So, you bought a set of bocce balls, and probably have two different colors. Wondering why those bocce balls have lines too?
A bocce playing set has eight bocce balls, a pallino, and oftentimes, a measuring device. The set of eight bocce balls typically comes in two colors with four balls each or four colors with two balls each.
In addition, these balls come in different lines and patterns to help teams differentiate which balls belong to which player.
Depending on the company, manufacturer, and designer of your bocce ball set, you will get different colors, patterns, and designs.
In this article, we’ll go over the basics of bocce and playing the game, and the equipment you need to get a game going. Then, we’ll cover exactly why bocce balls are typically designed with different patterns.
What is Bocce?
Bocce is a ball game that is one of the oldest and most popular in the world. The game has centuries of history behind it and has been surely gaining popularity all over the world. In fact, it is the third most popular ball game in the world, with millions of players and fans.
The game bocce is a close relative of other games like lawn bowling and the French game pétanque.
One major contributor to the worldwide popularity of the game is its flexibility and adaptability. Though there are official bocce ball rules and guidelines, the rules can easily be customized if you’re only playing for leisure.
Anyone – from men to women and older to younger people – can easily play this game as well.
Bocce is officially a part of the lineup of games for the Special Olympics and has been for several years now since 1991.
What is the Goal of the Game?
The goal of the game is simple: get your bocce ball (larger playing ball) closer to the pallino or jack (smaller target ball) than the opposing team while standing at one end of the court.
All bocce balls are delivered with an underhand toss. After all players and teams have played their balls, it’s time to score all the balls and determine the winning team.
Bocce Ball Equipment: What Do I Need to Play?
Bocce ball is a very simple game to play and you only need three essential components to get a game started:
- Bocce balls
First, the bocce balls. The bocce balls are the larger balls that players play with. This is a set of eight bocce balls.
Typically, the set of eight regulation bocce balls in a bocce set has two colors of four bocce balls each. But there are also sets with four different colors with two balls each.
And in a set of different colors, the balls also have differentiating lines or patterns.
Why do bocce balls have different patterns?
The differences in colors, lines, and patterns in one set of eight bocce balls are so that each player and team can easily identify their balls.
Depending on the number of players playing, you can either have the color or color and pattern the differentiating factors between teams and players.
- Pallino
The pallino or jack is the smaller ninth ball in bocce ball sets. This is the target ball, which is where players throw their balls toward, trying to get near it as much as possible.
The team to throw the pallino is decided with a coin toss. The team who throws it is also the first team to play the first bocce ball in the game.
- Measuring device
Most bocce ball sets have some sort of measuring device already included. This can be a measuring tape or a simple measuring string. Nonetheless, it will help determine the closer ball in close-call games after each team throws in all their bocce balls.
Bocce Ball Court: Where Can I Play Bocce Ball?
Official bocce ball courts are 13.12 feet wide by 86.92 feet long.
But for casual and leisure games, bocce can be played on almost any surface. You only need to ensure that the playing surface is flat.
Conclusion
Bocce is one of the world’s oldest and most popular games. With centuries of history on its back, it also has gained millions of players and fans worldwide. Many might be wondering why bocce balls have lines and patterns on them.
In a bocce ball-playing set, you will get eight larger bocce balls. These balls usually come in two colors with four balls each while some sets offer them in four colors with two balls each.
This set of bocce balls also has differentiating designs, patterns, and lines. These lines help teams and players differentiate and tell apart their own balls from the other team.
Let us know if you have more questions about how to play bocce!
