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The ASCE Bocce Ball Rules

According to the bocce website, bocce has been played for thousands of years. More recently, bocce clubs were first organized in Italy, even holding Bocce World Championships. Today, bocce is a sport that is loved and played in many different countries around the world. There are even different bocce clubs located right in the United States. Playing bocce is incredibly easy, and learning how to play is a breeze.

The Coin Toss
- Typically, the captains of the two bocce teams partake in a coin toss. The winner of the coin toss gets to decide which ball color the team wants, as well as the first toss of the pallino. The pallino is the tiny ball that is thrown into the court.
The Pallino Toss
- The winning captain of the coin toss gets to throw the pallino--underhand--into the bocce court. Although the pallino can be bounced off of the sideboards of the court, it must end up within the legal playing court, across the center line and 12 inches from the sideboards and backboard. If the captain does not throw the pallino correctly and it lands in front of center court or too close to the sideboards or backboard, the second team gets to throw the pallino. If the second team also throws the pallino incorrectly, the pallino is placed in the middle of the court's foul line on the opposite end of where the players are.
Playing Bocce
- The object of bocce ball is to throw your ball--underhand--so it lands or rolls as close to the pallino as possible. You can also knock an opponent's ball away from the pallino, as well.
  
  The pallino thrower gets to throw his ball first. One player from the next team then throws his ball. Each ball thrown thereafter is made by the team whose balls on the court are furthest from the pallino.
  
  The balls are thrown from behind the courts pointing foul line. At the end of the game, the team whose ball is closest to the pallino is the winner.

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