Hi Had this issue since started couple years back but didn't notice it myself. My elbow is very bent on way back so don't make fluid/full backswing. Think it's combination of poor fundamentals (lack of coaching at start), tension and biomechanics (my 'wing span' is 10cm longer than my actual height, something picked up on in my golfing days). I'm struggling to find a drill/feel/solution to correct this properly. Have tried things such as wall drills, starting swing from shoulder height (like Jesus Escacho etc) starting from hip height, slow motion swings and so on. It's affecting consistency and my psyche as don't know how to sort it per se. Recently been concentrating on tempo and that has helped consistency of result but swing still flawed with this elbow bend. I would say I'm blessed with good hand to eye coordination and fast twitch muscles which means when I remember to release boule late I can make really nice boule to boule carreaus. But I'm keen to take game to next level by grooving reliable technique that depend upon on in competition. Any help much appreciated 😄

If you want to see the best players, playing at their finest with immense confidence then you MUST play and or watch at least one National in France. They are all over the country and the atmosphere is phenomenal plus you learn so much just from watching the best players.

What would be a good exercise for consistency with shooting, please ? Any ideas from anybody ? I place 3 target boules close to each other at any distance, as if it is in a competition around the cochonette. I pick the most difficult one to shoot at. Most time I hit, sometimes a carreau or good halve volley. The next two are off, sometimes way off. On a good day I hit the 2nd one but the third is a dud. Any other ideas to practice consistency ?

Reflection and hindsight is often a great viewpoint and taking the time to decompress after a difficult loss is where the greatest lessons often hide. Starting with the difficult loss. I was playing in the triples and we lost semi final to the current UK world championship squad. We went ahead and were in control but I missed 4 shots in the middle to let them slowly get back into the game. My pointing, normally a great and solid part of my game was lacking on such difficult terrains which exposed us more and led to a lack of belief in my ability to perform. I struggled with the communication issues and the fact that I thrive on positive communication and encouragement but this isn’t part of the French way. So my No.1 lesson is I have to be my own cheerleader and not get discouraged if I’m not getting the appropriate support I am used to. I also have to work on my lob and believe that I am capable of playing that shot as when I executed under duress I did play good points. Today’s singles was a different matter as singles can be an evil game. I won against the young Manche shooter who is like a machine and topped the league with 3 wins. I went into the main and played a 95% perfect game with every shot a perfect carreau and sublime pointing. Win that game 13/1 to go into the last 8. Then got out on the most difficult piste against a former partner from Algeria and an outstanding player. I lost to the terrain first and then the player. This is where my game needs LOTS of work to be able to compete on awful terrain and with confidence. In general I was happy but there are always lessons and to go from playing world class boule to a huge disappointment and loss is difficult and will need work.

Today I flubbed a point that didn’t look all that difficult. But… it was the game winner, in the finals, against a team we were not favored to beat. My partner and I had started a great end, and the opponents unexpectedly missed a couple, and suddenly we were holding 4 with only me to play. Wow! Make this throw and go home undefeated! In my excitement I managed to knock the opponent’s ball up, giving them 1 point on that end, and they eventually beat us. As I play more tournaments and my skills improve, I find myself in higher stakes situations more often. Semis and finals against quality competition are less uncommon. Sometimes now I’m in the shooting role or milieu, meaning that something might already be wrong when I step up to play. And when I mess up in those roles, the consequences can seem much worse because you do something that is actively terrible… instead of maybe going a bit short and failing to get the point, now I’m the guy who gives away the game by shooting the wrong ball or pushing the jack to the opponents. I didn’t completely fall apart after today’s f***-up, we did win the next two ends before they put us away. My partner was extremely gracious about it. And thanks to the rest of the team, we won the overall on points differential. But it’s not the first time I’ve failed on an important ball… and it seems hard to train under those mental conditions. I could certainly use your tips and tricks on performing as well on the game-winner as I would in a practice session.