How old is bocce ball? According to the World Bocce League, the first documented evidence of this sport appears in a painting of two boys that dates to 5200 B.C. The image was discovered in an Egyptian tomb. Bocce ball spread throughout the ancient world and was played by people from all walks of life. In fact, there were times when it was considered a little too popular. In 1319, lesser nobility was prohibited from playing because those in charge felt bocce ball was luring people’s attention away from more crucial tasks, like war training. That restriction wouldn’t manage to keep the game’s popularity down. Instead, the game continued to grow. In fact, more than 25 million people enjoy bocce ball in the U.S. today. Learning how to play bocce ball will allow you to join their ranks.
How to Play Bocce Ball
What do you need to know to understand how to play bocce ball? You’ll need information about the court, the players, the rules of the game, and scoring. You’ll be able to join the fun in no time.
The Court
While you can head over to an official bocce ball court, which is 76 feet long by 10 feet wide, all you truly need is a patch of level ground that’s large enough. It doesn’t need to be fancy. A paved space, a sidewalk, a deck, or a patio will do. A patch of gravel, grass, or hard-packed dirt will also work.
The Players
Bocce ball is a game for an even number of players ranging from two to eight. If there are two players, you play one-on-one. When four to eight people wish to play, you divide into even teams.
The Rules
In bocce ball, there’s a small target ball called a pallino. In addition, there are eight larger balls called bocce. The bocce are divided equally among the players. When two people are playing, each person gets four bocce. When eight are playing, each person gets one.
The game begins when the pallino is tossed out onto the court. Who tosses out the pallino? Sometimes, this is a friendly agreement. In other cases, a coin toss decides the matter. However the choice is made, the player who tosses out the pallino must roll or toss it so that it goes past the center line but remains within the court’s boundaries.
Once it lands, the pallino becomes the game’s target. Players take turns tossing their bocce balls. The goal is to get as close as possible to the pallino. All bocce balls must be delivered underhanded, but tossing, rolling, and bouncing are acceptable. Players cannot step over the foul line. However, they can try to knock other balls away from the pallino or knock the pallino closer to their team’s bocce balls. A ball that goes off the court is called a dead ball and is out of play.
What if the pallino is knocked outside of the court’s boundaries? The frame ends, and no points are scored. What happens when all eight bocce balls have been thrown? The frame is over. Points are awarded. If desired, another frame is begun with the tossing of the pallino.
The Scoring
Playing bocce ball is certainly entertaining, but people with competitive streaks care about victory. How do you know who wins? After a frame is completed, it’s time to tally up the score. For casual games, you can eyeball this, but if you’re playing with a competitive crowd, having a tape measure handy is wise.
In each frame, only one team can score points. How do you score points? You score by having bocce balls closer to the pallino than your competitor. That means the first step in determining which team gets points is deciding who has the bocce ball closest to the pallino. Then, you determine which ball from the opposing team is closest to the pallino. The team that is earning points can amass one point for each ball it has on the court that is closer to the pallino than the other team’s nearest ball.
Teams play frames until one team reaches a predetermined number of points. In many cases, 12 or 16 points are chosen as the goal for the game.