From Rome to Greece to Egypt and Great Britain, bocce ball is a game that has been around, some historians say, for almost 7,000 years. Bocce has been played by kings, military leaders, common folk and peasants. Perhaps the key to its popularity is that it is a simple game, governed by a simple set of rules that allow anyone to enjoy it.
Equipment and Playing Surface
The rules of bocce ball state that the game is to be played with one small, polished ball called the "pallino" or "jack" and eight larger, heavier balls, divided into two colors for each team. For playing bocce in your backyard, you'll just need an open space with plenty of room and a flat, relatively smooth playing surface (such as short grass). For bocce ball tournaments, a regulation playing surface is usually made of packed dirt, gravel or asphalt. The official playing surface is usually about 90 feet long by 8 to 13 feet wide and is sometimes built with a backstop or wall at the farther end from the players.
Players
The game of bocce is played with two teams of up to four players. With two players on a team, each player is responsible for throwing two balls. With four players, each player has one ball to throw. Players are required by rule to alternate throwing of the bocce ball.
Game Play
By rule, a coin flip determines who will throw the pallino. The winning team tosses the pallino into the playing area, and also has the right to throw the first ball. If a ball rolls out of the playing surface or hits the back wall, it must be rolled again. The object of the game is to get as many of your balls as close to the pallino as possible. After the first team has rolled the pallino and their first ball, the second team then rolls or tosses their first ball and tries to either knock the other ball further away from the pallino or tries to get their ball closer. They roll as many balls as needed to get one ball closer. When that happens, the other team rolls, until all eight balls have been put in play.
Scoring
According to the rules of bocce, each succession of all eight balls being rolled is called a "frame." In each frame, only one team scores, that team being the one who has the closest ball to the pallino. The score is determined by the proximity of the other balls to the pallino. One point is awarded for each ball that is closer to the pallino than the other team's ball. The rules also state that if the two closest balls are equidistant from the pallino, no team scores and the frame is replayed.
Winning and Violations
In official tournament play, teams play as many frames as needed in order to get to 16 points. The first team to 16 points is declared the winner. Since only one team can earn points during a frame, there is no need for tiebreaker rules. Violations can include stepping over the throwing line before releasing the ball, allowing the ball to hit the back wall before hitting any other ball, or, in some tournaments, lofting the ball beyond the center of the court (shooting volo).
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