place.
- Twice a week for a monthMost players gain a full meter of reliable range over that period.
More structured sessions, solo and with a partner, sit on the training drills page. Somewhere to run them is on the public courts listing, which covers terrain you can use without joining anything.
Know the rules as well as the throw?
Questions on scoring, fouls and the throwing circle, with the FIPJP article behind every ruling.
Common questions
Questions about pointing
What is pointing in pétanque?
Pointing is throwing your boule to stop as close to the jack as possible, rather than knocking an opponent’s boule away. It is the throw used most often in most games, and the one that wins the majority of points at every level.
Should a beginner lob or roll?
Roll. New players are almost always more consistent with it, because the arm swing is more natural and distance errors are smaller. Learn the lob afterward, and practice it specifically on rough ground where rolling becomes unpredictable.
Where should you aim when pointing?
At the landing spot, not the jack. For a roll that is roughly 50 to 80 cm short of the jack. For a lob it is 20 to 30 cm short, or on the jack itself for a dead stop.
Why is my distance inconsistent?
Usually the backswing length is changing between throws. Set it consciously against one reference point of hip, waist or shoulder before every throw. Forearm tension from over-gripping moves the release point and does the same thing.
How close is good enough?
A player who reliably lands within 30 cm at 8 meters is a competitive asset in any doublette or triplette. More beginner answers sit in the pétanque beginner FAQ.
The series
When pointing is not enough
Sometimes placing the boule perfectly still loses the point, because the opponent already has one tight against the jack and nothing you place will beat it. That is when shooting becomes the answer, and knowing which of the two a situation calls for is itself a strategic decision covered on the match strategy page.
For now, make the pointing reliable. Everything else in the game gets easier behind a player who can put a boule where they intend to.
Four weeks, four drills
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Quick reference
- Lob: rough ground, obstacles, a short stop needed
- Roll: flat ground, clear path, more forgiving
- Aim: the landing spot, never the jack
- Roll lands: 50 to 80 cm short of the jack
- Distance: backswing length plus arc height
Boule selector
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Pétanque quiz
Questions on scoring, fouls and the throwing circle, with the FIPJP article behind every ruling.