Echo Bocce Rules

The Big Picture

We play bocce ball with two 1 or 2 person teams and go until one teams reaches 12 points - winning by two points.

A game of bocce ball consists of a series of frames or giri. Each team rolls from the same side of the court in a single giro and points are awarded.

A single Giro begins with one team throwing out the single small ball, called a Pallino. Bocce balls are then thrown by alternating teams trying to get Inside (closer to the Pallino) until all the balls are used. Each team gets a total of 4 bocce balls.

Points are awarded only to the team Inside.

[ Ryan & Adam C 2001 AD ]

Bocce Ball Terms

Baci A baci is a kiss. A bocce ball touching the pallino is a baci.
Bocce Balls These are the large balls which are thrown with the idea of comming to rest near the Pallino.
There are 8 Bocce balls of at least two colors. Each team gets to play four balls.
Giro A Giro is a single frame or set in which the Pallino and all 8 Bocce balls are thrown.
Inside The team with the Bocce ball closest to the Pallino is considered to be 'inside'.
Morra This is the choosing of the Bocce ball colors at the beginning of a match.
Pallino The pallino is a small ball which is thrown out first and acts as a target for the larger Bocce balls.
Puntata The gentle method of rolling the ball with a smooth, slow delivery from a crouched position. Useful on a smooth surface when there are no blocking balls.
Raffa The Strong method of smashing an opponents ball or a whole formation of balls.
Usually delivered in the air, but with a low tragectory and no back spin.
Volo A high flying delivery, usually with varying amounts of backspin.
The volo may be used to knock an opponent's bocce away from the pallino or to move the pallino itself.

The Morra

One Morraman will represent each team at the beginning of a match.

We generally flip a coin to determine the winner of the morra.

The winner of this morra will either choose the team colors or choose which team throws the pallino first.

The Pallino Toss

Each giro (frame) begins with the pallino (small ball) toss. The pallino must pass the center line, remain on the playing surface, and not hit the end wall.

If a player fails to toss the pallino correctly after one attempt, the opposing team will toss the pallino.

[ Vinnie & Rosemary C 2004 AD ]

The First Bocce

The team that had the first pallino toss throws the first bocce (large) ball.

If the bocce ball hits the back wall or jumps the side wall it is out of bounds and must be removed from the court.

The first team must continue rolling until a bocce remains in bounds or their bocci are exhausted.

The Giro

After the first bocce is successfully thrown the player steps aside and his team does not roll again until the opposing team has either gotten one of its bocce balls closer to the pallino (inside) or has thrown all of its balls.

This continues until both teams have used all their bocce balls.

[ Erin & Joe C 2001 AD ]

Scoring the Giro

Only the "inside" team scores. One point is given for each ball of the inside team that is closer to the pallino than any ball of the opposing team.

A baci (the Bocce Ball touching the Pallino) is worth two points.

If at the end of any frame the closest ball of each team is equidistant from the pallino, the frame ends in a tie and no points are awarded to either team.

Subsequent Giri

The game will resume from the opposite end of the court. The team tossing the pallino will be the team that won the previous giro.

Winning the Game

The first team to score 12 points wins the game. Here at Berkeley Echo Lake Camp a bocce team must win by at least two points.

Extra giri may be required to enable a team to win by the two point margin.

[ John and Bayard c 2001 AD]

Playing Another Game

When a team wins a game players exchange ends of the court and substitutions may be made.

The team winning the previous game will toss the pallino to start the next game.

Special Considerations

Wrong Color Ball

If a player rolls the wrong colored ball, simply replace it with the correct color when the ball comes to rest.

Playing out of turn

If a player rolls out of turn the opposing team may do one of two things:

Leave everything, including the thrown ball, exactly where it is.
Return any moved balls to their approximate original positions and remove the thrown ball from play.

Dead Balls:

Should a player's bocce ball make contact with the back wall the bocce ball is considered a dead ball on impact and is removed from play until the end of the giro.
If a bocce, after hitting the back wall, strikes a stationary bocce, that stationary bocce shall be replaced in it's approximate original position.
The thrown ball is removed from play.

Pallino Bashing

Once the pallino has been validly put into play, it remains in play even if it hits the backboard.

However, if the pallino is knocked out of the court or it is knocked in the front of the center line, the frame will end, no points are awarded, and the game will resume from the opposite end of the court with the same team tossing the pallino.

Foul Line:

Player's movements are limited to the foul line. The player should not step on or over the foul line before releasing the pallino or bocce balls. If the intent of the foot foul rule is abused, the offending player may be removed from the game by a ruling official.

When a player releases the pallino or bocce, both feet must be on the court unless the player has a significant plysical impairment.

[ Keenan & Spencer C 2004 AD ]

Intentional Grounding

The thrower must throw every Bocce with the objective of scoring or improving the team's position in that Giro.

The Bocce Court

Only participating players should be on the court while the game is in progress.

Spectators are not allowed on the courts at anytime during regulation play.

Courtesy and respect should be displayed at all times. Profanity and unsportsmanlike conduct is not permitted.

Our Bocce Court

Our bocce court is 12 feet wide and 60 feet long. The surface is decomposed granite.

We hope to lengthen it to a full 90 feet and perhaps widen it to 13 feet.

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Visit Collegium Cosmicum ad Buxeas, the preeminent international organization for the sport of bocce.