Having a Ball - in SW France

We take a look at Tennis, Pétanque and Golf to help you keep your eye on the ball when it comes to fitness and fun.

Tennis for everyone

With so many tennis courts and clubs in towns and villages there’s no excuse not to practice, the first rule of the game. Membership at a local club, where play is mostly on a clay court (terre battue) combines both physical and social aspects, and visitors can usually have temporary membership for a nominal fee. The right racket length is about 66 or 69cm for an adult. For the grip size measure from the tip of your ring finger to the first lateral crease on your palm. It really is best to wear proper tennis shoes which can withstand repetitive sideways movements and support your feet and ankles. If you are new to the game, you might prefer a slower beginners tennis ball, giving you more time to concentrate on your swing, and more chance of hitting it back. Another good idea is for one person to toss 30 balls or so over the net whilst the other hits them back. Private lessons are often the quickest way to learn how to play tennis and avoid bad habits. Once you have grasped the basics, practice with a ball machine is a great way to improve specific techniques. If you want to join a tournament, your “classement”, or your level of ability (ranking), will dictate your entry point. In theory, a beginner can win a championship but, practically speaking, beginners play first, being joined by more experienced players as the tournament progresses. Watching Wimbledon and the French Open will give you inspiration and encouragement too so sit back and enjoy while you can!

Know your boules

We see it being played everywhere by young children with their coloured balls, right through to the older generation with their tried and tested steel boules. Pétanque, often referred to as Boules, can be played virtually anywhere on grass, gravel and other hard ground areas. Not all boules are the same, and we are not just talking about the patterns of the grooves (stries) which provide easy identification. A boule can weigh between 650 to 800 grams and be 75 to 80mm in diameter. Why the difference? Women and young people may prefer to play with smaller versions for sure but there are other reasons to choose your boules carefully. A player who is good at placing their boule will often prefer a small, heavy model which is more difficult to move when hit and, because it is smaller, presents less of a target to the opposition. The opponent, who is trying to knock a boule out of the game, will often choose a lighter boule. The lighter it is, the quicker it will lose momentum and stop. However, lighter does not mean smaller. The idea is to knock the other ball out and it is here that size really does matter. That extra 5mm could make the difference between a hit or a miss.

Top tips on putting

You can always become better. Tiger Woods

Here are some great tips from John Cook, a renowned PGA golf coach and international player, about how to perfect your golf and putt the ball, in the hole, more often.

• The first thing is to remain relaxed. Standing over the putt for too long will make you tense. It’s best to decide on the line, address the ball, look at the hole twice and then putt. Don’t forget that the more you look at the hole, the more negative your thoughts will be.

• Whilst practicing on the putting green, place four balls around the hole at a distance of two feet. When you have holed all four in a row, place them at three feet away, then four feet and so on. Record the best length and try to beat that next time, always starting from two feet.

• If at home, place a coin on the carpet as a marker for where to putt from. Place another ball on the carpet about three feet away. Putt the first ball to strike the second, which will obviously move further away. Place the first ball back on the coin and strike the second ball again.

• Stick a tee into the practice putting green and then practice putting to it. When you go onto the course, the hole will look like the size of a bucket! You can do this on the carpet at home by turning the tee upside down. You can read more about golf in John’s book “The Greatest Guide to Golf” and in his articles in the July and September issues of The Local Buzz.