How to Play Bocce in the Backyard

Find a playing surface. Ideally you want a flat, clear playing surface that is the regulation bocce court size of 76 feet by 10 feet. But since not all backyards are created equal, feel free to improvise a court where you can with whatever space you have. Clear the area of any sticks and rocks that may interfere with the bocce balls.

Divide the players into two teams, from anywhere between two and four players per team. Since there are only four bocce balls per team, anymore than four players per team will force others to take turns with each throw.

Set up a foul line. This is where the bocce balls will be thrown from. Either lay down a marker (a T-shirt or other piece of fabric) or set up two markers to create an invisible line in between that will be the foul line.

Throw the jack ball. This is the indicator of where to throw the bocces and will determine who takes the first turn. Choose one player from each team to throw their bocce. Whoever throws their ball closer to the jack wins the first toss of the game. The game can now begin.

Throw the jack ball once again. Rotate throws of the bocce ball back and forth between the two teams, with the object of the game being to try to get closer to the jack ball. Feel free to try and knock the other team's balls away from the jack ball. Continue doing this until all eight balls are thrown.

Count up the points. To do this, the team with the closest balls to the jack get one point per ball they have closer than the opposing team. For example, if team A has the closest ball but team B has the second closest ball, team A gets one point. However, if team A has the first, second and third closest ball and team B has the fourth closest, team A gets three points.

Continue rotating who throws the jack back and forth along the bocce court until a winner has been decided. Standard bocce ball rules say that the winner is the first team to get to 16 points, but feel free to make that any number you would prefer.