This ancient game, whose modern
adaptation most closely resembles bowling, requires skill,
strategy and just a little luck. Bocce ball is a great game
to play outside on a beautiful day. It is highly popular
among seniors, but youths are sure to enjoy this accuracy
game.
Instructions:
¶ Find a flat, level playing surface (packed dirt,
gravel or grass are ideal). A regulation bocce court is 76
feet long and 10 feet wide.
· Divide players into two teams of one, two or four
players each. Each team gets four balls, divided equally
among the players.
¸ Have a player from the starting team stand behind
the foul line (which is 10 feet from the throwing end of the
court) and throw the small ball, or "pallina", toward the
opposite end of the playing surface.
¹ Let the player then throw one of the larger balls,
or "boccia", trying to get it as close to the pallina as
possible without touching it.
º Have players from the opposing team take turns
throwing their balls until one of the balls stops closer to
the pallina than the starting player's ball. If they fail to
do so, the starting team tries to outdo its first
attempt.
» Let the starting players take their second turn if
the opposing team gets closer to the pallina than the
starting team without using all of their balls.
¼ Continue in this fashion until all eight balls have
been thrown. The team with the closest ball gets one point
for each of its balls that are closer to the pallina than the
other team's closest ball.
½ Keep in mind that if the two teams' closest balls
are an equal distance from the pallina, no points are
awarded.
¾ End the frame after all eight balls have been thrown
and appropriate points have been awarded. The scoring team
begins the next frame. If no team previously scored, the team
that threw the pallina last begins the next frame.
¿ Play as many frames as needed until one team has a
total score of 16 points.
