
Bocce is a fun casual game that has been gaining immense popularity over recent years. But even if you’re only playing for fun with friends and family, getting to know some official basic and bocce throwing rules is always a good idea.
A coin toss before the game will determine which team throws the pallino and the first bocce ball into play. A bocce ball may be thrown and played using one of three ways: punto, raffa, or volo. All balls must be thrown behind the foul or throwing line. A player using the raffa or volo throw must first declare the intention and the target.
These are official rules from the from the United States Bocce Federation (USBF). In casual games, of course, you are not required to strictly follow them.
Basic Bocce Ball Rules
If you’ve only recently started playing bocce, or would simply want a refresher on basic bocce ball rules, we’ve got you covered right here.
Before we head onto the basics of bocce ball throwing, let’s first get a quick refresh on the most basic rules on how to play bocce ball, especially about beginning the game.
Starting the game
In most cases, a game of bocce begins with a coin toss. The winner of this coin toss will determine from which end of the court the game will start. The winning team also gets to throw the pallino and the first bocce ball into play. The losing team in the initial coin toss will get to choose the color of their balls instead.
If a coin toss is not possible, then the team captains of the two teams can play rock, paper, scissors instead.
The overall objective in the game is to roll your team’s balls as close to the pallino as possible, and especially closer than any of the opponent’s balls. The team with the closer thrown bocce ball to the pallino is the only scoring team for that frame.
Throwing the pallino
Once the winner of the coin toss or rock, paper, scissors is determined, it’s time to start the game by throwing the pallino into play.
The pallino is tossed from behind the foul line using an underhand throw, otherwise, the throw is invalid. It may also be bounced off the sideboards.
When throwing the pallino, it must come to rest across the court’s center line and at least 12 inches from the sideboards or backboard. If the first thrower misses this requirement, the pallino throw passes to the other team. And if the other team also fails, then the pallino is placed in the middle of the foul line at the other end of the court.
Once in play, the pallino can move anywhere on the court if knocked by another ball as long as it stays in the court and on the far side of the center line.
Order of players throwing bocce balls
The first pallino thrower or any player from the same team is also the first team to throw a bocce ball into play. For the following frames, the winner of the previous frame throws the pallino and the first ball of the frame.
Once the same team establishes a valid point, the other team will keep throwing their balls in succession until they get their ball closer to the pallino than the opposing team’s previous ball.
Each succeeding throw is from the team whose ball is not the closest to the pallino. The members of the team can usually play in whatever order they choose.
The Advantage Rule
The advantage rule basically means that, at the discretion of the opposing team, any irregular or void throws may be considered legal and valid if the opposing team deems the new positions of the balls, including the pallino, are to their advantage.
Bocce Throwing Rules
Apart from the pallino throwing and order of throwing rules above, here are some more basic rules on bocce ball throwing:
- A bocce ball may be thrown using one of three techniques: the punto, or raffa, or volo throw.
- Players must not cross the throwing or foul line while throwing the ball. A player may only pass the line after having thrown the ball, even if the ball hasn’t landed on the ground yet.
- All raffa and volo throws are only valid if the player making the shot declares the intention and the intended target. The player must also wait for the referee’s nod or approval before throwing.
- If the player changes their mind on the type of throw, they must let the referee know before making the shot.
- If a player rests their foot on the sideboards while making the throw, the throw is void.
- Thrown balls that hit the backboard or the sideboards are void.
Conclusion
Even if you’re not exactly a new bocce player, a quick refresher on how to start the game and some official bocce-throwing rules might still come in handy.
A game of bocce starts with a coin toss to decide who gets to throw the pallino and the first bocce ball into play. The initial pallino thrower, or anyone from the same team, also throws the first ball. A bocce ball may be thrown with one of three techniques: punto, raffa, or volo. All throws, regardless of the type, must be done behind the foul line.
You can use a more relaxed set of bocce-throwing rules if you’re only playing for fun. But it can also be fun to bring players’ competitive spirits up.