In a previous article on Measuring Petanque (boules) performance I stated that the subjective selection is alienating many players and discarding great potentials, especially when travelling to other villages for competition.

Asking someone to take statistics of each player performance in each game in order to tabulate performance shouldn’t be such a great burden.

I suggested the following criteria for taking statistics:

1. For punting, coming closer to the cochonet, a distance of less 20 cm is allocated 3 points, less than 50 cm two pts, less than one meter a single point
2. For hitting the ball (tireurs), a carreaux (displacing the other team ball and taking its place) allocate 3 pts, just displacing the ball 2 pts, hitting but not making a significant difference a single point. If the player displace his winning team’s ball then we deduct 3 points (-3).

It is best to calculate the median instead of the average value. The median has significance to the player. If a club has 40 members, half the players have a score above the median and the other half lower. You can classify players according to quartiles: The 10 best scorers and the 10 lowest scorers and the ones in between.

Each week or month, a player would be reported his score and his place among the players, without mentioning names of the other performers.

Obviously, many players will boast of their scores, and this an opportunity to observe the techniques and adaptability of the better performer according to the terrain.

Averages (means) have no meaning: it is a mathematical formula that can be manipulated in other statistical equations for various results.

You may report scores over 6 months of the aggregate monthly scores, or when a competition is near for selection purposes of teams.

You may complicate the statistics by reporting on which field (terrain) it was taken. The terrain is the main factor in performance measures

It is important to discriminate between performance and consistency in potential skills.

Performance is measuring the scores and selecting the highest scorers for any competition.

Potential is just adding the binary numbers of 1 (Hit) and Zero, like hit or No hit, satisfactory punting or totally lousy, satisfactory hitting or Not.

For example, if you are consistent in hitting regardless of type of hits, or satisfactory punting like within one meter, then this consistency can be promising with additional training.

The types of field (terrain) is the main variable to study and accommodate your technique. Learn to be flexible and change your technique relative to the terrain.

Observe the other players: the trajectory (full plombing, semi or quarter plombing) and where their balls hit the field (distance) before the cochonet. 

If you are not flexible and do Not exercise on different throwing methods, in holding the ball, the trajectory of the ball (high trajectory or rolling on the ground…), and flexing of the wrist… you will be at a disadvantage.

Lately, many players would like to impress on you that a certain throwing method is the rule (regulation), but I didn’t find any rule, pictures, graphs or anything of the sort of how you hold the ball and throw. (Usually, those who mention “rules” at leisure are lousy performers)

Note: I realized that balls made in China are practically discarded as Not fitting regulation? Why? I basically think it is a French political and economic colonial constraint for players. Chinese-made balls are fine to me. As long as they fit my palm for better grip.