Boccia Training Games & Ideas

Warm Ups:

Take the Challenge! (Purpose: warm up, expand skills, have fun)

Players and coaches suggest various ways to propel the ball.  Everybody has to try it.  Giving it a
“special name” gets you “extra credit.”
Throw a different way – overhand, underhand, high lob, bend and low, side arm, backwards.
Ramproll a different way – lean and reach, high and drop.

Volleyball!  (Purpose: warm up the body, warm up the spirit)

Using a beach ball, players face off and hit, kick, header the ball, keeping it moving between them.

Range of Motion and Stretching!  (Purpose: warm up, target specific muscle groups)
 
Have each athlete contribute a stretch that has been effective for them.

Introductory Game:

“Texas Marbles”:  A great game to introduce scoring.
 
Set up: Put kids in a big circle, divide the boccia balls among them.  (Usually they get only one
ball).  Place Jack in the center.  Introduce the vocabulary: boccia and jack.  They them they are to
try to get as close to the jack as possible.  Every can throw at once.  Cheer for the ones that get
close and after all balls have been thrown, show them how to score.
 
Scoring lesson: The color closest to the jack scores.  Then the number that they have closer than
their opponent tells how big the score is.  Announce the score, 2 for blue, 3 for red, etc.
Repeat: Return balls, replace jack to center and signal for the throw, cheer and score.

Skills Games:

Target Practice: (Purpose: accuracy)
Athletes throw, roll, or kick the ball at a target.  Target ideas: 2 or 3 of the athletes or coaches, tin
cans, bowling pins, large beach balls, therapy balls.

Attack and Defend: (Purpose: accuracy, speed of throw)
If there is a large group of players – athletes can sit on either end of the boccia court and aim at
large beach balls which are initially placed at center court.  The object is to make the balls roll and
touch the team members on the opposite side.  After all balls are thrown, (or call ‘cease fire’),
coaches retrieve balls and return them to the throwers.  Another signal allows the throwing to
begin again.  Coaches also keep the target beach balls in bounds.

Bombs Away: (Purpose: practice long shots)
Place a target near the back of the court.  Initially, these targets could stand up if the athletes need
it for a visual cue.  Players shoot at will at the target.  Keep track of balls that make it to the target.
(Strategy – players learn that throwing harder makes the ball go further, they learn that harder
balls go faster, etc.  Ramp players learn that changing the position of the ramp, or realizing ball
from different places on the ramp, makes the ball go further).
Easy Does It: (Purpose: practice short shots)
Place several targets, lying flat, near the front v-line on the court.  Players shoot at will at the
target.  Keep track of balls that stay on the target.  (Strategy – Players learn that throwing softer
changes the distance thrown.  They experiment with arm and wrist positions to shorten their shot.
Ramp players learn that changing the position of the ramp, or releasing the ball from different
places on the ramp, makes the ball play softer).

Precision Boccia: (Purpose: accuracy at several points on the court)
Set up 4 paper targets approximately 1 meter by 1 meter.  Place 2 deep and 2 short court.  Each
target could also have a smaller target drawn inside.  Number the targets 1, 2, 3, and 4.  The
athlete gets 6 balls.  The athlete takes his shot, if he touches his target at all, he get 5 points, if he
stops on the target, he gets 10 points and if he stops on the target within the target he gets 25
points.  Highest total is the winner.

King of the Hill: (Purpose: accuracy and strategy)
Select a target.  Place it on court.  Divide the balls between the players.  Set a time allowing
approximately 1.5 minutes per ball (example: if players have 2 balls each, timer is set for 3
minutes).  A signal is given and the players fire at will aiming at the target.  When the timer goes
off the game is scored – one point for each ball on the target.  Play 4 to 6 ends!  This game helps
to teach strategy.  They use their balls to knock their opponent off the target, they may try to place
a ball on target and then set up blocks.  It encourages them to thing not only about their skills, but
about their opponents’ skills.

Up in the Air: (Purpose: to try different types of throws and releases)
Place a box or bench out on the court.  The players try to make the ball land on the item.  Place a
target (hoop, towel, paper) on the other side of the box or bench, the players try to throw the ball
over the bench and mike it land on the floor target.

In Between the Lines: (Purpose: accuracy)
Place upright targets like bowling pins or cones and throw, kick or roll your ball between the
targets.

Hit the Spot: (Purpose: to try different types of throws and releases)
Place a target on the wall and players throw, kick or roll to hit the target.

Ricochet: (Purpose: learn about bank shots)
Place 2 X 4’s or tables laid on their side out on the court and request that players hit against the
sidewalls to bounce onto a target.