It’s Time to Play
BOCCE BALL
How To Play
Setup
Official Bocce Ball courts are 13’ x 91’ with a 13’ throwing area on each end length wise but games can be played in any yard and often obstacles add to the fun.
The object of Bocce Ball is for you and your teammates to roll your balls closer to the little ball, known as the pallino, than your opponents. The first player or team to reach the agreed upon score wins the game.
Games can be played between 2-8 players.
A coin flip or some other method determines who goes first.
Gameplay
Game play begins with one player throwing the Pallino. That player will also be the first to roll their ball towards the pallino.
Turns then alternate between teams until all balls are thrown.
Scoring
The ball or balls closest to the pallino score at the end of a round score.
Only one team scores per round receiving 1 point for each ball that is closer to the pallino than their opponent’s closest ball.
The player whose ball was closest to the pallino in the previous round has honors and throws the pallino to begin the next round.
Games are officially played to 12 but games are often played anywhere from 7-21 points. Teams decide what they will play to prior to play beginning.
History
Bocce, meaning bowls in Italian, as a game grew in popularity in Italy which is the country which often gets the credit for creating the game. While it is true that the version of the game, we see today was fine tuned in Italy the origins of Bocce Ball likely go back much further.
It is known that Bocce, or something similar, was played in ancient Egypt because of paintings found in an Egyptian tomb. While there are theories that the game was played as far back as 9000, BC in Turkey, like many things from our ancient past we are still looking for hard evidence.
What is known is that Roman soldiers playing Bocce spread the games popularity and reach. As the Roman empire spread so did the game of Bocce. For a time, it was played all over Europe with fun being had by all until the upper class decided no one should be having fun except for them. They banned the game for peasants but kept playing themselves.
As Europeans ventured to the America’s they brought the game of Bocce along with other bowling games along with them, but it wasn’t until the Italian immigrating to the United States in the early 1900 that Bocce really took hold as the primary lawn bowling game in the country.
Today Bocce Ball is played in tournaments, leagues, and backyards all over the United States. More and more official courts are popping up in people’s yards and parks but many play jungle rules where planter beds and swing sets are a part of the fun in trying to get your ball closest to the pallino.
