Croquet Lessons
The Club provides free lessons starting in mid-September and continuing into October.
Lessons are on Sunday mornings starting 15 September at 9:30 am for four consecutive Sundays.
Interested - contact the club or just show up at 9:30 am on the 15th
The Croquet Court
Standard Grip Solomon Grip Irish Grip
Ball Colours
Lesson 1
Mallet, Grip and Swing
Finding a suitable mallet and a comfortable grip
Develop a good swing movement
Develop ability to hit another ball
Hitting Practice - around the lawn and through the hoops
Layout of the Lawn
The Lawn is 35 yds long and 28 yds wide.
The Lawn is oriented like a compass: North, South, East and West (regardless of actual geography)
There are 6 hoops and a Centre Peg on each lawn.
Playing the Hoops in order:
Playing the first 4 hoops in a clockwise direction
Hoop 1 is the Blue Top Hoop nearest Corner 1 (Blue Flag) played going North from the Southern Boundary
Hoop 2 is nearest corner 2 (Red Flag) played going North
Hoop 3 is nearest corner 3 (Black Flag) played coming South
Hoop 4 is nearest corner 4 (Yellow Flag) played coming South
You now have completed the 4 outer hoops in clockwise rotation
Time to go up North through the middle of the lawn
Hoop 5 is the 1st hoop in the middle of the lawn going North (it may have a Red Top)
Bypass the Centre Peg onto Hoop 6 directly North of the Peg.
The 1st 6 hoops in order have now been negotiated
Reverse the sequence and run the 4 outside hoops anti-clockwise
Turn left to Hoop 7 - this was Hoop 2 going North, but is now Hoop 7 going South
Run the next 3 outer hoops after Hoop 7 (8, 9 & 10) in an anti clockwise rotation.
Turn left and head back down the middle of the awn running Hoops 11 & 12 Southwards
If the game is now tied at 6 All, head back Northwards to Hoop 13, which is a rerun of Hoop 3 (near the Black Flag) going North to South
You can win a game 7/0 up to 7/6..
Colour Sequence of the Balls
The colour sequence of the balls
Primary Colours Blue/Red/Black & Yellow = the 1st game on a lawn
Secondary Colours Green/Pink/Brown & White = the 2nd game on the same lawn (“double-banked”).
This is the correct colour playing sequence in each game and is painted on the centre peg from top to bottom,
The team colours are (whether you are playing singles or doubles)
Primary Colours: Blue & Black play Red & Yellow
Secondary Colours: Green & Brown play Pink & White
Playing a Game
Starting position for the game is Corner 4 (Marked by the Yellow Flag)
To start - toss a coin. The winners of the toss decide whether to play first or second.
The side to play first starts with either Blue (or Green in Game 2)
Once a ball runs Hoop 1 that side claims the point and everybody plays for Hoop 2
The Game continues running the Hoops in order until one side reaches 7 - the winners!
Lesson 2
A brief review of Lesson 1 - your grip, your stance and your swing
Warm-up - practising shots - line and length and hoop running
Technicalities of whether a hoop has been run or not - playing side v nonplaying side
New Shots
Stunning a ball with your strikers ball - how to smash the opposition ball away from where it was a nuisance
Blocking the opposition ball - place your ball between them and the Hoop (or your partner ball)
Lawn Etiquette
Stand clear when another person is playing
Don’t distract the player
Don’t walk across another player’s line of sight
Playing tactics:
who plays next, do they have a hoop shot, do you need to intervene?
Option 1 - Go for the Hoop point
Option 2 - If the opposition ball can score the hoop and you can’t - clear them away
Option 3 - if the opposition ball can score the hoop and you can’t clear them - block them
Option 4 - if none of the above - take position to run the hoop
Halfway Rule and the Penalty Areas
When you can’t stop the opposition from scoring a hoop, you may send your ball half way towards the next hoop
If your ball is over half way when the hoop is run, the opposition may direct you to play from a penalty area
Running a hoop
Playing a 2 ball shot
Lesson 3
Introduction to Association Croquet
Still go through the same hoops in the same order
Both balls need to go through all 12 Hoops in order, and then hit the centre peg, giving a total of 26 points
Still uses the same shots as GC
Has additional shots that GC doesn’t, eg two-ball shots or even three-ball shots.
Possible to link shots together to “make a break” - like Snooker, positioning balls ahead
One Ball Shots - Roquet/Rush
Hit one ball into another one: GC “clearance” shot = AC “Roquet” or “Rush” used to position a ball
Two ball Shots - the Croquet Shot
After the Roquet, pick up your ball and place it in contact with the ball you hit
Still hit your ball but different angles cause the balls to move in different directions and different distances
The Break
You play one ball for an entire turn, but can use all the others in the sequence: Roquet (hit a ball) - Croquet (pick up your ball and place it in contact with the roqueted ball)
You use your partner ball and the opposition balls as stepping stones to get to your next hoop
Practice Shots
Hoop approach - from two yards in front of the hoop, send one ball past the hoop and the other one to a hoop-running position. Run hoop, then roquet reception ball.
Drive - from south boundary, send forward ball to hoop 2, while other remains near hoop 1
Split - stand near the Peg and split the two balls in different directions. Note how far each ball travels. Tilt mallet to get topspin.
Lesson 4
Revision of everything addressed in Lessons 1 - 3
Setting up the Lawn
Introduction to the shed – where things live and how to lock the shed properly
Contents of a trolley – where to put hoops and balls. Where the trolleys go.
Setting up the lawn - placement of hoops and pegs (pegs different for AC/GC)
Using the lifter
Markers
when and how to use them
Playing a Wrong Ball
Replace and Replay of Ball Swap
Faults - committed during the striking period
touching the mallet head with your hand
striking a ball as a result of kicking, hitting, dropping or throwing the mallet
striking the mallet with any part other than the end face
striking the ball more than once in the same stroke (double tap)
maintaining contact between the mallet and the ball (pushing or shepherding)
causing the ball to be in contact with the mallet and a hoop or the peg at the same time (crush)
touching a ball with any part of your body or clothing, or any ball other than the one you intended to strike
moving or shaking a stationary ball
causing damage to the court surface
Irregularities
interference with a ball by a player e.g. accidentally touching a ball with your mallet
interference with a ball by an outside agency e.g. a ball from another game hits your ball
interference by the court surface e.g. a divot in the lawn
interference with the playing of a stroke e.g. your back swing hits the black piping
interference by defective equipment e.g. your ball jams in the hoop
interference with a ball by a loose impediment e.g. a twig or leaves
interference with a ball by the weather e.g. the wind moves the ball
Hoops, Balls and Pegs