Rules & How to play

Pétanque is a “boules” sport in the same family as bocce, curling, shuffleboard, and horseshoes. The object of the game is to score points by getting your boule closer to the target than your opponent.

Unlike bocce or bowling, boules are not rolled on the ground but tossed in the air with a little arc and some backspin.

The game originated in the south of France but is played all over the world from Thailand to Madagascar, Senegal to Canada, and in the heart of Brooklyn.

  • The Traditional Mariole

    Played just like French Petanque. The only difference is that it can be played on any surface, anywhere your imagination takes you!

  • La Mariole des Fadas

    The only rule is that there are no rules or very few! You must have at least one foot in the game area defined beforehand. Put the jack using your hand, anywhere within a 360° scope. Then you can use obstacles, walls and other elements as supports to get closer to the jack. The first team to score 9 points wins. 

1 2

How to hold a boule?

The word pétanque comes from the Occitan phrase pè tancat which means “feet planted”. Whenever a player throws a boule, they must stand within a circle that is 50cm in diameter. Both feet must remain planted until the boule touches the ground.

How to point?

The target ball in pétanque is called thecochonnetwhich is French for “piglet”.Pointingis when a player attempts to get their boule as close as possible to thecochonnet.A good pointer will inspect the terrain for a nice landing spot and adjust the amount of arc, distance, and backspin needed to “take the point” from their opponent.

How to shoot?

The most exciting part of pétanque is the emphasis on shooting your opponent’s boules This might be necessary in order to remove an opponent’s point which is so close to thecochonnetit can’t be beaten. Shooting can also be a strategic play to prevent your opponent from scoring and rack up multiple points for your own team.
The perfect shot in pétanque is called acarreau, when a player shoots an opponent’s boule, knocking it out and taking its place.

Shooting is not easy, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t always make a perfect carreau. Even the best players in the world miss all the time…well, not all of them!

Some essentials for your game of indoor petanque?

  • Organize the indoor petanque ground: Even if indoor petanque does not require being outside and having a real petanque ground, you still need a little space to be able to play soft petanque .

  • Get a team: Indoor petanque is played in groups of two or three, but can also be practiced one against one.We are talking about: head to head, doublet or triplet.

  • Provide a game of softballs for each team.Two or three balls per player are necessary.

  • Trace or form a circle on the ground to determine where to shoot or point the soft petanque balls.A single foot in the area is enough to validate the throw.

1 4

Rules of the game of indoor petanque

Th erule of petanque is relatively simple: throw the inner petanque boule as close as possible to the jack. Once this rule of the game has been acquired, it is only a matter of practice to learn to master the technique of "shooting" or "pointing".

  • How to start a game of indoor petanque in the rules of the art?

    The winners score a point for each boule that they have succeeded in placing better than those of their adversaries. Indoor bowls rounds continue until 9 points are reached to win the game .

  • What will La Mariole bring you as an indoor boules game?

    Whether you want a moment of Marseille-style relaxation or because you are an outstanding bowler and petanque is a real sport for you, the indoor game of petanque should make you happy and quickly become your entertainment and leisure favourite!

Indoor petanque

The solution is all found with indoor pétanque. This game of soft bowls allows you to indulge in your favorite hobby and play petanque in an apartment without requiring a bowling alley. Thiseasily transportable indoor petanque softball game can also be taken to friends or on vacation and will allow you to offer Marseille-style entertainment appreciated by all. The indoor game of petanque differs from the traditional french petanque in particular by the composition of the ball.It is, in fact, a soft petanque ball in which there are small boules of polished stones.As far as the indoor petanque rules are concerned, nothing could be simpler, since the rules of the classic Petanque game apply. 

Our all-terrain softballs