In your poll where you ask: Do you consider yourself a Shooter or a Pointer, I think that you should really have had a third option - Shooter or Pointer or both? There are times when you have to be able to do both.

Hi

Good point! I'll add a few more options!

btw: If anyone has ideas for new poll questions just mail them to me, and I'll add them

yours
Stig Bordsenius
petanque.org

Dear Stig,

The difficulty with the Poll questions is that they often can only offer limited "Yes/No" type choices, whereas the issues would often benefit from some discussion.

Barbara is right in that sometimes one has to point. Personally I try to practise both pointing and shooting. Playing singles, of course you have to do both.

In a team game, doubles or triples, the position I play will depend on the skill/abilities of the other players and also the type of game we're playing. If somebody on the team is a better shooter than me, I'm quite happy to let them shoot and I'll point. Conversely, if the others are weaker than me at shooting, then I'll shoot.

If it's a 'serious' game, then it's important to try and get the best shooter as the main shooter, best pointer as main pointer, etc. But if it's a 'fun' or practise game then, providing everybody is happy, why not let any of the players practise any of the roles?

If a player is off-form, then it might be necessary to change roles during a game.

Remember, Philippe Quantais, World Shooting Champion, often players Pointer in a team!

Regards,

Ray

I agree with Ray. We should all be able to do whatever is necessary for our team (or for oneself if it's a game of Singles). There was a very long time when I was afraid to even try to shoot. But I came to realise that I needed to shoot as well as point so I forced myself to have a go. Now, although I can't really call myself a shooter (my success rate is nowhere near high enough), I do quite a bit of shooting and can say that I'm improving.

However, if I'm partnering a new player who wants to learn to shoot, then I'm quite happy to be the pointer and do my best to encourage the new player.

There is a danger of labelling people as "Pointers" or "Shooters" but we should all strive to be Petanque players and not be stuck with one role or the other.

By the way, Stig, congratulations on the interesting polls.

well in a game of petanque, it's always prerequisite to have roles defined.The shooter should always shoot and the pointer points.Because if -in a competition -we engage ourselves into the game and not really knowing who of the triple is going to shoot or who is to play the middle, we will undoubtedly lose that game, regardless of how good we are.Players should be disciplined into the art of playing boules.Roles should be set beforehand.Thus players are prepared to the tasks the will be called to poerform.And no swapping of places should be tolerated unless it was decided by the team captain or strategy maker.

Yes, I agree. But we should all be able to fulfil both roles because a shooter may be called upon to point and a pointer may be called upon to shoot. If a pointer's is the team's last boule and a shot is needed to save (or even win) the match, then the pointer must be able to shoot.