Does any country operate a ranking system for petanque
players in the way some other sports do,
for example tennis?

If so, how does it work and what are the benefits?
If it is not done could it be useful in developing and
raising the standard of play or would it just be an ego
thing?

I'd be interested in hearing your views.

David

I am trying to get the book Pétanque by Marco Foyot, but after several month of trying it seems rather impossible to find.
Could anyone help me, please...

If you would like us to set up a forum that covers your, club, country, issues etc. Please send a message to the administration.

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If you feel the urge to contribute in any other way feel free to contact me at mr.owre@petanque.org or andreas.owre@cellnetwork.no

yrs.

Andreas Owre - Editor in Chief

How do I build a terrain ?

So tell me, guys - just what are the rules (if any)on throwing with the palm uppermost?

Hello John,

There is a club in Oslo which is organizing a small tournament every week.
They are putting each player into a double team. You are playing 4 or 5
matches on time. That means that you start the games about 1800 then you are
finish about 2100/2200. I think this type of tournament would be perfect
in yours place. For futher information, please do not hesitate to contact
me.

In Norway we have a ranking-system. The purpose of it is to name the player
of the year, and also for ranking the clubs. When our cup-competition is
drawn, the clubs with the higher ranking-points gets the walk-overs in the
first round (if any).
It works like this :

For small tournaments winners get 5 points each, 2nd place 3 points, 2 and 1
points for 3rd and 4th place.

For lager tournaments the points for the top four increase, to a maximum of
11 points for first place,9, 8, 7 for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, 5 for loosing
quarterfinalists, 3 for loosing 1/8th-finalists and 1 point for loosing
1/16th-finalists.

In Sweden we use a ranking system very much like the one used in tennis. In every official tournament with at least 17 participating teams, the players of the best teams get ranking points. The number of teams and points awarded depends on the total number of participating teams and the status of the tournament. The official ranking list will count ranking points awarded in the last 12 months.

The ranking list does presently not have many functions. The Swedeish Petanque Federation recommends that it should be used as basis for seedings in tournaments, but there's no obligation. For a short period it was used as a basis for a handicap system, where, in most tournaments, those playing a highly ranked player were given a couple of extra points at the start of the match. The handicap system has since (fortunately, in my opinion) been abandoned.

I personally find the ranking list
interesting to study, but it does have it's weaknesses. It's purpose is to reflect the quality of the players, but playing well is unfortunately not the only way to get a high ranking. You can also:
- play a lot of tournaments
- have good players on your team
- play mainly in tournaments without elite opposition

Therefore, I think it should not be taken too seriously. Still, the players at the very top of the list (say, the top ten) are all superb, by Swedish standards.

I'm uncertain as to how it has improved the standard of play, it has probably done more for the standard of certain egos.

/ Erik

In New Zealand, we have a seeding system that awards points based on where a player/team finished in national events over the last two years. It is used to seed the top players/teams in future events.

However, there are several limitations. The most obvious being that not all players gain seeding points, and there is no allowance for different tournament strengths.

To overcome this there is a an unofficial study using the ELO system to grade players based on who they play (and beat), rather than on where they end up. It will probably take another 12-24 months before we have sufficient results to provide a reasonable guide to playing strength.

For further information on the ELO system, I suggest contacting your local chess club (it has been used internationally to rank chess players for the last 30 years).

Regards
Michael
Khandallah Petanque Club
Wellington NZ

David Baxter wrote:
------------------------------------

Does any country operate a ranking system for petanque
players in the way some other sports do,
for example tennis?

If so, how does it work and what are the benefits?
If it is not done could it be useful in developing and
raising the standard of play or would it just be an ego
thing?

I'd be interested in hearing your views.

David

France operates a classification des joueurs (ranking of the players). The principal aim is to organize competitions reserved specially for each category of players: Promotion, Honneur, Elite (Elite with three different level: National, Regional, District).
We can see that outside France it could be premature to copy a cumbersome sytem with all its rules and regulation for enforcement, just to avoid the trophy hunter .
For club competition I propose a new format with as difference:
Self grading. A conviviale atmosphere where Elite and Promotion meet in the first game and after, game by game, players change group and play their category's final (Minimun 3 players, maximun unlimited).
Please give me a tick if you are interested, you will need Excel to open the spreadsheet. To keep the Petanque spirit IT IS FREE.
Yours in Petanque,regards Jean-Philippe.
My E-Mail: jeanphilippe@bonjour.fr


David Baxter wrote:
------------------------------------

Does any country operate a ranking system for petanque
players in the way some other sports do,
for example tennis?

If so, how does it work and what are the benefits?
If it is not done could it be useful in developing and
raising the standard of play or would it just be an ego
thing?

I'd be interested in hearing your views.

David

Following an earlier posting to this list, I managed to get a 2nd-hand copy from www.chapitre.com. Unfortunately the book is long out-of-print so your only chance is the 2nd hand market.

IMHO, it's well worth buying. An excellent introduction for the beginner/intermediate player with LOTS of useful information.

Good luck with the search.

faq wrote:
------------------------------------

How do I build a terrain ?

I'm sure this information is in various places. It's on the Brighton & Hove site www.pavilion.co.uk/petanque - follow the Playing then Terrains links.

If you want a cheap option, try and use an exisiting gravel drive, car park or just put some gravel on top of wherever you want to play.

Chris Johnson wrote:
------------------------------------

So tell me, guys - just what are the rules (if any)on throwing with the palm uppermost?

There isn’t actually a rule saying how you should or shouldn’t hold or throw the boule – presumably you could bowl over-arm or like a shot-putter!?

The main advantage of having the palm on top is that it allows much better control of the spin by being able to impart backspin, which isn’t possible if you hold the boule with the palm underneath.

Having said this, a few players do play palm underneath, even the odd shooter, and still seem to do pretty well.

There is a copy of the Elo System discussion document, plus provisional NZ national rating lists on the WPA website (www.petanque.org.nz).

Regards
Michael Rocks

Michael Rocks wrote:
------------------------------------

In New Zealand, we have a seeding system that awards points based on where a player/team finished in national events over the last two years. It is used to seed the top players/teams in future events.

However, there are several limitations. The most obvious being that not all players gain seeding points, and there is no allowance for different tournament strengths.

To overcome this there is a an unofficial study using the ELO system to grade players based on who they play (and beat), rather than on where they end up. It will probably take another 12-24 months before we have sufficient results to provide a reasonable guide to playing strength.

For further information on the ELO system, I suggest contacting your local chess club (it has been used internationally to rank chess players for the last 30 years).

Regards
Michael
Khandallah Petanque Club
Wellington NZ

David Baxter wrote:
------------------------------------

Does any country operate a ranking system for petanque
players in the way some other sports do,
for example tennis?

If so, how does it work and what are the benefits?
If it is not done could it be useful in developing and
raising the standard of play or would it just be an ego
thing?

I'd be interested in hearing your views.

David