Petanque is played on a rectangular field, called the playing area. Each team is made up of several players, usually three. The objective of the game is to throw your boules as close as possible to a small wooden ball called the cochonnet, placed at the center of the field.

The first player throws the cochonnet at a certain distance, and then the opposing team throws its first boule. The team that is farthest from the cochonnet continues to throw its boules until it is closer to the cochonnet than the opposing team. Then it is the opposing team's turn to throw their boules. The game continues until all the boules have been thrown.

Throwing is one of the most important skills in petanque. There are several throwing techniques, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The most common technique is the "tir au fer," which involves striking the opponent's boule to move it away from the cochonnet. The tir au fer is generally used when the boule is far from the cochonnet and it is not possible to execute a "carreau," which means to hit the cochonnet directly with your boule.

Another throwing technique is the "carreau," which consists of hitting the cochonnet directly with your boule while moving the opponent's boules. The carreau is more difficult to achieve but allows you to score many points if successful.

Petanque is a game that also requires good game strategies. A common strategy is to position your first boules in such a way as to block the paths of the opposing boules. This complicates the task for the opposing team, which must then find more difficult shooting angles to move the boules.

Another strategy is to play in areas of the field that are less well defended by the opponents. For example, if the opponent's boules are clustered on one side of the field, it might be wise to aim for the more distant areas to avoid direct shots from the opposing team.