Though bocce is often enjoyed as a more casual friendly game with friends and family, things can get heated up if players get competitive. If that happens and you find your team on the losing end, using some pro strategies like bocce spocking may help you turn the game in your favor.
Bocce spocking is an underhand bocce ball-throwing technique whose main goal is to hit and displace another object already on the field. The target can be the pallino, the other team’s bocce ball, or even your own team’s bocce ball. You may have heard or read of it being referred to as hitting, shooting, bombing, popping, or raffa.
Bocce spocking is considered a more advanced technique. Before using it, you should carefully consider all possible outcomes because the shot is easy to miss, especially for amateur players.
What is Spocking in Bocce?
Bocce is a fun and exciting ball game you can enjoy with friends and family all on its own. But you can make the game even more fun and exciting when players are starting to get into some friendly competitive energy.
When things are starting to feel competitive between you and your friends, it may be time to deploy some pro techniques and strategies to ensure your team takes home the win.
When it comes to starting a game of bocce after the decisive coin toss, strategic gameplay can make all the difference. After the first bocce ball has been thrown, things can get competitive fast.
If you want to do more than just tossing and throwing your bocce balls out into the field, you can try using bocce spocking to turn the game in your favor, all the while sticking to bocce ball rules.
Bocce spocking is also sometimes referred to as hitting, shooting, bombing, popping, or raffa. It’s an underhand throw directed at another object that’s already on the playing field. Thrown with more force and power, spocking gives the thrown ball a spin to move and displace another ball on the court.
Remember, only the team with the closer ball to the pallino on the bocce ball court gets to score any points at the end of the frame so some strategies can really help.
Spocking is a bocce ball-throwing technique that uses your bocce ball to hit another ball already in the field. The target can be the pallino, the opposing team’s ball, or even your own team’s bocce ball. The general goal of spocking can be any of the following:
- Move the other team’s bocce ball away from the pallino;
- Move your team’s bocce ball closer to the pallino; or
- Move the pallino closer to your team’s bocce ball already on the field.
Spocking may be a great strategy in order to turn the game around if you find your team on the losing end, but you should carefully consider the decision and all possible outcomes from it because the shot is very easy to miss, especially for inexperienced players.
How to play spocking in bocce ball
If you’re thinking of deploying a spocking shot during an intense game of bocce, here’s the right way to do it:
- Before making the shot, the player must first declare the intention and the intended target to the referee. The player must then wait for the referee’s nod or approval before making the shot. Otherwise, the ball is void, except for the advantage rule (at the opposing team’s discretion, a void and foul ball can be considered valid if the new positions are to their advantage).
- A thrown ball that doesn’t hit any of the targets is void and removed from play.
- A player making the shot must stay behind the foul line or throwing line on one end of the court while throwing. They can only go beyond this line after throwing the ball, even if it hasn’t touched the ground yet.
- A thrown ball using the spocking technique that misses the target is void, except for the advantage rule. It is a dead ball if the ball hits the backboard (or the sideboard and then the backboard) without first hitting any of its targets.
- The thrown ball must land beyond the raffa line (the line closer to the center line) or the ball is void, except for the rule of advantage.
Spocking vs Pointing or Tossing Bocce Balls
Spocking is a bocce ball-throwing technique whose goal is to directly hit and displace another ball on the field, whether be it the pallino, the other’s team’s balls, or your own team’s balls.
Pointing – also known as tossing, lagging, puntata, or punto – is another throwing technique. It’s an underhand throwing technique and is generally the common way to toss a bocce ball into play to gain points.
Pointing is gently rolling your bocce ball into the field and the goal is to get it as close to the pallino as possible. This is best done when you have a clear path to the pallino and there are no other balls obstructing the way.
Just like spocking, pointing throws are done behind the throwing line.
Pointing throwing styles may vary from one player to another but ultimately, it is the best first technique any beginner bocce player can learn and put into use.
Conclusion
Bocce is already a fun game on its own. But what could make it even more exciting is if the players get competitive enough to utilize pro strategies like bocce spocking.
Spocking in bocce is a strategic method to hit, move, and displace another ball on the field. This can be the pallino, the bocce ball of the opposing team, or your own team’s bocce ball. You may have heard of it being called hitting, shooting, bombing, popping, or raffa.
Spocking can be considered a more advanced throwing technique. If you’re a beginner player still learning the ropes of the game, it may be better to stick to the common gameplay of pointing instead.
