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HISTORY OF BOCCE
There are numerous versions of the history of bocce. The
following summarizes several versions found on the Internet.
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Bocce is an
ancient game, its birth lost in the shadows of antiquity. Some
authorities claim it originated in Egypt about 5200 B.C.; others,
that the game was started in Greece during the 6th Century B.C. The
most reliable sources agree that Bocce, as we know it today, was
played between battles during Rome's Punic Wars against Carthage,
which started in 264 B.C. Soldiers selected a small stone called a
"leader" and threw it first. Then larger stones would be thrown at
the "leader" and the stone coming closest to it would score. The
game provided exercise and relaxation for the soldiers. Teams were
composed of two, four, six, or eight men and the score would vary
from 16 to 24 points per game.
The game
continued to be played until 1319 when Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV
ordered its discontinuance as he thought that, because of its
popularity, it would interfere with sports of a more military
nature.
Years later
the prohibition was lifted when the Medical Faculty at Montpelier,
France, declared that Bocce was the best exercise to prevent
rheumatism.
An
interesting historical note on Bocce claims that the English
Admiral, Sir Francis Drake, was informed of the approaching Spanish
Armada while playing a game of Bocce. Drake, in his usual cool
manner, replied: "First, we finish the game; then we have time for
the Invincible Armada."
Bocce was
played throughout Europe. Emperors, Admirals, Generals, poets,
sculptors, scientists and men from all stations of life were active
participants in the sport. It was a favorite with Giuseppe
Garibaldi.
Bocce
was a game played in the Italian Alps, early in the Christian Era,
in which stones were tossed at a target stone--not necessarily to
hit it, but to land as close as possible to it.
Bocce was
a major amusement for Roman soldiers, who spread it through the
empire. Balls were eventually substituted for the stones and they
were usually rolled rather than tossed.
Italian
immigrants brought bocce to the United States. Its original centers
of popularity were New York City and San Francisco because of their
large Italian-American populations. But, as newer generations grew
away from the sport, bocce declined and seemed in danger of
extinction in this country.
The sport
experienced a small resurgence, mainly in California, during the
1970s and it's grown rapidly during the last decade. The center of
the sport in the U. S. is Martinez, California, which has more than
a thousand competitors in league play and many more who simply play
for fun.
The U. S. Bocce Federation says there are about 1 million players in
the United States. Outside of California, major centers of
popularity include Chicago, Las Vegas, Memphis, New Orleans,
Phoenix, St. Louis, New York and now Southwest Florida.
Basic Bocce
Glossary
Banking - Throwing the bocce ball such that it
hits and bounces off the sideboards towards the pallino.
Bocce -
Proper name of the sport of bocce (never 'bocce ball').
Bocce Balls – Eight larger balls of 2 distinct
colors, 4 each color.
Frame - The playing of all the bocce balls in
one direction and the awarding of points. After points are awarded a new
frame starts in the opposite direction.
Hitting Foul Line
– The second foul line marked on the sideboards/court surface 10 feet
from each backboard behind which the bocce balls thrown hard to hit and
move other bocce balls or the pallino must be released. This allows for
a running delivery to gain momentum on the ball.
In Team - The team who has the closest bocce ball
to the pallino.
League
- A league is a group of bocce teams playing a prescribed number of
matches or games over a set period of time with records kept to
determine a winning team.
Measure - The act of measuring
the distance between the pallino and the bocce balls to determine which
team's bocce balls are the closest to the pallino.
Pallino –
A small ball used as a target ball for throwing the bocce balls.
Pointing or Lagging - The underhand throwing
action of a player to roll the bocce ball as close to the pallino as
possible to score points.
Pointing Foul Line
- The first foul line marked on the sideboards/court surface 6
feet from each backboard behind which the pallino and bocce balls rolled
for point must be released.
Scoreboard - Numbers 1 through
12 arranged similar to a clock face with an arrow pointing to the score
for the red or green team.
Social Bocce - Social Bocce is basically a
group of people getting together and forming temporary teams for the day
to play the game but not in a scheduled league or tournament play.
Spock or
Hitting
-
A declared underhand bowling type hard throw directly at the balls on
the court to purposely hit and move an opponent's ball or the pallino.
Basic Rules of the Sport
The object of the sport of Bocce is for one team to get as many of their
balls close to the pallino as possible.
The toss of a coin determines the team that throws out the pallino first
and selects the team’s ball color.
The
first team member throws the pallino and then rolls the first ball as
close to the pallino as possible. The
pallino must cross mid-court mark, must be 12 inches
from either sideboard and the backboard.
Next, a player of the opposing team rolls a ball and tries to get
closer or “better the point”. Each
team must continue to roll its balls until it beats the point of the
opposing team. The player
must deliver the ball from behind the first foul line.
While
the object is to get close to the pallino, it is permissible for a
player to play the ball in order to knock away an opponent’s ball.
A player "hitting" or “spocking” the opponent’s ball may
go as far as the Spock Foul Line (second foul line) to deliver the ball.
Likewise, a player may play the ball so as to knock or move the
pallino toward another of their own team’s balls.
The pallino is live anywhere on the court, except if it comes
back behind the mid-court line or knocked out of the court, at which
time the frame is dead and play begins again at the opposite end.
When
all balls have been played, one team is awarded one point for each of
its balls which are closer to the pallino than the closest opposing
team’s balls. Thus, a
team may score 1-4 points for each end of play.
If the closest ball of each team is equal in distance from the
pallino, no points are awarded.
Balls are measured from the center of
the pallino to the closest point on the front of the bocce ball.
The
team that scores in one frame starts the next frame by throwing out the
pallino and playing the first ball.
The
game is won by the first team scoring 12 points.
(
FOR MORE DETAILED RULES CLICK HERE
TO GO TO THE LEXINGTON BOCCE LEAGUE RULES AND
GUIDELINES.)
Bocce SKILLS, Shots, and Techniques
In
the sport of Bocce there are specific skills involved to master a
number of different shots, to develop a successful delivery
technique, and to apply the strategies required to best play the
sport.
The
skill of delivering the ball is similar to reading the green when
putting in golf in that each shot is different, the court is not
perfectly flat, and the speed of the ball must be judged properly to
place the ball exactly where you want it.
The
basic shots are:
Pointing - placing the ball as close as possible to the target ball.
Hitting - purposely hitting opponent’s balls or moving the target
ball for your own advantage.
Blocking - placing your ball in a position to block your opponent
from scoring points.
Banking - using the side rails to change the angle of approach to
get around blocking balls.
Setups - placing a ball in a location so that you or your team mate
can hit it into a scoring position.
There are many styles used to throw the balls. They vary from an
upright position to down almost on one knee position, a slightly
lofted ball to a smooth release at court level, and standing still
to running. There is a workable style for almost any physical
condition.
One
must employ excellent game strategy to win games. You must know
where to initially place the target ball, when to use each of the
various shots, which team player to match against each of the
opponents, which team player to use for each shot, observing your
opponents’ weaknesses, observing how every ball rolls on the court,
observing bank shot paths, and calculating the scoring risks for
each shot you take. Bocce strategy is covered in the Advanced Bocce
Clinic.
Bocce,
as with all other sports, requires practice and playing often to
develop good bocce skills.
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