Like all the other sports, bocce ball has its own terms and lingo. Because bocce developed in Italy before it was popularized in America, there may be some foreign terms that seem a little confusing at first. However, it’s critical to learn these bocce ball terms to get a better grasp of the rules of the game.
The more you understand the game, the more comfortable you will be and the more fun you will have when you play. And the more likely you can get better at the game! This article gives you all the important terminology you need to know to understand and improve in bocce.
Bocce Terminology
Below are the most popular terms you might hear when playing bocce.
Advantage – In bocce, we say that a team has an advantage or “pallino advantage” compared to the opposing team if they are assigned to throw the pallino ball first. This team can place the pallino anywhere in the court. The player that throws the pallino also throws the first bocce ball. If the pallino goes out of bounds, the team gets another chance to throw it in bounds before the other team gets to throw the pallino.
Backboards – Also sometimes called the end boards back walls, the backboards are the short walls at the far ends of the length of the bocce court.
Bank Shot – Making a bank shot or “banking” is when you throw the ball at a certain angle so it hits one of the side walls and bounces off it to roll towards your desired position closer to the pallino. This is not unlike the bank shot you may be familiar with in billiards (or pool).
Bocce – The sport is called bocce ball or simply bocce. The word is the plural form of the word boccia (Italian word for ‘ball’). The history of the sport dates back to thousands of years with the earliest documentation found in an Egyption tomb from 5200 B.C. Bocce comes from the same family of ball sports or boules as the British bowls and French petanque that originated from the Roman Empire. The game as we know it now was later developed in Italy and popularized by Italian populations throughout the world.
Bocce Balls – The game bocce uses eight balls, or bocce balls with different colors, unlike many other boules sports. The main objective of the game is to throw the balls and try to land each bocce ball closer to the pallino than the opponent’s to score points. There are many different options for the types of bocce balls depending on size and materials used.
Dead Ball – When a ball hits the back wall or another ball hits it and it rolls out of bounds, then it is considered a dead ball. A dead ball is disqualified and removed from the court.
Doubles – A doubles is a game with two players in each opposing team, bringing the total number of players to four across the two teams. Each player gets to throw two of the bocce balls. Like tennis, teams playing a doubles game may sometimes be called pairs.
End – An end begins from the first throw of the pallino until every player has taken their turn throwing their respective ball. This is more commonly referred to as a “frame” or a “round.” The teams get their corresponding points scored for each round before starting a new round.
Foul – A foul is a violation of one or more of the bocce ball game rules. The team that commits the foul receives a penalty depending on the type of foul. The most common fouls in bocce games are crossing the foul line when throwing, and the ball hitting the backboard before any other ball. The fouled ball is removed from play and will not score during the current round.
Foul Line – In the bocce court, the foul line is a line that a player should not step over when throwing the ball. In a regulation court, the foul lines must be four feet from each respective backboard. Players must stay behind the foul line when throwing, unless they intend to “spock” or hit any of the balls in the court.
Fours – Also called a teams game, fours is a game with four players per team, or eight players in total across the two opposing teams. Each player gets to throw once per round.
Half Court Marker – A half court marker or center line is a line that divides the court into two equal halves. Like in most any sports played in a court, this is a line marked on the court surface between the two ends of the bocce court.
Hitting – In bocce ball, hitting or “spocking” is a shot made with the intent to hit other balls already in play. This is typically done with the goal to knock the opponent’s ball away from the pallino and score a point. A hit or spock is a forceful shot that could send the ball away from the pallino and toward the far end of the court. One may also aim to hit the pallino itself.
Honors – After a frame is completed, the scoring team is considered to have ‘honors’ and this team rolls the pallino and first ball in the next frame.
Inbound Lines – These lines define the boundary of the play area that the pallino should not cross in the first throw. In a regulation court this should be 6.5 feet from the backboard.
Initial Point – At the beginning of a round, the first ball that rolls within bounds is called the initial point. Because as the first ball, it is automatically the closest ball to the pallino at that point in the game, it establishes the initial potential point of that frame. The player that first tosses the pallino for a frame also throws the first ball immediately afterward.
In Team – The team that currently has the ball closest to the pallino and currently holds the point is called the in team. If the other throws a ball closer to the pallino, then they would become the in team.
Jack – Another name for the “pallino” in bocce terms, the jack is the smaller ball (typically white or yellow in color). It is tossed in position on the bocce ball court at the beginning of each frame, with the objective to get your own bocce balls closer to the jack than your opponent’s balls to earn points at the end of the frame. Some people also call this the “target ball”.
Kiss – A kiss or “baci” in Italian is when one of the balls is touching (also called “kissing”) any part of the pallino. Each ball closer to the jack than the opponent’s nearest ball scores one point, but a kiss (also called “leaner” in America) is equivalent to two points.
Lagging – Also called “pointing,” lagging is the typical throw style when playing bocce. The player gently rolls the ball to aim as close to the pallino as they can.. This is the simplest way to play suitable for any player, particularly for beginners that are starting to learn to play bocce.
Live Ball – A live ball, also sometimes referred to as a “good ball,” is a ball that is considered legitimate or in play according to the rules. At the end of a round, it can count for one point if it’s closer than any of the opponent’s balls in the court.
Measure – If multiple balls from opposing teams appear to be approximately the same distance away from the pallino, you should measure the exact distance between each of the bocce balls and the pallino to determine which is really closer to the pallino and thus gets to score a point for that frame.
No Point – A no point or a tie happens if the closest balls from both teams are determined to be at exactly the same distance from the pallino after measuring. When this happens, the team that scored the last ball will throw another ball. If there are no remaining balls for that frame, both teams get no point for their ball.
Out Team – This is the team with ball or balls further away from the pallino. They do not hold the point at the current moment in the frame, as opposed to the in team. If the out team throws a ball closer to the pallino than the opponent’s nearest ball, then they become the new in team.
Penalty – As with any other sport, a penalty in bocce is the repercussion for violating a rule of the game or committing a foul. A penalty may be given to a team or one certain player depending on the type of violation.
Rule of Advantage – By the rule of advantage, a team gets to have the option if their opponents commit a foul. The team with this advantage may be able to choose between different options depending on the position of balls and the current status in the game.
Sideboards – These are the walls that run along the longer sides of the court to prevent the balls from rolling out of the court. They are generally 6 to 12 inches in height, although DIY courts, especially on surfaces like grass or sand, may not always have sideboards that extend above the playing surface.
Singles – A singles game or one-on-one game involves only two players that are playing bocce against each other.
Social Bocce – Social bocce usually refers to a casual game of bocce played with a group of people during a social gathering. Typically, it doesn’t necessarily involve official rules and regulations in tournament play and is simply played for fun, oftentimes with a drink in hand.
Team – A team in a bocce game can have either two or four players, although the rules can be adjusted to accommodate your group in a casual game.
Tournament – Similar to any other sports, bocce tournaments involve multiple teams or players playing matches against each other during a specified time window. Losing teams generally are eliminated until the last winning team is declared the winner of the tournament.
Unified – In bocce, this term is used by the Special Olympics to refer to a game where an equivalent number of Unified Partners and Special Olympics athletes play on the same team.
Volo – A long, hard throw into the air in which you aim to land your ball beyond the centerline to spock or hit another ball out of the way. Volo is often not allowed in court bocce since it could damage the surface of the court or break other bocce balls and risk the safety of other players, especially during casual games. Make sure to follow the rules of the game or check with your host if a volo is acceptable to them.
Final Thoughts
We have defined and explained some of the most common terms and lingo used in bocce ball. Again, it’s essential to be familiar with these terms to have a better understanding of the game and improve your knowledge and skill. Whether you like to play backyard bocce to pass time with friends and family or you’re looking to play in tournaments, knowing the game’s terminology will be helpful. After all, the more you understand, the more comfortable you will feel when playing and the more often you play, the more likely you are to get better at playing bocce.
Is there a confusing bocce term that we’re missing? Let us know via the contact page here and we will try to add it.
