From centuries have been games with balls, that's how remains one of the popular sports "the petanque" practiced in France, Spain, on the Mediterranean in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a game that seems simple but with complexity.  The game consists on the proximity of an objective the close is the ball greater chance of winning.

The meaning of his name Petanque comes from "pied tanks" meaning "feet together". Its beginnings result of two possible events in the village of Provence in France. The first of a young man who had lost his legs in an accident and his brother proposed to play a game without moving in a short field and the other possible event is that a man with rheumatism prevented him move so he had the idea still on a line.

Only until after 1910 through the first official competition that sport begins to be popular quickly and actually the eighth sport license in France.

 

At the beginning the balls were made of rocks then in wood and now those are made of steel or bronze with diameter between 7.05 and 8 inches and weighing 650 grams minimum and maximum 800 grams.

 

The game of Petanque is to throw the ball as close possible to an objective which is another small wooden ball called jack (cochonet). Minimum are two adversaries or by teams. The games are played to 13 points.

 

The two ways of throwing the balls are point and shoot. The first "point" is throwing the ball trying to stay as close to the jack and the second form "throw" is to throw the ball with some

force to opposite hitting a ball away. Usually played on gravel plains and sandy but you can practice on all types of terrain.

Men, women, children, everyone can play this game that despite of its simplicity has complexity however, also you can enjoy.

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Fuentes

writer: MariabotCh

http://www.fepetanca.com/01histodeporte.htm

http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Petanca

La petanca Colección iniciación deportiva Editorial Paidotribo

Fotos: MariaBotCh

 

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