Equipment
A Bocce Set If you aspire to international competition, and raffa throws, you should use 107mm. balls of 920g. according to Mario "The Bocce Guy" Pagnoni. There is a good possibility that we will have sets of this size at the Chattanooga Bocce Club Clubhouse, and specify there use in our organized tournaments and league play at the Clubhouse. Find a discussion of boccia (the subject comes up regularly) at The Joy of Bocce newsletter Vol. VIII, issue 41, of 12/14/2009. Bocce sets (usually eight boccia and a pallino or pallina) may be purchased at most of the large discount stores in town such as Target, Wal-mart, Sam's and at the large sports outlets. Most of these are probably made in China. Prices are $50-100.
For more certain quality, EPCO Inc. is perhaps the only U.S. ball manufacturer. Its balls are offered by Paramount Industries. More info. at paramountindustriesinc.com. Also for serious players, presumably the best bocce balls in the world might be the variety imported from Italy. The two main Italian manufactures are: Perfetta (distributed by Playaboule) and Martel (distributed by DaVinciBocce.com).
Alternately, if you are not ready to buy a set of balls, network with our members as to when and where they might be playing or check out our scheduled playing/teaching oportunities described on the home page, or join us at one of our Saturday "Recreational" Tournaments.
Attire If you are familiar with lawn bowling, played in some U.S. cities and commonly in the British Commonwealth, you have perhaps seen all-white outfits. Needless to say, we are more casual. As a rule, anything legal to wear in public may be seen on a bocce court. However, many of our club members strive for at least a minimal sense of bocce style. We often sport shirts with bocce logos or Italian flavor. There are still some of the first generation t-shirts available from Frank for $10. These have a large stylized Italian flag on the back and "Chattanooga Bocce Club" printed tastefully over our bocce loving hearts on the front. Multiple web sites offer bocce equipment and clothing. We will link to some of these eventually. Of late, members have been having one of two choices of style printing placed on shirts bought from, or taken to, the Suit Man. This is a shop at 8101 East Brainerd Road. Phone 553-8200. Printing is only $5. There are currently no restrictions on what style or color top or hat you wear that includes "Chattanooga Bocce Club" with one proviso. We think that only members of the Club should wear an outfit that says Chattanooga Bocce Club.
Bocce Lingo
It would be less fun learning a new sport that didn't include some campy specialized terms, no? Bocce has the added interest of many of these terms being in Italian. Most of what we have learned is totally socially acceptable!
From the Rico Daniele book: BOCCE
Puntata - a "gentle" ball delivery, requires touch, when making this roll you are a puntatore.
Volo - a "flying" ball, goes airborne, follows an arc.
Raffa - a "strong" ball. Delivered low but fast.
Pallino - the little ball.
Bocce - the game, which most defintely is not "bocce ball".
From the Mario Pagnoni book: The Joy of BOCCE.
Boccia - one of the large balls.
Boccie - more than one of the large balls.
Bowls - lawn bowling.
Petanque - the French version of lawn bowling. Pronounced pay-tonk. Uses metal balls called boules.
Bocce court, alley, or campo - what you play bocce in.
Frame or round - one trip down the court with all nine balls.
Your bocce is "in" if it is closer to the pallino than your opponents. If not it is "out".
If your bocce is "in", you "have the point", or you are "holding the point". Pallino advantage - having the first roll in a frame.
Initial point - is established by the first boccia roll in a frame.
Bank shot - a carome off the side board.
Hitting - successfully clocking a target ball with force, usually a raffa shot.
Lagging or Pointing - an attempt to close in on the pallino for point, usually with a puntata or punto roll.
Selling the Point - instead of improving your team's position, your roll gives the point to the other team.
Most of the above terms were taught to us by our old Italian-American bocce master: Andy Calvanese. Some others include:
Rolling stronger than point. Roll fast enough to contact the pallino or close-by boccia but slow enough that your ball stays close by, giving it the potential to take the point or at least stay in contention.
