The Origins of Bocce
Exerpts from DIYNetwork.com

The exact origins of bocce are unknown, but similar games were played in Egypt and Greece as far back as 5000 B. C. The earliest direct ancestor of modern bocce, however, was played in the Italian Alps some two millennia ago. Immensely popular among Roman soldiers, it was introduced and popularized by those same troops in the regions they conquered and assimilated into the Roman Empire. The name bocce, in fact, comes from the Vulgar Latin bottia, or ball. (Another form of the game, popular in the British Isles, is called bowls, its name derived from the Classic Latin boulles, also meaning ball.) So popular did bocce in all its forms become that it was periodically banned because it took men away from their "rightful" occupation: practicing archery for the defense of the realm. Seldom observed, the ban actually remained on the books in England until 1845. The New World first learned of bocce thanks to immigrants from the British Isles, who brought their version, bowls, with them when they arrived in America. The surface of choice for this version of the game is close-cropped grass (said to be the origin of the modern lawn). Even the Father of His Country got in on the act: George Washington kept a bowls court at his home, Mount Vernon, in the late 1700s. The "real" (i.e., Italian) bocce was brought to the U. S. by Italian immigrants at the turn of the 20th century. In true melting-pot fashion, each town and community represented by the new arrivals had its own version of the sport, but today's game has settled into a standard version that can be played almost anywhere, by almost anybody. The oldest known sport in the world now enjoys a following second only to soccer's. The equipment needed for a game of bocce are few and inexpensive: eight bocce balls -- four each of two colors -- and a smaller target ball, or pallino. The larger balls come in a variety of sizes and colors, depending on the preference of the players. Some bocce balls are the size of oranges; others are grapefruit-size. Still others are lightweight and lighted for night play. While not endless, the variety nevertheless gives individuals a choice according to physical strength and level of skill. Bocce is the epitome of a backyard sport: it doesn't require a formal setting, just adequate space. It can be played on an ordinary lawn, or you can construct a traditional clay surface if you wish. Once the court is prepared, you're ready to play.

Rules of the Game

Bocce is played with two teams, each of which can have one, two or four players. If the team has a single player, he throws four balls; two players, two balls; and four players, one ball. Each team tries to get its bocce closer to the pallino than those of its opponents. A coin toss decides which team will throw first. The first team chooses its color and throws the pallino, then throws one of its bocce as close to the pallino as possible. Now the opposing team throws, attempting to come closer to the pallino. If they throw all four bocce and fail to come closer than their opponents, the other team throws its remaining bocce. If the second team succeeds in coming closer to the pallino, the first team throws again and tries to get closer. Each team rolls until it beats its opponent's point.

Tips for the Game

The correct throwing position is for the body to be close to the ground, making contact with the sides of the feet. Hold the ball as if it were a tomato, not a baseball. Release the ball from the third and fourth fingers. *The speed of the ball (e.g., five, 10, or 15 miles an hour) will depend on the length of the shot. Learn to make shots off the sideboards. Spend at least 15 minutes practicing on any court where you'll be playing.

The game's strategy comes into play when you learn how to determine what kind of shot you need to make on the basis of such details as ball location and how many shots you have left.