Hot summer days and outdoor barbeques are the perfect set up for a friendly bocce ball game. Whether with family or friends, this is a game that can be learned by any age. Starting off in the ancient Roman Empire, it soon became popular among the elderly in the United States but has now quickly become popular for all ages. This easy to learn and play game can be as friendly or competitive as you want it to be, making it a fun family-friendly game or a fierce competition between friends. The rules are simple and the technique is very easy to learn.
Bocce ball is played one on one or with two teams playing against each other. This game is similar to bowling except the first turn involves rolling the only small ball, called the pallino, in the game down the court. After the pallino is set, the object is for all players to roll the other eight balls, called the bocce balls, as close to the pallino as possible. The closer your ball is to the pallino, the more points you score. There are different variations to the rules with various games being played until 11, 12 or 13 points.
Because bocce ball is quite simple, people of all ages can play it together. It is not a contact sport or a sport that requires extensive skill. Simply rolling a ball down the court is all that anyone has to master. While there are people that get quite competitive about their game, there are others that like to play it out in the yard at a barbeque just for fun. A main advantage of this game is that it can be played with families of all sizes and all ages, bringing the family together for a night of fun.
Bocce ball courts are a rectangular surface that varies in size. There are sets that are portable and can be put away, as well as true to size sets that are built right in your own backyard for non-stop fun. Whether you choose to have a portable set or have one built right in your own backyard, it is a great social game to play that gets everyone involved in the activity and learning a new sport. There is a reason that bocce ball has been around for thousands of years, and people of all ages are starting to catch on.
