A typical Basque sport, pelota is played on a court called a fronton, which comprises a concrete or clay floor and a wall on which two vertical lines delimit the playing area.
Depending on the type of pelota, the length of the fronton can vary from 30 to 120 m.
Basque pelota is a generic name for a range of disciplines including Cesta Punta (which uses a 3-walled fronton), chistera, paleta, barehand, pala corta and joko garbi.
The term “pelota” refers to the ball common to all the discipline’s specialities.
It can be struck bare-handed, or with a chistera (a leather glove with a wicker basket attached), a rebot (smaller than the chistera) or a pala (a wooden racket).
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Pelota clubs in the Landes
Pelota is played throughout the Basque Country, but also in the south of the Landes, in Capbreton, Dax, Hossegor, Labenne, Moliets, Seignosse, Soustons, Tarnos and Vieux-Boucau. These major Landes clubs are federated by the Comité des Landes de pelote basque.
Every village in the south of the Landes region has its own municipal pelota court, where you can try your hand at pelota and watch matches and demonstrations.
Three types of fronton can be found in both the Landes and the Basque Country: the open-air fronton found in the heart of every village, the left-wall fronton of Spanish origin, and the trinquet, which has its origins in the game of paume.
In the Landes region, left-wall pediments can be found in Vielle-Saint-Girons, Capbreton and Seignosse, and trinquets in Soorts-Hossegor, Dax, Labenne and Saint-Vincent-de-Tyrosse.
Where can you play pelota?
You can try your hand at Basque pelota at the municipal pelota court in Moliets, not far from our premises. campsite Pays Basque Open all year round, the facility is staffed in July and August by an instructor who gives introductory lessons once a week on Tuesday mornings.
The session introduces you to several of the discipline’s specialties, such as the bare hand, pala and chistera.
Course registration costs 10 euros per adult and 8 euros for children aged 8 to 12. Every Tuesday evening, you can also attend a double demonstration of bare-handed Basque pelota and Grand Chistera.
The Seignosse club also offers introductory courses in Basque pelota.
Discovery sessions of the discipline’s greatest specialities are also offered on weekdays in Labenne, Vieux-Boucau and Capbreton, during the season on a regular basis and off-season on request.