Bocce is a beloved competitive game around the world, but it’s also a fun casual game to play with friends and families over the weekend. Can you hit the pallino in bocce ball to throw off your components’ progress?
Bocce ball has one goal: get your bocce ball closer to the pallino than the opposing team’s closest ball. Hitting the pallino isn’t just allowed, but a common strategy some players employ. This can either move the pallino closer to your ball or move it away from the opposing team’s closest ball.
Players have different playing techniques and strategies they like to use to win the game over. Hitting the pallino during your turn is only one of these playing strategies.
Below, we’ll go over all the basics of bocce and playing the game. Then, we’ll answer whether you can hit the pallino in bocce ball games or not.
Can Your Ball Touch the Pallino in Bocce?
In a bocce ball game, a bocce ball may be touching the pallino. This is known as a “kiss” or a “bacci”. If the bocce ball remains touching the pallino by the end of the frame, the team gets two points for it instead of one for their nearest ball.
Can You Hit the Pallino in Bocce Ball?
The goal of bocce is to get your team’s ball closer to the pallino than the opposing team. While making the pallino your sole target in throwing balls into play makes winning plausible, players are allowed to employ various playing techniques and strategies.
This includes hitting the pallino during your turn. You can hit the pallino with the goal of either pushing it closer to your team’s ball or pushing it further away from the other team’s ball. Either way, no penalty (or bonus points) are given.
What is the Goal of the Bocce Game?
The goal of the game is pretty simple: get your team’s bocce ball closer to the pallino or jack than the opposing team’s closest ball.
The team with the closer ball to the pallino at the end of the round is the only team that gains points for that frame. The scoring or “in” team can gain one to four points in one frame.
When playing bocce, whether for official tournaments or leisure games, keep in mind these game objectives:
- Get your bocce ball closer to the pallino than the other team,
- Move the pallino closer to your team’s bocce ball, and
- Move the other team’s bocce ball away from the pallino instead.
Additionally, players should stay behind the foul line for their shots to be considered legal.
Bocce Ball: Equipment, Players, and Teams
The two essential pieces of equipment for getting a game of bocce started are:
- Bocce balls: These come in eight pieces and are weighted and larger. These usually have varying designs, patterns, and colors. These are what the players play within the game.
- Pallino: Also called the jack, the pallino is the smaller target ball of the game. It’s what the players try to get close to throughout the game.
There is another important and handy tool for playing bocce, though it’s not a requirement: a measuring tape, string, or device.
Two, four, or eight players split into two teams with an equal number of players can get a game of bocce started. Depending on the number of players, each team can have one, two, or four players with four balls for each team.
How to Play Bocce Ball: Basic Bocce Ball Rules and Regulations
A bocce match has several frames or rounds. A coin toss always starts the game and this decides which team gets to throw and toss the pallino into the game. The team that gets to do it is also the first team to toss their first bocce ball into play.
The players will then take alternating turns to toss their team’s bocce balls, with the goal of getting theirs closer than the other team’s closest ball.
The round ends after each team throws their four bocce balls into the field.
At the end of the frame, scores are determined. Only one team, the “in” team, with the closer ball than the opponent’s balls closest to the pallino gets to score any points in one frame.
The scoring team will receive one point for every one of their balls closer to the pallino than the other team’s closest ball.
Conclusion
Bocce could be a fun casual game for families and friends over dinner and barbeque parties. But for anyone who wants to go home a winner, many are wondering if they are allowed to hit the pallino during the game
The goal of a game of bocce is to get your ball closer to the pallino than the opposing team. During your turn, you can hit the pallino with the goal of either getting it closer to your team’s ball or getting it further away from the other team’s ball. In fact, it is an encouraged strategy and technique to get competitive spirits up.
And that has been our detailed guide and answer for anyone wondering if you can hit the pallino in a bocce ball game. Hit us up below if you have any more queries for us!