Getting ready to play a game of bocce ball but need a refresher on the rules of bocce? Let’s review how to keep score and take turns so you can jump right in and ‘ball’ like a pro.
Bocce ball is a popular game traditionally played on natural soil courts that are 90 feet long and 13 feet wide. It dates back hundreds of years, so various rules, regulations, and variants have cropped up over time. Some people like to play with simplified rules to make things easier for a casual game.
If you are a new bocce player, all these modifications can be a bit confusing, especially if it’s your first time or you haven’t played in a while.
To keep it fairly straightforward, I will not cover all of the official league rules and technicalities in this overview. Instead, I will focus on the basic bocce ball rules and how to take turns and keep score properly. After all, most players these days enjoy bocce in their backyard or at the public park.
So let’s jump right into the bocce basics!
Bocce Ball Equipment Basics
If you want to learn how to play bocce ball, a good first step is to familiarize yourself with the equipment required in the game.
Bocce ball rules state that the equipment must include eight large balls, a small ball, and a measurement device.
The eight larger balls are known as bocce balls. They come in different sizes, typically ranging from 90 to 144 millimeters in diameter. However, according to bocce rules, a regulation-size bocce ball has a diameter of 107 mm or 4.2 inches. As for the material, balls are typically made of molded plastic or cast resin, which makes them fairly heavy.
Bocce balls usually come in two colors – one for each team, typically four red and four green, but other colors might be available as well.
On the other hand, the smaller ball is called the pallino or the “jack” in the bocce ball game. It has a white color to serve as the target for the larger bocce balls during the game.
Finally, the measurement device is usually a tape measure. It is used to determine the distance of the bocce ball to the pallino.
All of these pieces of equipment are typically sold together in a bocce set. Hence, it is easy to bring along to the public park or beach. You can buy it in sports stores and other online retailers.
Main Objective in Bocce Ball
The main objective of the game is to throw your bocce balls closer to the pallino or jack than your opponent’s bocce balls.
Bocce rules state that each game consists of a series of matches known as “frames.” After each round, you will award points to whichever team has their ball closest to the pallino. The first team to reach 12 points wins the bocce ball game.
Basic Bocce Rules – Step by Step
There are important details within each of these steps, so keep reading for the full story. But I like to start with an overview, and basically the game works like this:
- Split bocce ball players into teams (ideally 4 or less per team)
- The first team rolls the pallino (a.k.a. the small target ball)
- The first team rolls a bocce ball (as close to pallino as possible)
- The second team rolls a bocce ball (they try to get closer to the pallino)
- After this, teams take turns according to bocce rules. The correct way to take turns is to follow the logic described in the article below (similar to golf, the team that is farther from the pallino rolls first)
- Once all bocce balls are rolled, add up the score for that round. See details below for more details on how points are counted.
- The game ends when the first team scores 12 points (total score added up over all previous rounds).
Now that you have the big picture, let’s explain each step with more detail and clarity.
Step 1: Split Bocce Ball Players Into Teams
Bocce ball is best played with eight people divided into two teams. However, the game can also accommodate smaller groups of two up to six individuals. And although it is possible to have ten players, it is not as advisable. That is because not everyone will get a chance to throw the balls since there are only eight bocce balls played per round.
The team size determines the number of bocce balls each player will toss to score one point. For instance, teams with only a single player would have that player throw all four balls. Meanwhile, two- and four-player teams will have the bocce balls divided evenly amongst the members. If a team did have five players, one member will typically act as the coach to call the strategy and order of play.
To start the game, divide the bocce players into two teams of one, two, three, or four members. It does not matter which teams get to toss the pallino or jack ball first. That is because one team will have alternating turns to throw the jack at the beginning of every new frame or match. Hence, you can randomly decide the first turn or have a coin toss for an extra competitive round.
Step 2: First Team Rolls The Pallino
The team that was randomly selected or won the coin toss gets two chances to throw out the pallino into a prescribed zone. Official bocce ball rules state that this area is around 8 feet away from the endboard of the court, but the main thing is to agree on the limit with the team. Basically, you don’t want the pallino to be too close the end board at the far end of the court – otherwise it will be really hard to roll balls close to it without those balls hitting the endboard.
If the team fails to toss the pallino inside the zone, the opposing team will have the turn.
Those who are not playing bocce on a dedicated court can throw the jack wherever. Just make sure that the smaller ball is far enough away from other players to make the game challenging.
Step 3: First Team Rolls The First Bocce Ball
After the first team successfully throws the jack, that same team’s first player can take the first turn to toss out the first bocce ball. You can use an underhand throw, a roll, a bank shot, or just about anything, depending on your strategy. Again, the primary goal is to get it as close to the pallino as possible.
Step 4: How to Take Turns in Bocce
The second turn always goes to the opposing team player, who tries to land a ball inside the bocce ball court and closer to the pallino than the first team
All players who will bowl the bocce ball must stand behind the fault line, which is around ten feet away from the baseboard. The main thing is to agree the fault line between both teams.
The simplest strategy it to just throw your team’s balls closer to the target compared to the competing team. If you are feeling really competitive, you might also try to knock the opponent’s ball further from the pallino. Doing so is allowed under bocce ball rules and can help prevent the other team from scoring.
From this point on, similar to golf, whichever team’s balls are not closest gets to have the next turn. For example, if the first team got really close to the pallino on their first turn, and the second team is not able to get closer, the second team would continue rolling until they do get closer or they use up all four of their balls.
The frame or match ends once all balls have been thrown by both teams. Players can now focus on bocce scoring to determine the winner of that frame.
Step 5: Bocce Ball Scoring
Bocce scoring is relatively straightforward.
In each round or ‘frame’, only the team with the bocce ball closest to the pallino or jack will receive any points. The other team won’t score any points.
The number of points awarded to the winning team depends on how many balls they have closer to the pallino, compared to the opposing team’s ball nearest the target. Each bocce ball closer is usually worth a single point. But if a team has more than one ball closer to the pallino than the opposing team’s closest ball, the team scores a point for each one.
So start by finding the opposing team’s ball closest to the pallino, and only award points for each ball of the scoring team that are closer to the target compared to that ball. Note: There is a version of the game that awards bocce balls directly touching the pallino two points instead of the usual single point. This is known as a kiss – feel free to play this way just make sure to agree between teams in advance.
Most of the time, players can determine the distance of the bocce ball from the pallino by sight alone. But if that is too difficult to do because of a close call, you can use a measuring tape to ensure accuracy.
Once the bocce scoring for that frame is done, the next frame will start until one team achieves the predetermined number of total points, which is usually 12. However, players can set any winning number depending on competitiveness level or time constraints.
One additional note – in the very rare chance that two teams are equal in the distance from the small ball, no points are awarded in that specific frame.
Other Tips on How To Play Bocce and Win the Game
Knowing the basic bocce ball rules is probably enough for most beginner players. But if you want to know how to play bocce competitively and become the winning team, you are in luck!
Below, I will share some essential tips on how to crush it at this popular backyard sport.
Wear Comfortable Clothes
First, make sure to wear something comfortable. I know that this might be a super basic tip, but it can improve your playing performance. Choose a loose-fitting top and bottoms that allow full mobility of your arms and legs. You can also opt to wear closed shoes, such as gym shoes, to prevent injuries.
Figure Out Your Victory Stance
The next tip is to stick with a victory stance. Now, this factor will depend on how you prefer to throw the ball. If you favor standing while tossing, keep your feet shoulder-width apart to steady yourself. However, those who are comfortable in a crouching stance can lead with their dominant foot and rest their other foot firmly on the ground.
Choose Your Preferred Grip
Third, improve your grip on the ball to ensure better game play. Use your thumb and forefinger to have control over the bocce ball without forcefully gripping it. Once you nail down the grip, learn more about check out this related article on how to throw a bocce ball.
Plan How Your Team Will Throw
Finally, plan the kind of throw you need to make, which will depend on the court surface and the position of the opponent’s balls. It is best to know the different throwing techniques to help you get closer to the pallino. Again, points are awarded to the team with the nearest ball to the jack ball.
Conclusion and Learning More
As you can probably tell from these bocce ball rules and scoring guidelines, there is a lot that goes into playing bocce. However, I made everything as simple as possible for beginners out there who want to enjoy this casual sport. Hopefully, everything was clear, so you can get the ball rolling at your next game.
Next stop – check out the best bocce ball sets and start playing today!