Street boccia
In Street Boccia is a popular sport that the basic principles of traditional bowls or petanque makes benefit, but this expanded to include some aspects. Street bowls, also soft bowls, Crossboccia or Crossboule called, that is an evolution of the bowls sport and attracts so with sports formats such as BMX , snowboarding , Parkour or Headis same, the also existing game principles have expanded, so as to give rise to a new sport.
Because street boccia can be played anywhere, particular emphasis is placed on the aspects of freedom , spontaneity and creativity . In February 2010, the sport received international recognition for the first time at the world's largest start-up competition “Brand New Award” at ISPO .
History of origin
The idea of playing boccia "cross", ie in three-dimensional space, has been around for much longer than the term street boccia itself. For example, attempts have been made to bring more movement into the game by using plastic balls. The problem, however, was that the balls bounced and the control that is necessary for accurate play was no longer guaranteed.
Two students from the Bergische Universität Wuppertal , Mark Caliman and Timo Beelow, came to the rescue. After they initially worked together on the idea of new game balls, they parted ways. Caliman brought the first sets onto the market in 2008, Beelow followed in 2009. By organizing tournaments, Beelow has redefined fun and trend sports as a sport.
The play device
The balls, which are 3/4 filled with granules, are reminiscent of hacky sacks and, thanks to their shape and workmanship, are perfect for playing in three-dimensional space. Unlike conventional boccia balls, the balls can be played over boards, on stairs, inclines and slopes without affecting the surroundings or the game balls themselves. The balls are designed so that they can even bounce off the surface of water. They are washable and robust, yet light and soft enough not to damage window panes.
Rules, procedure and goal of the game
The rules of street boccia are basically derived from those of the original sports boccia , boules and pétanque , but bring some new ideas into play that further underline the freedom of street boccia .
Game objective
The aim of the game is still to throw the game balls as close as possible to the previously placed marker. The basic rule is that the player whose balls are closest to the marker wins. However, the ball may only be thrown, i.e. not shot with the foot. A match is won when a player emerges victorious from two sets. A set consists of 13 points, but must be won with at least two points difference (e.g. 13:11, 12:14).
Course of the game
At the beginning of a game round a player is drawn who throws the marker from a freely selectable position. This player also determines the rules of the opened round. It is determined whether a certain style (for example, through the legs, etc.) or even over a previously defined board must be played. Then the same player throws his first cue ball. Then the remaining players throw their first balls in a spontaneously agreed order. After this round, the player whose game ball is furthest away from the marker is determined. It is now the turn of this player to make his second and third throw in succession. Now the remaining players also throw their balls, again depending on the position of their first throw. When all balls have been thrown, the points are calculated based on their distance to the marker.
Scoring
As with the original sports, the proximity of the match balls to the marker is also the basis for scoring in street boccia. The player whose cue ball is closest to the marker receives one point. If several balls from different players are equally close to the marker, each of these players receives a point accordingly. In the following rounds the points are collected until 13 points are reached and a set is won.
Particularity of the rules
In street boccia, in addition to the proximity of the game balls to the marker, there is another basis for evaluating points: combinations. If a player manages to place his game balls not only close to the target ball, but also in a row or next to each other so that they touch, there are additional points that can also be added. If two balls are touching, the first of the two balls is worth one point, the second two points (combination bonus). If the third ball is also lying, it counts three points. This allows up to six points to be achieved in one round.
Another special feature is the so-called "kill". If a player manages to cover that of an opponent by at least 50% with his own ball, the ball below will not receive any points.
Tournaments, competitions and events
Since the beginning of the sport, numerous tournaments and events have been carried out under the label "Crossboccia", which are attended internationally and repeatedly arouse interest, especially among players, but also in the media. In just two years, the player community grew to around 50,000 active players across Europe in 2012. While smaller “Meet & Greet Cups” were held in 2009, the first world championships and world ranking tournaments were organized in 2011. A player can collect world ranking points through the tournaments that take place regularly, which are then displayed in a table. The next world championship will take place in 2013 in Wuppertal .
Individual evidence
- ↑ - ISPO Brandnew Finalist 2010: Crossboccia® ( Memento of the original from February 11, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ - Crossboccia.com: We are finalists at the ISPO Brandnew Award! ( Memento of the original from April 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ - Clique evening interview with Mark Calin Caliman
- ↑ - the-spine.de "TIMO BEELOW: The inventor of the trend sport Crossboccia in conversation" ( Memento of the original from July 3, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ "Good evening RTL Hessen - trend sport Cross Boccia" ( Memento of the original from October 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ DerWesten.de - trend sport: First Crossboccia World Cup in the North Landscape Park in Duisburg
- ^ WDR.de - The first Crossboccia World Championship
Web links
- Bild.de - Cross-Boccia, stools, slacklining: trend sports for fit city dwellers
- Westdeutsche Zeitung Newsline - Crossboccia: When the city becomes a big playing field
- Fit For Fun - Crossboccia: The new trend sport
- Unicum - Crossboccia: The new trend sport
- Bild.de - New, hip and trendy: everyone plays cross-boccia