The rules change according to the players and may range from a nearly nonexistent set of rules, to the strictest of tournament regulations. But for the average player, bocce is simple. There may be anywhere from two to eight players on a team. The object of the game is for a team to get its bocce as close to the pallino as possible. The balls thrown closest to the pallino receive points.
Players also try to knock their opponents' balls away from the pallino.
As more and more people discover bocce, it has become necessary to make the game more standard. The WBA will help establish bocce in the 1996 Olympics and in the Special Olympics. The WBA mission is also to create a volunteer program to teach and promote bocce in schools as well as public and private facilities, such as park district programs, retirement homes and hospitals. The WBL goals are to bring bocce to a higher level of professional participation by seeking out U.S. bocce tournaments and to form a World Bocce League tour for men and women. Bocce is a great game for people who cannot participate in strenuous physical activity, but who like a game with a high intensity level.