Days of Petanque: Bad Habits

Subject: Days of Petanque: Bad Habits

Date: March 28, 2020 at 7:38:13 PM PDT

I'd love to learn to play this game. I really would. One of the questions I have is, what to do with the free hand? Here are three top notch players. Tough competitors each and everyone. And look where their free hands are. All completely different. What's a newby to do? I've tried as many variations as I can think of and am pretty much equally bad at all of them. I never know if I just need more practice to get better or if I'm only setting some very bad habits in stone that I will have greater difficulty in overcoming later.

Maybe, since I'm only a social player, it doesn't really matter. One of the beauties of the game is that it is easy enough to learn to play well enough to enjoy a pick up game with friends. The trouble with the Sonoma club, is that there are so many really excellent players that it is hard not to compare oneself with them. I've asked people, "How do you know when you are as good as you are ever going to be?" The answer is usually something along the line of, "You can always learn something. And always improve your game." I've always thought of myself as a good student. Open. Teachable. Willing to learn. But at my age maybe it's the question that's wrong. Maybe the question I should be asking myself is, "Why are you playing the game at all? If you are never going to be a top of the line competitor, what's the point?" 

If the point is only to spend some time in a very interesting community, then what does it matter how well I play, as long as they let me join in? Maybe I've gotten misdirected in where my focus should be. Maybe I should pay more attention to the players and let the game take care of itself. Because this shelter-at-home thing where I can practice in the back yard has taught me it's not the game I miss, it's the people.

So I say this in all sincerity, without guile, or self interest (except that Barry should let me win when we play our Winter Singles game, or he might feel really bad about beating me), I say, take care of yourselves. Not only do I need you. I believe you need each other.

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"Think where man's glory most begins and ends and say my glory was that I had such friends."
― William Butler Yeats