Hitesh - the Master Shooter

Despite Pat's inability to remember his name, Hitesh has been shooting gangbusters these days. Every shot right on target. Eventually, I hope that most ofthe players will take some time to practice shooting - as it is a very useful tool in the petanque kit (especially when playing tete-a-tete).

The main idea behind shooting is psychology mixed with some visualization. When throwing a heavy object at another object there is, I feel, a hesitance to make the direct strike - something about not wanting to hit something dead-on... To overcome this, I throw slightly higher than I normally would - which usually compensates for subconsciously falling short of the target boule. B.S. ? Not sure. It seems to work (for me). The other idea is visualization. The boule is not being fired directly from where your eyes see the target, (obviously) - it is being flung from your outstretched arm - much to the side of your body. Keeping this in mind, consciously adjust for this slight angle. Last... some people swing their arms back and forth a number of times in a pendulum-like motion before shooting... I don't think this is the right method .. instead give the boule some heft to feel it's weight, then be aware of your finger placement on the boule and (I know at this point it sounds a bit silly) don't over-think your throw... just release the boule and let it sail to it's target.

When practicing your shooting (in non-game situations) - I would set up target boules at the 6-meter (6 paces) mark... try some shooting... after some success, move the target boules out another meter... and keep doing this until you reach 10 meters. Shooting beyond 10 meters can strain the arm a bit (when you're practicing so don't over do it). In fact, when the cochonnet is thrown out beyond 10 meters, you should really "take it back" to the regulation 6-10 meter distance to allow for practiced shooting.