How to Play Bocce Ball

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The game of bocce ball is a very enjoyable game.  It has been played for years and will surely continue to remain a popular outdoor game.  Here is some more information on this fun game.

The game of bocce is normally played on a court made of oyster shells but it can also be played on granite, soil or asphalt.  The courts may range is size but a typically around 11 feet by 80 feet long.

The bocce balls themselves can be composed of either metal, wood, stone, or different types of plastic.

This game is normally played by teams with 1 to 4 players.  The object of the game is for players to toss the bocce ball as close as possible to the Pallino.  The winner is determined by the team which achieves 11, 12, or 13 points (may vary depending upon where the game is played).

The Pallino is a small ball which serves as a target.  For team play, someone is chosen to throw the pallino.  They the players begin to throw their bocce ball with intention of getting it as close to the pallino as possible.

Once all the players have thrown their bocce ball, a point is awarded for every bocce ball which is closer to the pallino than the closest bocce ball of the opposing team.

The game has been around for thousands of years.  As a matter of fact, a painting from 5200 BC documents people playing a version of this game.  It was discovered in an Egyptian tomb.

The game was popular with the ancient Greeks who then transferred it to the Romans.  It was played by the entire citizenry and remained very popular for many years.

These Greeks introduced bocce to what is now modern Italy.  The game became so popular that it was threatened with prohibition since people playing the game in the streets were hitting the knees of noblemen.

However it introduced the game to these noblemen where is became an instant hit with the high society as well as lower populace and it became more and more popular.

The game has gained and lost popularity over the years.  However it remains a very popular game.  As a matter of fact, there are over 25,000,000 players of this game worldwide.

So the sport which began as a crude sport played with rounded stones or even coconuts has evolved into the refined and popular sport it is today.

 

 

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Dave C. Roth has 1 articles online

Dave Roth runs the site http://www.cornhole-game.org, a resource site devoted to the game of cornhole. The site features rules, building dimensions, and cornhole bags and boards.

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How to Play Bocce Ball

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This article was published on 2010/12/15