This article appeared in the May 2014 issue of the United States Bocce Federation Western Sector Newsletter.

Most of the previous articles in this column have been of a general nature or related to the game of open.  This month’s article will cover a very common situation

that happens in the game of Punto, Raffa, Volo, or raffa for short.  The formal name for the game of raffa comes from the three shots used in the game.  The “punto” throw is an attempt to roll close to the pallino for a point. The “volo” shot is lofted into the air from the seven-meter mark, or C line, and must land within 40 cm of the declared target ball or pallino.  The “raffa” shot is a hard throw at a target and is described in more detail below.

In order for a raffa shot to be valid the ball must be released at the four-meter lag line, or B line, and clear the nine-meter line commonly known as the D line.  The referee makes the call whether or not the shot was over the D line and valid, or short of the line and not valid.  The problem arises when there is no assigned independent referee and teams are taking turns marking and holding the stick.  Players behind the shooter or even outside the court instantly appoint themselves referee and yell in unison, “Short.”

This is the most common cause of arguments in the game of raffa!  Sometimes the person acting as referee and holding the stick is ignored and both teams commence to argue.  There is no easy solution to the argument as both teams think that they saw the shot as valid or invalid.  Tempers rise as the discussion continues until in frustration both teams agree on the status of the shot.  In one instance a few years ago a player was so angry over a call from a non-referee that he gave up the game of bocce.

The point that is missed in all of this is the fact that there was a referee on the court.  Someone was holding the stick!  The referee may not have been in the proper position to judge the shot, or may have been distracted by something outside of the court.  Even though the referee was a member of one of the teams there is an obligation to be fair and honest.  Some players that volunteer to mark and hold the stick are not trained and like to stand down by the action where the pallino and points lie.  This could be at the far end of the court.  When in this location it is very difficult to judge whether or not a ball has cleared the D line.  The best remedy to this problem is for the referee to always stand near the center of the court when a player is attempting a raffa shot and watch the location on the court where a valid shot should land.  It is even acceptable for the referee to stand across the centerline for a closer look.

Another way to eliminate the problem of the peanut gallery calling a shot short is to let the authority rest only with the player who is holding the stick and acting as the referee.  Once the player knows where to stand for a close up view of the D line then only that player is authorized to make the call.  This will eliminate the most common source of friction in a raffa game.  One club that hosts an annual raffa tournament has a ground rule to that effect.  Players are warned in the morning that only the person holding the stick is authorized to make the call.  Players other than the referee who call out “short” are given a warning that they will lose a ball on the next frame for a future infraction.  Calls from the peanut gallery are to be ignored.  The teams are cautioned to be very careful on who they designate to be the referee!  With this rule in effect, there have not been any disputes over short raffa shots in several years at that club’s tournaments.

The point of this article is that a little common sense goes a long way in the sport.  Think of baseball.  An umpire calls the balls and strikes as he sees them.  Players or coaches who argue with the umpire over what they think is a “bad call” about a strike or a ball are immediately ejected.  All the hollering and boos of the spectators do nothing to change the umpire’s call.  In bocce, If players learn to accept the call that the referee makes without arguing, the game of raffa will be much more enjoyable.  At least we don’t eject players for arguing about a call like they do in baseball!