Whether you’re a new or seasoned player, it wouldn’t hurt to know a few technical terms and throwing techniques in bocce ball. One of these technicalities is the bocce volo throw.
The volo throw is a high-arching aerial shot used to displace another object in the field. A player must declare the intention and the target object before making the shot. A throw is valid if the ball hits items at a 13 cm distance from the target and the total displacement distance of the target to the point of landing is less than 40 cm.
Only official games are required to strictly adhere to these volo throw rules and specifications. Causal games can get away with more relaxed rules.
What is a Volo Throw in Bocce?
When it comes to playing bocce, seasoned and veteran players know that the game doesn’t just involve throwing and tossing the bocce ball into the playing surface.
Sure, you can get away with just that when you’re playing casual games among friends and family, but when things are heated up and the players are feeling competitive, you might need more than just that. After the first bocce ball has been thrown and when the opposing team have played all their bocce balls, you might need something to turn the game around.
There are three ways a bocce ball player can throw their ball into the field for play: punto, raffa, and volo. Both beginner and seasoned players would benefit from learning what these are and how to play them in a game of bocce.
Remember, only one team scores during a frame so having some pro techniques up your sleeves can be helpful if the opposing team fails to be prepared as you are.
In this guide, we will focus on the bocce volo throw.
The Italian word “volo”
To start off, the word “volo” comes from the Italian word “volare”, which translates “to fly”.
This translation directly relates to how players execute this throwing technique: an aerial shot aimed at displacing another ball that could be what the opposing team throws into the court, your own team’s balls, or the pallino before the thrown ball hits the ground.
The goal of the volo throw is to hit another ball on the field either directly or with the assistance of another hit object on the court after having declared the intention to do so.
The advantage rule
Before we move on the the specifics of the volo throw in bocce games, there is one important thing you should be familiar with first: the advantage rule.
The advantage rule states that at the discretion of the opposing team and their team captain, all irregular and void throws and balls played can be considered legal and valid if the team decides that the new positions of the balls (including the thrown ball) are to their advantage.
How to play the bocce volo throw
The volo throw is one of the three common throwing techniques used in a game of bocce. Here’s how you can use it in a game:
Just like the game’s raffa throw, a volo throw is only valid if the player making the shot declares to the referee their intention to do this type of shot and which other object on the field they intend to hit.
If the players change their mind, the teams playing may alter their decision and let the referee know before making the shot. Otherwise, the ball is void, except for the advantage rule.
The player making the volo shot must throw and toss their ball without stepping over the bocce court’s throwing line or foul line. The goal may be to hit the pallino, hit the opposing team’s ball, or hit their own team’s ball to gain the advantage.
The player may only step beyond the volo line after the ball has been thrown, even if the ball hasn’t landed on the court yet. The ball is deemed void if a player goes beyond that point before throwing the ball, except for the advantage rule.
The player must also wait for the referee’s permission to throw, otherwise, the ball is void, except for the advantage rule the opposing team requests.
Additionally, players can only hit balls in the neutral area with volo throws as raffa throws are not allowed under these circumstances.
The 40 cm target arc
Before the player making the shot throws their ball, the referee will mark a 40 cm arc of a circle in front of the item declared to be hit with the item’s center perpendicular to it.
A volo throw may hit all the items at a 13 cm distance from the target object and is considered valid if the total distance between the target and the thrown ball’s place of landing does not exceed 40 cm.
However, a throw will be void if the ball falls within the marked 40 cm circle and hits an item in the target area at a distance of 40 cm or more from the place of landing. All moved balls are returned to their original positions, except for the advantage rule as the team captains have decided with their team.
Hitting the backboard and sideboard
A volo throw is void if the ball touches the backboard or the sideboard and then the backboard without hitting the target object first, except for the advantage rule.
Conclusion
Even though it’s often enjoyed as a casual game, learning a few tricks and techniques when it comes to bocce gameplay can keep the players’ spirits up. This could involve using the bocce volo throw in one of your games.
The volo throw is an aerial shot whose aim is to hit another ball on the court before the thrown ball hits the ground. This target can be the opponent’s ball, the pallino, or even your team’s own ball. With the volo throw, the player must first declare the intention and the target ball they intend to hit. If the ball’s landing point does not exceed a 40 cm distance from the target, then the ball is valid.
Specific volo throw rules are only strictly followed in official games, tournaments, and leagues. If you’re only playing casually among friends and family, then you can apply a more relaxed set of rules.
