
What many bocce enthusiasts love about playing the game is its adaptability and versatility. While it can be played without a constructed court, many would still prefer to play on one. Players from across the world may be wondering what a service line is in bocce courts.
The service line (or foul line, throwing line, pitch line, or in-play line) is a marking on a bocce court that tells players where they should stay behind when tossing their balls for points. A service line is drawn on both ends of the court. Players may step on the line when throwing their balls but never beyond, or this results in a dead ball.
Casual and leisure games may enjoy more leniency when it comes to playing rules and guidelines. There are also varying rules when a player’s objective is spocking, or hitting another ball (or the pallino) that’s already in play.
Below, we’ll go over the basics of playing bocce, including court perimeters. Then we’ll go over the significance of the service line in bocce courts and in playing the game.
Bocce Court Parameters
An essential part of bocce is the court. While as a casual game, bocce doesn’t necessarily need a court, many players prefer to play in one. Many bocce fans and enthusiasts even build their own courts right in their own backyards for accessibility.
According to the United States Bocce Federation, official courts are 86.92 feet in length and 13.12 feet in width. Unofficial courts can be smaller, depending on the space you have available.
What is the Service Line in Bocce?
Bocce courts have what is known as the foul line, in-play line, throwing line, or service line.
This line is marked 13 feet from either end of the court (official court perimeter). Another line on a bocce court is drawn right in the middle and is called the center line.
The service line is the marking where all players must stay behind when their team throws their balls to play for points.
Bocce Court Surfaces
Bocce court surfaces could vary greatly from carpet, crushed stone, clay, dirt, oyster shells, and synthetic carpets with poured liquid for a smooth playing surface finish.
Bocce Ball Rules for Throwing Bocce Balls
The game starts with a coin toss to decide which of the two teams throws the pallino and gets the first bocce ball throw.
Players cannot be over the foul line or service line before releasing the pallino or bocce ball into the court to play.
Players may step on the line but the toe of their foot must not exceed the width of the line. Otherwise, they receive a warning or their played ball becomes a dead ball and is removed from the frame.
A player may also throw from the hitting line, a line marked 9 feet from either side of the court. This is only permitted if the player is using the throwing strategy called a “spock”, which means hitting any of the balls, including the pallino, already in play.
But to do this, the player must announce the intention before playing. If no ball in play is hit, the player’s ball is automatically a dead ball and is removed from the frame.
The two teams will take alternating turns to throw and toss their bocce balls. When all eight balls are in play, the frame ends and scores are tallied.
What is the Goal of the Game?
As a game, bocce has a simple objective: get your team’s bocce ball close to the pallino as much as possible. When in the middle of the game, keep in mind these three essential objectives:
- Get your team’s bocce ball closer to the pallino than the opposing team’s bocce balls,
- Move the pallino closer to your team’s bocce balls, and
- Move the pallino away from the other team’s balls.
At the end of the game or frame, only one team – the “in” team with the closer bocce ball than the opposing team – will score any points. The scoring team will earn one point for all their bocce balls closer to the pallino than the other team’s closest ball.
Bocce Ball Game Equipment, Players, and Teams
A game of bocce needs two essential pieces of equipment:
- Bocce balls: These come in a set of eight balls with different colors, lines, and patterns. These are weighted and large and what players play with during the game. These are what players toss and throw into the field to get close to the pallino.
- Pallino: The pallino or jack is the smaller target ball in the game. This is where players throw their bocce balls, trying to get close to it as much as possible.
A third important piece of equipment to play bocce ball is a measuring tape, string, or device. Though not essentially required, this could come in handy to tell which team is the winner in close-call games.
A game of bocce can be played by two, four, or eight players. Depending on the number of players, each team can have one, two, or four players.
Conclusion
Bocce is a fun and casual game that doesn’t even need a court to play. But some casual players would prefer to play in one. New and seasoned players might notice the different lines on a bocce court – so what is the service line in bocce courts?
The service line in a bocce court may also be referencing the foul line, in-play line, or throwing line. This basically refers to the line or marking from which players must stay behind to play for points. This is marked on both ends of the court. While players may step on the line while throwing their ball, they must never go over and beyond the width of the line.
And that has been our detailed answer for anyone wondering what the service line is in bocce courts. You can hit us up below if you want answers to your other burning queries!