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Bocce, which is sometimes called bocci, is a ball sport that is part of the boules sport family. Variations include raffa bocce, bocce volo and boccia (for disabled athletes). Italian migrants in Australia, North America, and South America usually play bocce.

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The sport is played on soil and asphalt. The balls used in bocce are made of metal or kinds of plastic. The game can be played between two individuals or teams of two, three or four. A chosen side will start the match by throwing the smaller ball (jack), from one end of the court to the zone which is at the other end of the court.

If the team misses twice, the opposing team will have the opportunity to place the jack anywhere within the prescribed zone. The team will receive a point for their balls which are close to the jack. The players are allowed to throw the ball in the air; they can use an underarm action. This tactic is used to knock the jack or another ball to gain a favourable position.

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Similar Sports

• Raffa Bocce — a variation of bocce played on carpet, plastic balls are rolled or thrown towards a target smaller ball.
• Bocce Volo (flight bocce) — a variation of bocce, in which metal balls are thrown overhand (palm down) with a runup, the Italian version of Jeu Provençal / Boule Lyonnaise.
• Bolas Criollas — a traditional Venezuelan team sport like bocce and pétanque in which players throw a set of balls as close as possible to the small target ball.
• Boccia — a ball sport similar to bocce, bowls, and pétanque for athletes with physical disabilities.
• Pétanque — a type of boules in which the objective is to throw hollow metal balls towards a small wooden target ball.
• Lawn Bowling — the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty".
• Jeu Provençal — a popular French form of Boules, where the objective is to throw a set of hollow metal balls as close as possible to a target ball.
• Varpa — an old outdoor game dating back to the Viking Age. It is similar to boules but played with a flat and heavy thrower known as "varpa" instead of balls, once made of shaped stones but nowadays aluminum is more popular.
• Tejo (Argentina) — a sport from Argentina in which two teams throw metal discs to land as close as possible to a neutral disc
• Tejo (Colombia) — a Colombian sport in which metal discs are thrown 20m to a target that explodes when hit.

Related Pages

• List of Boules-type sports
• About the general sports of bowling
• Complete list of sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports