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Bocce
Photo from Mind, Body, Spirit:
Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games Official Souvenir Book (p. 83).
Southbank, Victoria: News Custom Publishing. |
|
Bocce is an official
sport at the Paralympic Games for athletes with severe cerebral palsy or
related neurological conditions. Bocce is also played at the Special
Olympics World Games. Other disability
sports organizations offer bocce at the local, regional, or national
levels.
| Note: Bocce
is the predominate term used to describe this sport; however, the
IPC uses the term boccia. |
|
Athlete Eligibility and
Classification
Paralympic bocce competition accommodates
athletes with severe cerebral palsy or related neurological conditions.
There are three classifications contested at the Paralympic Games:
 | BC1 - athletes from the CP1 and CP2
classifications compete using an assistive device such as a ramp or
chute to deliver the ball. |
| BC2 - athletes from the CP2 classification
compete without an assistive device. |
| BC3 - athletes with severe disability from the
CP1 classification compete using an assistive device such as a ramp or
chute to deliver the ball. |
The boccia classification system is
described on the IPC web site at
http://www.paralympic.org. Click on "sports," then "sports,"
then "boccia," then "classification."
Men and women
compete together in all events.
Athletes who compete in Special Olympics events
must have a primary diagnosis of mental retardation. They are classified
according to a process called divisioning in which athletes are
grouped by ability levels for competition. For more information on
divisioning, go to
http://www.specialolympics.org, then click on "sports," then choose
"general rules" from the drop-down menu, then go to "Section V - Special
Olympics Divisioning."
Events
There are six bocce events in Paralympic
competition: (a) mixed individual events for the BC1, BC2, BC3, and BC4
classes; (b) mixed team play for BC1 and BC2 players; and (c) mixed
pairs play for BC3 players. Teams have three players, none of whom may
use assistive devices. Pairs, obviously, have two players. The term
"mixed" indicates that males and females compete together in the same
events.
Bocce events in Special Olympics include mixed
singles, mixed doubles, and four-person team competition, as well as
Unified Sports competition in the doubles and team events.
Playing Area
Bocce is played on a smooth, flat, non-slippery surface.
The size of the playing area depends upon the
organization conducting the competition (see illustration). Foul lines
(10 feet from each end board) and jack lines (half-court lines) are
marked on the court with tape. International rules for "able-bodied"
players and Special Olympics rules specify backboards at each end of the
court that are 3 feet high and side boards that are as high as a bocce
ball (about 4.5 inches high).
 Rules
Paralympic competition is governed by the rules of
the International Boccia Commission (http://www.bocciainternational.com).
These rules are also posted on the IPC web site at
http://www.paralympic.org; click
on "sports," then "sports," then "boccia," then rules." The bocce rules
for Special Olympics competition are posted at
http://www.specialolympics.org;
click on "sports" then choose "bocce" from the drop-down rules menu.
|
Play. A match is
divided into four ends. Each end continues until both teams have played
all of their balls. A coin toss determines which team starts the first
end. The match is started by throwing the jack/pallina past the center
court line. The same player also rolls the first bocce ball, as close as
possible to the jack ball. Hitting the jack ball is legal as long as the
jack ball stays in the court (if the jack ball is knocked out of the
court, it is re-tossed by the opposing team). Then the opposing team
throws until they get a ball closer to the jack ball or until they have
thrown all of their team's balls. Play then returns to the first team.
The end continues in this manner until both teams have thrown all of their balls. In
team competition, a playing rotation is maintained throughout the game.
|
|
Scoring. Scoring
is done at the conclusion of an end. One point is awarded for each ball
that is closest to the jack ball and "inside" of any opponent's ball.
Usually, one and two player teams play to 12 points, and four player
teams go to 16 points.
|
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Strategies. The following strategies
were suggested by John A. Lock on his web site (http://www.mindspring.com/~jlock/bocce.html):
 |
Spot your ball directly in front of the pallina, making it
difficult for the opponent to get around your ball |
|
"Spocking" (bombing) the opponent's ball away
from the jack ball |
|
"Spocking"
the jack ball to move it away from the opponent's ball |
|
Sacrificing your ball by "spocking" it
against an opponent's ball, sending both balls out of bounds, hoping
that the re-thrown jack ball will be in a more favorable position
for continued play |
|
Using bank shots in a court with backboards
and side boards. |
|
Rule modifications for Paralympic bocce include:
| Time limits for each end, ranging from 5-8
minutes per team per end depending upon the athlete(s)
classifications. |
| Designated starting boxes, with athletes
required to stay within the assigned box during throws. |
| Athlete must remain seated with buttocks in
contact with the wheelchair cushion during throws. |
| No communication or coaching of the athlete
except during time outs and when placing the assistive device. |
Equipment
|
White jack ball (also called a pallina), about 2.25 inches in diameter
|
|
Two sets of team balls, about 4.25
inches in diameter, with a different color for each team. In Paralympic
competition, each team has six balls. In Special Olympics competition,
each team has four balls. In Paralympic competition, the balls are
covered in leather. In Special Olympics, the balls may be metal or wood. |
|
Dead ball container for holding balls
that have rolled outside the court boundary lines. |
|
Measuring device to determine the
distance between team balls and the jack/pallina at the conclusion of an
end. |
|
Wheelchairs for Paralympic bocce
players must have two large rear wheels and one or two small front
wheels. The maximum height of the seat rail is 53 cm. Seat cushions may
not exceed 7 cm in thickness. |
|
Assistive devices for Paralympic
bocce players in class C1-WAD events. Assistive devices may include
ramps or chutes. Assistive devices may be no larger than 1m x 2.5m when
laid on the side, and may not contain mechanical devices that aid
propulsion of the bocce ball. |
Links
Page prepared by JiTae Kim and revised by Gail Dummer |
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