Watching the Winter Olympics with all its weird and wonderful sports that I’ve never heard of, and won’t again till the next Games, makes me think of another unusual game that no one’s ever heard of, but features strongly in our household: pelote basque. JF plays in the local league and loves it, but honestly I can’t work it out.
It seems to go like this: it’s a racquet game originating from the Basque region of France/Spain loosely based on the ancient game jeu de paume. Yet when I say game, it is in fact a grouping of between 12 – 22 different games, one of which doesn’t even use a racquet! Now this is what I don’t really get; some of these games seem to me as similar to each other as tennis is to badminton or even volleyball; i.e not very. These are different sports, not the same one. So forgive me if I don’t really get pelote basque.
What I do get is that it is tough and a little crazy. It’s played in pairs and in the majority of the 22 versions players hit a small hard ball with a wooden racquet (no strings, no give) against a wall (called a fronton) up to 30 metres away. This is not a soft(ish) tennis ball, nor a fluffy shuttlecock, it can be made of wood, leather, latex or a combination of wood and latex. As far as I can feel, it’s rock hard. It’s so hard players must wear protective goggles to avoid injury. So it strikes me as madness to hit a rock-hard ball with a wooden bat, really far, ouch! But then I’m not known for being very sporty, or very good with pain
Pelote basque as mentioned above comes from the Basque area of South-West France and Northern Spain and has spread across the globe through immigration, mainly to South America, particularly Argentina. There is, surprisingly, an International Federation consisting of 27 participating countries which recognises 22 versions of the game. The French Federation only recognises 12. The most spectacular one called Chistera is played with an open sort of scooped glove, there’s also “main nue” with no racquet just a bare hand and the most common form, simply pelote basque, played with a slotted wooden racquet called a pala. The game has once featured at the Olympics, in 1900 in Paris, when only two countries, France and Spain competed (photo above). Spain won.
Now back to the title of this post, a very un-Provençal game. Provence is known for pétanque not pelote and ask most people in the South-East if they’ve heard of pelote and they’ll shake their heads. It just happens we live between the 3 clubs (Cannes, Grasse and Villeneuve-Loubet), which together with Corsica and Marseille, make up one of the very few leagues not in the South-West. And this is where JF plays, at Villeneuve-Loubet, where there has been a fronton since 1920. For anyone who likes finding unusual morsels of local history, when visiting Villeneuve-Loubet look out for the old fronton that now forms one wall of an apartment block on the square “Jeu de Paume”.
Do you have any unusual or wacky sports where you are? Do you play? I’d love to hear from you.
Further Reading
Visiting the National Museum of Sport – Nice, France
Golfing Holiday on the French Riviera
PIN it for later!
credit for first photo wikimedia commons and black & white photo wikimedia commons
it looks like an interesting sport! at first I thought it would have to do with baskets and a ball (since that’s what pelote basque sounds like to me).. Thanks for linking up with Travel Tuesday!
Yes it always makes it better when you know the rules. Thanks for commenting Linda.
haha! French are obsessed with belote, it’s like it’s the only card game out there. I don’t understand it either (though it’s definitely less dangerous)!
Women play, in JF’s club the women tend to be better than the men and there’s also mixed doubles like in tennis.
Although I’ve heard of pelote I knew nothing about it until you wrote this story. It would be fun to watch a game with someone who could explain what was going on.
#AllAboutFrance
I thought that was a card game.. Oops – no that’s belote! I’m afraid sports is not my strong suit 🙁
I can’t pretend that I have quite understood the format of play ! – but it sounds brutal. Not for the cowardly likes of me that’s for sure. Do any women play or is it an all male “bonding” type of game[s]??
JF has never been hurt (fingers crossed). My dad used to play polo, how funny, that’s another (very unlikely) thing we have in common. He played in India; very Raj!!
Luckily our local fronton is well protected by a very high fence otherwise I would agree with you Harriet, getting hit by the ball would be very painful.
It is a very strange game Kerri, look out for it if you’re ever in the Basque regions of France and Spain.
You should have a go with JF next time you’re here Sally!
I thought about you when I decided to link this post Swags and I have now linked it to TravelTuesday as well.
This post is perfect for if you want to link-up with the latest Travel Tuesday – the theme is sporty adventure! You know where to find it 🙂
Some sports can be so difficult to really grasp!! It’s like hard enough to figure out the rules, then there’s the technique, and finally, my brain is so fried, but strategy comes into play!! It is a lot of fun to be in any sports club, regardless, and I’m sure JF loves it for the exercise and hanging out with friends!
Its a nutty game because its a combination of so many others. I’ve seen it played and it looks like a lot of fun. I like the sound of the banana shaped implement – it would make the ball go seriously fast.
I have never ever heard of this game. How strange it is. Now I’ve learnt something new. Thanks
Ha! Pelote Basque must be one of the most dangerous spectator sports…there’s a pretty high chance you may get hit by one of those wooden missiles. We had a great time watching a championship final when we were on holiday in Laruns (Pyrenees mountains).
Ooooh no, that is NOT for me as like you I don’t really do sport and definitely don’t do pain – being hit by a shuttlecock hurts enough. That said I do hope the sport continues as those who play must really enjoy it! Has JF ever been injured?
Boules/petenque is the most popular sport played up in Normandy with trotting a very popular spectator sport. One day, however, I am going to make it to Deauville to watch polo there, another sport for masochists and one I saw a lot as a child as my father played and trained polo ponies.
merci Ramon 🙂
JF speaks! The pelote star himself! :p At least you’ve found your niche now 😉
Silly and safe – great combination Catherine! 🙂
C’est un super défouloir et comme tout sport de balles, quel plaisir quand on tape fort sans effort!! bon blog merci!
I wish I played earlier on in Villeneuve, I really enjoy it, despite the painful side if you don’t hit the ball properly.
Not only complicated but quite mad. However what could be sillier (and safer) than tiddly winks?