The bocce family of games is one of the oldest sports in the world. Variations include: Italian bocce raffa, bocce volo, French boule lyonnaise, pétanque, British flat-green, crown-green lawn bowls, South American bochas, and many more regional variants…

Some of these have governing bodies at the national and international levels, with a written set of rules.

What they have in common is that they are all precision sports. Individual players, or teams, roll or throw the ball towards the target ball. The team with the most points wins the game.

Some of the differences lie in the weight, diameter, and material of the balls, the playing surface, court dimensions, run-up, alternating turns, number of balls in play, types of shots …