Boules Sports
Boules is general term for a category of sports, such as Pétanque and Bocce. Sometimes these sports are incorrectly called boules. The objective of boules sports is to throw balls towards a small target ball, and get them as close as possible to the target.
Traditional boules-type games popular in many European countries. Boules games are usually played in town squares and parks, typically large, level, rectangular courts made of flattened earth or gravel.
who is closest?Depending on the version being played, balls are either thrown or rolled towards a target ball. Throwing techniques may vary. Points are usually scored for getting your ball closest to the target. Sometimes a run-up is allowed. The balls can be made of wood, metal or leather, and vary in size and weight.
Boules Sports
- Pétanque — a type of boules in which the objective is to throw hollow metal balls towards a small wooden target ball.
- Bocce — is part of the boules sport family, similar to bowls and pétanque a ball is thrown as close as possible to a smaller 'jack'.
- Boccia — a ball sport similar to bocce, bowls, and pétanque for athletes with physical disabilities.
- Jeu Provençal — a popular French form of Boules, where the objective is to throw a set of hollow metal balls as close as possible to a target ball.
- Raffa Bocce — a variation of bocce played on carpet, plastic balls are rolled or thrown towards a taget smaller ball.
- Bocce Volo (flight bocce) — metal balls are thrown overhand (palm down) with a runup, the Italian version of Jeu Provençal / Boule Lyonnaise.
- Bolas Criollas — a traditional Venezuelan team sport like bocce and pétanque in which players throw a set of balls as close as possible to the small target ball.
- Taistelupetankki (which is Finnish for "combat pétanque") - an outdoor sport game based on pétanque, developed in Finland in 1999. It is played with the same equipment as pétanque, but it can be played in more diverse terrain.
- Lawn Bowling — the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty".
Related Pages
- About Bowling Sports
- Demonstration of boules at the 1900 Olympic Games - two versions were played, Jeu Lyonnais (game of Lyon) and Partie de Berges.
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports