Sepak Takraw

It’s volleyball, no wait it’s football, noooo it’s Sepak Takraw

Sepak Takraw translates to ‘kick a ball”.  Sepak means to kick in Malay and Takraw is a rattan ball. The sport is widely believed to have originated in Malaysia in the early 15th century before spreading to other parts of Southeast Asia over the next hundred years.

But is it possible that the its roots lie in the “cuju”, a traditional Chinese exercise wherein soldiers would try to keep a feathered shuttlecock in the air by kicking it to each other.  Who really knows?

Interestingly enough, Sepak Takraw started of as a cooperative exercise to improve flexibility and mobility.  It was only in the 1940s that the modern version of the sport took shape and nets were introduced to the game.

Today, the game is usually played by 6 people (two teams of three each). It can however also be played by two people (singles) or by 8 people in teams of four.  A game consists of three sets of 21 points each.The court is broadly the size of a badminton court.  Imagine playing volleyball, but instead of hands, you can only use your feet, chest or head to touch the ball.  Thus blending in elements of football as well.

The International Sepak Takraw Foundation (ISTF) is the global body currently governing the sport.  The sport has been regularly featured at the Asian games and it has now spread well beyond Southeast Asia. The game has garnered interest across Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Other forms of the sport have also popped up across the globe, understandably in places where football is popular; these include kickvolley (South America), bossaball (Spain) and sipa to name a few.

However, the rattan woven ball which is sometimes still used (synthetic rubber balls are now preferred and predominantly used) in Sepak Takraw gives it that old world charm. 

I was most amazed to see the flexibility of the strikers (attacking players near the net) who regularly make 360 degree jumps to kick the ball.  Their ball control and precision were unnerving. Just imagining the amount of splits they must do as part of the exercise regime gives me the shivers. 

Sadly, as exhilarating as the sport feels, I’ll have to give it a pass for now.  Football has never been my forte, flexibility escapes me and the level of physicality required is a tad more than I can handle.