In case you don’t know who Bob is, he is the trainer for Michael Phelps the multiple medal winning swimmer in lots of Olympics. When he makes a statement, I listen and these are very true words.

Played 2 games at our club yesterday. In one of the games I had a discussion afterwards about the change in the team after losing a number of ends. The shooter was not successful and wanted to change with me but I felt that I would not be going to shoot well this day. I suggested that I change with the pointer. We did and the result was that we won ends without playing better but still. The shooter indicated afterwards that we should have done it differently. I have the impression that the most important thing is that there is a change in the team because it somehow changes the dynamics in the game. Something magical and inexplicable that has nothing to do with the playing level of the players at that moment. A team change has 75% chance of success, is my experience. In addition, the place of a less playing player at that time can also be replaced by a better player, but that seems to me in principle secondary. If everyone in the team plays at his level but is still losing, then switching is also a valuable option. What is your approach to a change in your team?

I've created a quick JotForm questionnaire that shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to complete. This is a vital first step in helping me to learn how different players think, react, develop, and play. There will be more detailed ones in the future, but I would like to use you all as example subjects. All responses will be confidential, and this is an initial experiment. https://form.jotform.com/262772125541051

With the outdoor season wrapping up across the UK, we’ll Scotland anyway, I’m starting to think seriously about winter pétanque training. I’d really like to build a solid routine over the closed season and focus on improving my skills, consistency, and decision‑making. It would be fantastic to hear from both @Kevin ORourke and @Stephen Daykin about possible training ideas, whether that’s structured drills, routines that can be followed individually, or even video/Teams‑based sessions during the winter months. I’m keen to develop something meaningful that keeps me progressing even when away from competition season. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

In this competition you shoot 10 balls at 8 metres. You write down the balls shot and the carreaus and pass on that result here. Kevin will announce the 3 week winners. We do this for 4 weeks. The final 3 winner are the ones who make the most progress in the 4 weeks.