Bocce

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Bocce
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Bocce players scoring a match, 2005
Highest governing bodyFédération Internationale de Boules
NicknamesBocci
First played18th century in Italy
Characteristics
ContactNon-contact
Team membersSingles and doubles
Mixed-sexYes, separate tours and mixed doubles
TypeBall games
EquipmentBocce (balls) and pallino (jack)
Presence
Country or regionWorldwide
OlympicNo
ParalympicNo
World GamesNo
An image of bocce embedded in a medieval manuscript
An Argentine family playing bocce in San Vicente, Buenos Aires, c. 1902
Bocce play in Cape Coral, Florida, United States in 2007

File:Bocce being played.theora.ogv

A typical bocce set

Script error: No such module "Lang". (/ˈbɒtʃi/ <phonos file="en-us-bocce.oga"></phonos>,[1][2] or /ˈbɒtʃeɪ/,[3] Script error: No such module "IPA".), sometimes anglicized as bocce ball,[4] bocci,[5] or boccie,[1] is a ball sport belonging to the boules family of games. Developed into its present form in Italy, it is closely related to English bowls and French Script error: No such module "Lang"., with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Roman Empire. Bocce is played around Western, Southern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as in overseas areas with historical Italian immigrant population, including Australia, North and South America, principally Argentina and the southern Brazilian states of Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. Initially only played by Italian immigrants, the game has slowly gained popularity among descendant generations and outside the Italian diaspora.[6]

History

Having developed from games played in the Roman Empire, bocce developed into its present form in Italy,[7] where it is called Script error: No such module "Lang"., the plural of the Italian word Script error: No such module "Lang". which means 'bowl' in the general sporting sense.[8] It spread around Europe and also in regions to which Italians have migrated. The first form of regulation was described in the book "Gioco delle bocchie" by Raffaele Bisteghi in 1753.[9] In South America it is known as Script error: No such module "Lang"., or bolas criollas ('Criollo balls') in Venezuela, and Script error: No such module "Lang". in southern Brazil. The accessibility of bocce to people of all ages and abilities has seen it grow in popularity among Special Olympics programmes globally, and it is now the third most-played sport among Special Olympics athletes.[10]

Geographical spread

The sport is also very popular on the eastern side of the Adriatic, especially in Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the sport is known in Croatian as Script error: No such module "Lang". ('playing Script error: No such module "Lang".') or Script error: No such module "Lang". (colloquially also Script error: No such module "Lang".).[11][12][13] In Slovenia the sport is known as Script error: No such module "Lang".[14] or colloquially 'playing Script error: No such module "Lang".', or Script error: No such module "Lang". (from Italian Script error: No such module "Lang". and Venetian Script error: No such module "Lang"., meaning 'balls').[15] There are numerous bocce leagues in the United States (USA).[16]

Bocce was brought to Venezuela between 1498 and 1510 by a Spanish friar or by Priest Sojo, great-uncle of Simón Bolívar. The Venezuelan modality became popular during the 1930s and is played in several Caribbean islands, including Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire. In 1946, bocce was included in the first Venezuelan National Sports Games, and in 1956 the National Venezuelan Federation of Creole Bocce was founded.[17]

Bocce is also played in Brazil. The sport was brought between 1880 and 1930 by the Italian families of Baggio, Zanetti, Tedesco, Merlin, Pazello, Bolisenha, Ricetti, Fressatos and Dorigos. The sport became popular on Curitiba and in 1952 the families created the bocci club Sociedade 25 de Maio. The city has also developed their own modality of bocce, "bocha clássico" (classic bocce).[18] On 25 May, the city celebrates the bocce day.[19]

Brazil is also notorious in the paralympic bocce modality. During the 2012 Summer Paralympics, the country conquered three gold medals and one bronze medal in the BC2 and BC4 categories.[20] Brazil hosted the paralympic bocce world championship twice. On Rio 2016, Brazil conquered a gold medal and a silver medal in the BC3 and BC4 categories.[21] On 2022, the World Championship was hosted again on Rio de Janeiro, and Brazil conquered one gold, three silver and three bronze medals.[22] In 2025, Curitiba hosted the Youth Bocce World Cup.[23]

Bocce culture in Valdese, North Carolina

Covered bocce courts in Valdese, North Carolina

In Valdese, North Carolina, the sport was brought by Waldensian immigrants in 1893 and remains a cornerstone of local heritage. Le Phare des Alpes (LPDA)—a mutual aid society founded in 1909—operates a modern bocce complex featuring three covered, lighted clay courts, with tournament scoring managed by an electronic web-based system. The society hosts an annual regional bocce tournament in August as part of the Waldensian Festival, as well as an annual “State Bocce Tournament” each September, drawing teams from across North Carolina. The LPDA bocce courts are regarded by enthusiasts as “the finest bocce complex in North Carolina,” and Valdese is playfully referred to as “the bocce capital of the world.”[24]

Rules and play

Bocce is traditionally played on a natural soil or asphalt court up to 27.5 metres (90 ft) in length and 2.5 to 4 metres (8.2 to 13.1 ft) wide.[25] While the court walls are traditionally made of wood or stone, many social leagues and Special Olympics programs now use inflatable 'Packabocce' PVC courts due to their portability and ease of storage.[26][27] Bocce balls can be made of wood (traditional), metal,[25] baked clay, or various kinds of plastic. Unlike lawn bowls, bocce balls are spherical and have no inbuilt bias.

A game can be conducted between two players, or two teams of two, three, or four. A match is started by a randomly chosen side being given the opportunity to throw a smaller ball, the jack (called a Script error: No such module "Lang". ('little bocce') or Script error: No such module "Lang". ('bullet' or 'little ball') in Italian, depending on local custom), from one end of the court into a zone 5 metres (16 ft) in length, ending 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) from the far end of the court. If the first team misses twice, the other team is awarded the opportunity to place the jack anywhere they choose within the prescribed zone.[7] Casual play is common in reasonably flat areas of parks and yards lacking a bocce court, but players should agree to the minimum and maximum distance the jack may be thrown before play begins.

The side that first attempted to place the jack is given the opportunity to bowl first. Once the first bowl has taken place, the other side has the opportunity to bowl. From then on, the side which does not have the ball closest to the jack has a chance to bowl, up until one side or the other has used their four balls. At that point, the other side bowls its remaining balls. The object of the game is for a team to get as many of its balls as possible closer to the target ball (jack, boccino, pallino) than the opposing team. The team with the closest ball to the jack is the only team that can score points in any frame. The scoring team receives one point for each of their balls that is closer to the jack than the closest ball of the other team. The length of a game varies by region but is typically from 7 to 13 points.[28][7]

Players are permitted to throw the ball in the air using an underarm action only. This is generally used to knock either the jack or another ball away to attain a more favorable position. Tactics can get quite complex when players have sufficient control over the ball to throw or roll it accurately.[7]

Variants

Punto raffa volo

Also known as PRV, punto raffa volo is the main international competition form of bocce. The name refers to the three legal types of throws in the game: punto, or lagging the ball toward the pallino; raffa, shooting a ball with an aerial throw that hits the ground and rolls toward the target; and volo, hitting a ball on the fly or a short hop. The rules of PRV are strict and reward precision and accuracy. Rules violations allow the opposing team to keep the result or reset the game to its set-up before the rules violation (and pulling the foul ball off the court). This reset is accomplished by marking the ground with chalk to indicate the placement of each ball and the pallino.

Rules include (but are not limited to):

  • When lagging a ball toward the target, the thrown ball may not move another ball or the pallino more than 70 cm (in Italy, some leagues enforce a 50 cm rule).
  • When throwing a raffa or volo, the player must declare which ball will hit first.
  • Players cannot throw a ball off the side walls.
  • The back wall is dead for missed shots and any balls that hit the back wall while lagging (there are some variations of the lagging rule that may allow the pallino to be pushed into the back wall).

Open bocce

Played mainly in the U.S. and Canada, open bocce features a basic set of rules as compared with PRV. In open bocce, there are fewer limitations on lagging (side walls are live, balls can be moved any distance), and missed targets while shooting are allowed. Some clubs play with the back wall live, while other clubs play with the back wall as dead if a ball hits the back wall on the fly without striking a ball or the pallino. Other variations include angled corners and gutters at the end of the court rather than a back wall.

Bocce volo

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". A variation called Script error: No such module "Lang". uses a metal ball, which is thrown overhand (palm down), after a run-up to the throwing line. In that latter respect, it is similar to the French boules game Script error: No such module "Lang". also known as Script error: No such module "Lang". which is internationally called sport-boules. Another French variant of the game is called Script error: No such module "Lang"., and (lacking the run-up) is more similar in some respects to traditional Script error: No such module "Lang"..[29]

Boccia

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Australian boccia team members

Another development, for persons with disabilities, is called Script error: No such module "Lang".. It is a shorter-range game, played with leather balls on an indoor, smooth surface. Boccia was first introduced to the Paralympics at the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Summer Games and is one of the only two Paralympic sports that do not have an Olympic counterpart (the other being goalball).[30]

Classic bocce

A Brazilian variety of bocce where the ball is rolled on the floor instead of thrown.[31]

Creole bocce

A Venezuelan variety of bocce, where 4 red balls, 4 green balls and one 5 cm ball (called Mingo) are thrown at once in the field.[17]

See also

References

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  1. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Boccie". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."boccie". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. OCLC 1032680871. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."bocce". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020.
  4. ^ E.g.: Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Brown, Jennifer (2 August 2019). "In Denver, a binge drinking capital, the sober curious movement is gaining popularity". The Colorado Sun. Denver: Civil. Retrieved 7 August 2019. strangers played bocce ball on a June night
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."bocci". American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2019 – via TheFreeDictionary.com.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.""From unified sport to Olympic dreams: Bocce's meteoric rise"". 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Rix, Juliet (2015). "Boċċi". Malta and Gozo. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 309. ISBN 978-1-78477-025-9.
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  9. ^ Treccani encyclopedia: read first section
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Special Olympics bocce sport profile". Special Olympics International. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Hrvatski boćarski savez - HBS". hrvatski-bocarski-savez.hr.
  12. ^ Croatian Bocce Federation
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."BiH Bocce Association". Archived from the original on 29 May 2009. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Bocce Association of Slovenia". Archived from the original on 11 June 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Slovene Ethnographic Museum". Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.""United States Bocce Federation"". Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  17. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Gutiérrez, Félix Eduardo (3 January 2019). "Hace más de 500 años se juega Bolas Criollas en Venezuela". El Ciudadano (in español). Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Em Curitiba, comunidade italiana comemora o Dia Municipal da Bocha". Bem Paraná (in português do Brasil). 23 May 2022. Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Dia da Bocha: modalidade milenar sobrevive dentro de clubes tradicionais de Curitiba". CBN Curitiba (in português do Brasil). 25 May 2022. Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Herbst, Dulce Mari; Mascarenhas, Luis Paulo; Slonski, Edson César (2013). "A história do bocha paralímpico no Brasil e sua evolução como esporte de alto rendimento". FIEP Bulletin (in português do Brasil). 83. International Federation of Physical Education and Sports.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Brasil encerra a participação da bocha nos Jogos Rio 2016 com um ouro e uma prata". Brazilian Paralympic Committee (in português do Brasil). 15 September 2016. Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Brasil encerra Copa do Mundo de bocha com sete medalhas no Rio de Janeiro". Brazilian Paralympic Committee (in português do Brasil). 2 May 2022. Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
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  26. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ussery, Peggy (15 February 2020). "Bocce ball newest sport for Dothan's Special Olympians". Dothan Eagle. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
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  29. ^ Petanque vs. Bocce at Petanque America Script error: No such module "webarchive".
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