Bocce Ball
Bocce Ball is an ancient game that can be traced back thousands of years. It is widely considered the oldest sport in world history. There is evidence of the game recorded as early as 5200 BCE. The Greeks started playing a similar game between 800 and 600 BCE after they learned the game from the Egyptians. The Romans learned the game from the Greeks and were the first to play Bocce as we recognize it today. With the Romans, anyone could play the game just about anywhere. It became so popular that rulers across Europe were worried that the game was dangerous because it distracted people from their work. In 1319 A.D., only the nobility could play the game. This restriction meant that the game lost popularity. Bocce ball gained and lost popularity over the centuries, but it became and stayed an international sport after the 1896 Bocce Olympiad. The very first Bocce clubs were started in Italy, and Italian immigrants brought the game to America.
Here is how to play:
• Rules can be adjusted for different levels of
players.
• There should be two teams.
• Each team can have from one to four
players, but the teams must have the
same number of players.
• Four balls should be divided
evenly between the players of a team;
there should be eight balls total.
• There should also be one smaller ball called a
Pallina.
• The balls for the two teams should be different
so that they can be told apart.
• The game can be played in the dirt, grass or on
a court.
• The larger the court, the harder the game will
be.
• The first team, as decided by who wins the coin
toss, should throw the Pallina on to the court.
• Rules can change on how far away the Pallina must be based on the skill of the players.
• Teams then take turns throwing the large Bocce
Balls at the Pallina.
• The goal is to get the Bocce Balls as close to the
Pallina as possible.
• The balls must be thrown underhand.
• You can knock opponent’s balls away from the
Pallina.
• To score, the team with the closest ball gets one
point for every ball that is closer to the Pallina
than the other team’s closest ball.
• If no one is closer, then no points will be given.
• Repeat the game until one team has scored 16
points.
For more information, visit the following sites:
http://worldbocce.org/bocce-history.htm
http://usbf.us/history-of-bocce.html
http://www.backyardbocce.com/basic-rules/
http://worldbocce.org/how-to-play-bocce.htm
http://worldbocce.org/how-to-play-bocce.htm
