Bocce is a game that was developed in Italy; it's a sport that is played all over the world. Bocce is traditionally played on soil or asphalt courts that are about 76 feet long and 10 feet wide. Bocce balls can be made of metal or different kinds of plastic. This is a game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
Players and Equipment
Bocce is played by two teams; each team can be made up of one, two or four players. According to the Crockett Bocce Ball website, a bocce set includes eight large bocce balls and one smaller "object ball." The large balls are divided between the players. Each large ball should have a unique design or color to distinguish it from others. If there are four-player teams, each player throws one ball. Two-player teams throw two balls per player, and each player throws all four balls when playing one-on-one.
Throwing the Object Ball
The object of bocce is for one team to roll their balls closer to the small object ball than the opposing team's closest ball. To begin, a player from the starting team stands behind the foul line and tosses the object ball. According to Crockett Bocce Ball, the object ball may be tossed any distance, as long as it passes the center line of the court and does not hit the backboard. If a player breaks these rules when throwing the object ball, the opposing team gets to toss it.
Game Play
The team that tosses the object ball gets to roll a bocce ball first; the goal is to get their ball as close as possible to the object ball. According to the Family Backyard Games website, players may roll or lob the bocce ball, but lofting the ball beyond the center line is not allowed. A player from the opposing team then gets to toss a bocce ball to try and get their ball closer to the object ball than the starting team's ball. It is legal to try to knock the other team's ball away from the object ball, or to hit the object ball. Play alternates until all eight balls are thrown.
Scoring
According to Family Backyard Games, the team with a ball that is closest to the object ball gets one point. That team will get another point for each ball that is nearer to the object ball than the opposing team's best ball. For example, if team one has the two closest balls to the object ball, they receive two points. Only one team scores per round, and that team throws first to start the next round. A point total is set before the start of the game, and play continues until one team reaches that amount of points.
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