A favorite sport of southwest Asia (especially Thailand and Malaysia), Sepak Takraw is also known as “kick volleyball.” In Malaysia, the game is called Sepak Raga, while in Laos, it’s called Thuck Thay. In Thailand, it is called sepak takraw, and in Myanmar, it is known as Ching Loong. In the Philippines, besides “takraw,” it is also known as Sipa, which means kick. In Indonesia, the game is called Rago, and in Laos, it is called Kator. The name Sepak Takraw is a combination of the words Sepak from the Malay language and Takraw from Thai, which, when put together, roughly means “kick the woven ball.”

Sepak Takraw probably began from an ancient Chinese game involving juggling a shuttlecock with the feet. Soldiers used this game to improve foot-eye coordination as well as athleticism. This Chinese sport would become the ancestor of the world’s first version of football (soccer), called Cuju. The game would have spread through commercial contact between China and its neighboring countries. Once the shuttlecock was replaced with a woven leather ball, it is easy to see the similarities between this game and Sepak Raga.

Sepak Raga is a Malaysian juggling kicking game played in a circle formation. The word “raga” refers to the rattan ball used in the game. In the ancient Malay text “The Sejarah Melayu,” Sepak Raga was played as early as the 1400s in the Malacca Sultanate (a territory centered around modern-day Malacca Malaysia) and the neighboring countries of Singapore and Brunei.

In Bangkok, Thailand, murals in Wat Phra Kaeo (the Temple of the Emerald Buddha) seem to depict the Hindu god Hanuman playing Sepak Takraw with a tribe of monkeys. This theoretically places the origins of Sepak Takraw in Thailand as early as the 1400s. However, Sepak Takraw was definitely mentioned during the reign of King Naresuan, which dates back to the early 1600s. So, at the very least, it is safe to say that Sepak Takraw has been played in Thailand for over 400 years.

The first rules for modern Sepak Raga were formed in 1829 by the Siam Sports Association, which added the volleyball-style net several years later. Around a hundred years later (1935), Sepak Raga was played on a badminton court (with a net) during a jubilee celebration. After World War II, three individuals were given the distinction of being the “fathers” of modern Sepak Takraw. Hamid Maidin (who put together the rule set), Mohamed Abdul Rahman (one of the best Sepak Raga players of the time), and Syed Yaacob. The game became increasingly popular both on its merits and as an excellent training game for football (soccer).

The Malay Sepak Raga Federation was formed in 1960, which promoted both the netted (Sepak Raga Jaring) and non-netted versions of the sport. In 1965, the Malay Federation and delegates from Singapore met with delegates from Laos and Thailand to come to a consensus on the rules for the 1965 SEAP (South East Asia Peninsular) games. The word Sepak, meaning kick from Malaysian, and Takraw, meaning woven ball from Thai, became the official name for the newly minted version of the game, Sepak Takraw. With an official rule set and a governing federation called the ASTAF (Asian Sepak Takraw Federation), this version of the sport became very popular all over Southeast Asia.

In 1992, the ISTAF (International Sepak Takraw Federation) became in charge of international competition, with over 20 countries having Sepak Takraw federations, including India, Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Today, 70 countries from Asia, North, Central, and South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, and the Middle East compete in the ISTAF. In the 2018 Asian Games, India secured a bronze, the country’s first medal in the sport. However, the King’s Cup (in Thailand) is considered the most prestigious tournament of all international competitions. Sepak Takraw has been a featured sport in the Asian games since the 1990s and is now an official event of the Asian and Southeast Asian games.

Thailand and Malaysia are the two biggest rival countries in the sport of Sepak Takraw. In the Asian games, Malaysia won the gold in the first two years, forcing Thailand to improve their team dramatically. Thailand has dominated almost every international competition since its defeat to Malaysia in 2005. However, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, Myanmar, and Vietnam have become forces to reckon with on the international stage.

Sepak Takraw is a three-on-three volleyball game played primarily with the feet. The size of the court is equivalent to badminton, and the net height is about five feet high. The game starts when a server kicks a grapefruit-sized ball over the net while standing in the serving circle. A typical game is up to 21 points, and in the case of a tie, a team must get ahead by two points to win. Players cannot use their hands or arms but their feet, knees, head, and chest to control, pass, and hit the ball over the net. Like volleyball, the game’s objective is to make your opponent’s “fault,” which consists of having the ball hit the ground on the side of the net. Like volleyball, teammates can pass the ball to each other up to three times before hitting the ball back over the net to the opposition. A significant difference from volleyball in Sepak Takraw is that one player can take all three hits without passing to another player.

The most iconic move in Sepak Takraw is the spike. The athlete must do an acrobatic bicycle kick to slam the ball with lots of force in a downward trajectory. This is incredibly hard to do because it involves getting the kicking foot above one’s head. Yet, the athletes use these regularly. A bicycle kick in soccer usually involves the player landing on their back. The best Sepak Takraw players can roll through the kick into a somersault. This enables the player to land on their feet, like a jumping spinning kick from a martial art like Tae Kwon Do.

Sepak Takraw, with its fast-paced volleyball-style action and high-flying kicks, has garnered international recognition and may one day become an Olympic sport.

Materials: 

·      A large play area (gym or outside)

·      Lots of giant balloons for younger ages

·      Lots of soccer balls (if possible, one per person, and smaller sizes are better)

·      Optional:

o   Adjustable volleyball or tennis nets

o   Cones

Minimum Number of Players:

·      If modified, the game could be played with as few as two players, so it feels more like foot tennis. However, it is the most fun with six players (3V3).

Age: All ages (with modifications)