Teams – Each team’s roster may include 4 – 10 players. Matches during the regular season may be played by 2 – 4 members from each team. Matches during the tournament, however, must be played by 4 members from each team. Within each team, players must alternate throwing (one player may not throw all balls during a frame). A team must forfeit if it cannot field at least 2 players during a regular season match, or 4 players during a tournament match.
Equipment – A bocce set consists of 8 balls (4 red & 4 green), and 1 pallino (a small, white target ball). Matches are played on a field – marked by cones – measuring roughly 60 ft. x 18’ ft.
Match – A match is made up of multiple frames (minimum of 4). The match ends when one team has scored 16 points and has a lead of at least 2 points.
Frame – A frame consists of both teams throwing their 4 balls. A frame ends once the pallino and all 8 balls have been thrown
Scoring – Points are determined after each frame and are only awarded to one team per frame (minimum of 1 point & maximum of 4 points). One point will be awarded to the team whose ball lies closest to the pallino. One point will be awarded for each additional ball (thrown by the scoring team) that is closer to the pallino than the opposing team’s closest ball. Points are not awarded for balls that are thrown/knocked out of bounds.
Restarts – A restart occurs when the previous frame is nullified. Restarts are initiated on the same end of the field as the previous frame.
Measuring – Balls may be measured at any time, however, only one player may cross the center line at a time from each team. The rest of the players must remain on their end of the court.
1. The captain from each team will participate in a coin toss. The winner of the coin toss chooses the end on which to begin play and is granted control of the pallino. The loser chooses the color of ball its team will use.
2. The pallino must be thrown across the halfway line and must stay within the field’s boundaries. A throw is ruled a foul if the pallino does not cross the halfway line, the pallino crosses out of bounds, or the throwing player’s entire foot crosses into the field of play before releasing. The throw is repeated following a first foul. After a second foul, the opposing team is granted control of the pallino and restarts the frame.
3. Once the pallino has been established, that same team will throw the first ball.
4. The second team will throw next. If second team’s ball is closer to the pallino than the first team’s ball, the first team will throw next. If the second team’s ball is not closer to the pallino than the first team’s ball, the second team will throw again until it has either: a) thrown a ball closer to the pallino than the first team or b) thrown all if its balls.
5. Play continues in this manner until all eight balls have been thrown (completing a frame). Following the completion of a frame scoring is determined.
6. If the pallino is knocked out of play at any point during the frame, however, that frame is restarted. A frame is also restarted if all 8 balls have been thrown and all 8 lie out of bounds.
7. The next frame will be played on the opposite end of the field as the previous frame. The team that scored during the previous frame will have control of the pallino at the start of the next frame.