Sepak Takraw

Sepak Takraw is a foot volleyball game where players touch as well as handle the ball using only their feet,
knee, chest and head. The rules and regulations of the game are very much similar to that of volleyball. A
very popular game around Southeast Asia, the game is played using a rattan or synthetic ball. Since 1990,
Sepak takraw is also included in Asian games.

Similar to volleyball, here also two teams of players try to control the ball by touching it using only their feet,
chest, knee or head and try to kick the ball past the net to the opposition side. Failing to kicking the ball
past the net results in a point to the opposition and the first team scoring the maximum point is declared
winner.
 History of Sepak Takraw
Sepak Takraw was originated in Malaysia around 500 years ago. In the 15th century, it was mostly played by the
royal court. Around 16th century, the game was spread across Indonesia, where people called it Sepak Raga. By
1940, the net version of the game was spread across Southeast Asia and formal rules and regulations were formed
for the game.
The first official Sepak Takraw competition was held at a swim club on May 16th, 1945 in Penang where teams
mostly from various villages of Penang participated in it. During that period, the game used to be called Sepak Raga
Jaring. Slowly the game spread across Southeast Asia and around 1950s, it was played in almost every school.
The Malaysian Sepak Raga Federation was founded in 1960 at Penang
and in 1965 it was included in South East Asia Peninsular Games. It was
then formally named as Sepak Takraw and in 1965 the Asian Sepak takraw
Federation (ASTAF) was founded as the governing committee of the sports.
In 1992, the International Sepak takraw Federation (ISTAF) was formed as
the world governing body of the game.
Even though Sepak Takraw is quite popular in Southeast Asian countries, its
popularity is also spreading in other parts of the world including European as
well as American countries. In Los Angeles, there is already a Sepak Takraw
community which is familiarizing the game around the country. In Canada
also, the game has experienced widespread popularity.
Some of the countries where Sepak Takraw is quite popular or emerging as
one of the popular games are Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Korea, Japan,
India, Philippines, Brunei, USA, Pakistan.
 Sepak Takraw Court Dimensions

The Sepak Takraw court is standard in size and is about equal to a doubles badminton court, 13.4 m X
6.1 m (20 ft. X 44 ft.), which makes Takraw very easy to introduce into schools as a new sport.
Takraw may be played indoors or outdoors, although most major regional or world championship
tournaments are played in indoor stadiums on rubber type of court mats that are available in Asia
at Gajah Emas, Malaysia.
The playing surface must be flat, horizontal and uniform. The width of the lines bounding the court
should be .04 m (1 1/2; inches) measured and drawn inward from the outer edge of the court
measurements. Court boarders should be at least 3 m (about 10 feet) away from all obstacles.
Centre Line: The centre line of .02 m (1 inch) should be drawn equally dividing the right and left court.

Quarter Circles: At the corner of each centre line, a quarter circle shall be drawn from the side
boundary line to the centre line with a radius of .9 m (3 ft.) measured and drawn from the outer edge
of the .9 m (3 ft.) radius and side boundary line.

The Service Circle: The service circle of .3 m (1 ft.) radius shall be drawn on each half of the court, the
centre of which is 2.45 m (8 ft.) in from the baseline of the court and 3.05 m (10 ft.) in from the
sidelines. The service circle is measured and drawn from the centre to the outward edge of the .3 m (1
ft.) radius.

Height of the Net: 1.52 m (5 ft.) at the centre and 1.55 m (5ft. 1 inch) at the posts for men; 1.42 m (4
ft. 8 inches) at the centre and 1.45 m (4 ft. 9 inches) at the posts for women. Many schools simply use
their badminton nets for Takraw (but of course they will eventually wear out faster).

Height of the Posts: ISTAF regulations call for the posts to be1.55 m (5 ft. 1 inch), but any badminton
or volleyball posts may easily be used as long as the net is secured to the desired height.

Free Area: An area of 3m (or 10 feet) outside the court boundaries should be free of obstacles.
Sepak Takraw Venue
Sepak Takraw Equipment & Gears

The rules of the sport of Sepak Takraw require

both male and female players to wear shorts and
jerseys or t-shirts. Most players tuck-in their
shirts to reduce the chance of causing a net fault.
The jerseys or T-shirts for all players must also
be numbered at the back, in which numbers are
only ranged from 1 to 15. The captain of each
regular (team of 3 or 4 players) is required to
wear an armband on their left arm. Any apparel
that could endanger opponents is not allowed.
SEPAK TAKRAW SHOES
Ideal footwear is that which has flat sides and sole (providing
optimum control when kicking the ball with from the inside & outside
sides of the foot or from the a sole), has some kind of protective
reinforcement built into the sides and top of the shoe, has good grip
on indoor and outdoor surfaces, has an overall light-weight and most
important, has a very supportive insole for cushioning the high
impact of constant jumping and landing (important for injury
prevention).

BANDANAS & TENSORS

Most players also wear some type of ankle support and/or a couple
pairs of firm sports socks for extra support while jumping and landing,
and in case the Takraw ball hits the ankle instead of the foot (or shoe)
in the course of play. For the forward players who do a lot of jumping,
Knee Tensors are frequently used for injury prevention – keeping
joints, tendons and cartilage warm and snug while protecting the
surface area from possible falls as well. Those who are the primary
spikers may also wear some type of wrist support since after jumping
up, flipping in the air and executing a spike they often land on their
feet and hands. Some players also like to wear a bandana on the head
to keep sweat from running in the eyes while playing and to soften the
impact of the ball on the forehead.
Protective gears
In this game, usually ankle supportive bands are used by players for providing protection
as high jumping is involved throughout the game. Even knee tensors are also used by
players in order to prevent joints and tendon injury. Some players use ankle gears for
ankle support. Players also use forehead bandanas in order to stop the sweat running
into eyes.
 THE UNIQUE HAND-WOVEN BALL

Throughout various S. E. Asian countries, original Takraw balls were made up of hand-woven strips of
rattan ... a material that once grew in abundance there. The ball was commonly up to about 5" in
diameter, and villagers would enjoy standing in a circle kicking the ball around to each other much the
same way footbags are played with today. As far as historians can figure, the rattan ball in S. E. Asia
dates back some 500 years. However, due to a drastic depletion of rattan supply over the years, stricter
regulations have been enforced regarding its extraction from the jungle. Besides this, the rattan takraw
ball was found to break apart and splinter fairly quickly with the introduction of hard spike kicks when
the net game developed. This led to the making of synthetic balls, still hand-woven and still designed
the same as their rattan predecessors.

STAC has tried and tested various synthetic brands of Takraw balls, including Buka, Marathon, Rambo,
Gajah Emas and NETPRO, made by Gajah Emas. The challenge was to have a series of balls that would
be reasonably priced, appealing, safe, durable and appropriate for players that vary greatly in age and
level of experience.
 Techniques and skills in sepak takraw

1. THE OUTSIDE KICK ... The Outside Kick is used when the Takraw ball drops outside your shoulders and slightly
behind you. It is similar to the Inside Kick in that your leg swings like a pendulum, but out and upward (rather than in
and upward). Shift your weight to support foot as you lift kicking leg up away from body. Turn your ankle so that
toes are pointing out (not down), which enables you to kick the ball up with the flat, outside surface of your foot.
Avoid swinging or kicking your leg forward (only lift it upward).

2. THE FRONT FOOT KICK ... The Front Foot Kick is primarily used to dig a ball that is dropping short from where you
are standing, as in a short serve, for example. To propel the ball upwards most consistently, with your weight on
back leg, and a straight outstretched kicking leg, the front of your kicking foot must be flicked upward with a very
loose ankle (not stiff) in a quick, smooth motion as the ball is contacted just above the floor.

3. THE INSIDE KICK ... There are 5 basic kicks/hits that any good player will have mastered. The most important of
these is the Inside kick, for it provides maximum ball control. Use this kick to field a ball dropping in front of you.
With your support leg flexed at the knee, lift up your other leg and swing the foot and lower part of the leg in and
up sideways like a pendulum in front of you, turning the ankle so that you hit the ball with the flat surface of the
inside of your foot. The inside kick is commonly used for passing and setting the ball up high for a spike.
4. THE KNEE BUMP... The Knee Bump is usually used to deflect upwards a low angle pass or a fast serve to the mid-
body. Lift your knee up very quickly into the ball, foot following beneath (not kicking out). The ball is contacted at
about waist level with the thigh, just behind the knee, for maximum upward thrust and height. Contacting the ball in
mid-thigh area will serve the same purpose, but the ball will not be thrust up as high – this is good for popping the ball
up to yourself to pass with next hit. Note: Both the Front Foot Kick & Knee Bump are used when making a save or
controlling tricky serves, but they don’t always provide consistent control.

5. THE HEADER … The fifth basic hit is the Header, and it is used frequently in games to deflect upwards a high angle
pass or fast serve to the upper body. With legs flexed at the knees, put the top of your forehead in front of the ball,
lifting up your chin and spring up from the legs as the ball strikes the forehead so as to deflect it up high in your own
court. Don’t close your eyes, in fact look up to where you want the ball to go as it hits your head, and it will usually go
there.
 GENERAL HELPFUL HINTS:

• Always be in a ready stance, with feet pointing ahead and shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, weight low
and slightly forward; • With the basic kicks/hits, usually you should try to face the forward direction that you want to
direct the ball to as you contact it; • Approach contact with the ball in a slow, easy and relaxed fashion … it is more
important to first develop good timing and control (knowing when and how to contact the ball) than it is to kick the
ball hard; • The support leg provides your balance so should maintain a low profile and be flexed at the knee as
your other foot executes the kick; • Ambidexterity is key to being a more versatile player … when ball approaches
your right side, kick it with your right foot - left side, left foot; • Defense is a vital aspect of the game, practice “Wall
Rebound” (kick ball repetitively against wall, control rebounds) and other drills to improve.

FREE STYLE:
This is your chance to expand on your basic kicks and come up with some more challenging moves of your own. Here
are a couple to get you started.

FULL JESTER ... Leap off the same foot that you’ll use to kick the ball. Cross your kicking foot behind and under your
other leg. Lift your kicking foot, turning your ankle and making contact with the ball with the flat surface on the inside
of your foot.

HAND LOOP ... This move can be done with a number of kicks. Position your arms to form a loop. The idea is to have
the ball first fall through the hand loop then kick it back upward through the loop.
 SOLO PLAY:
The object of play is for you to be able to
keep the takraw ball in the air as long as
possible without using hands or arms ...
anything else goes!
PLAYER’S POSITIONS:
1. The serving regu’s (team’s) Forwards must
remain in their ‘quarter circles’, while the back
player, the Tekong (Server), must have only one
foot in the ‘serving circle’, until the ball is
contacted by his/her foot.
2. The receiving regu’s players may stand
anywhere on their side of the court, but usually
the Tekong stands just in front of the serving
circle with the Forwards on either side of
him/her.
3. Players are allowed to move freely on their
sides of the court once the ball has been served.
CIRCLE GAME:
The object of the traditional “Circle Game” is the same as
“Solo Play”, except with a group of players standing in a
circle. This activity was played as far back as the 14th
century in India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), the
Philippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was
woven out of a rattan material, available in abundance
there at that time.
TO BEGIN PLAY:
The game begins by one of the Forwards
tossing the takraw ball back to the Tekong. The
Tekong must then kick the ball, with the foot
that is outside the serving circle, into the
opponent’s court in one try (usually with an
extended version of the Inside Kick). The serve
is still good if the ball hits the net as it goes
into the other opponent’s side of the court.
 SCORING:
1. A point is awarded on every rally … to the regu that did not fault.
2. A fault by the regu possessing the ball also constitutes a ‘loss of serve’.
3. 3. A set is won by scoring 21 points, but must win by 2 points, up to 25.
4. 4. A match is won by winning two out of three sets. 5. A ‘tie break’ set only goes to 15
points, but must win by 2, up to 17.

FAULTS:
1. The Tekong does not kick the ball over the net from the service toss.
2. The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court.
3. The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side.
4. The ball hits the net but does not go over it.
5. The ball hits the hand or arm of a player.
6. Any part of the body touches, crosses the plane or goes under the net.
7. The ball is stalled (stops) on a player’s body instead of bouncing off. Note: One player may
hit the ball two or three times consecutively. The ball may be hit up to 10 feet outside court’s
perimeter.
FIRST BALL: When receiving a serve, stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and
thigh shots are highly effective for this purpose).

SETTING: Setting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable
the same, or another, player to smash the ball into the opponent’s court. Usually a Forward with the
best ball control is Setter.

SPIKING: After the ball has been set, it can be spiked down into the opponent’s court by a Spiker’s
head or foot. This is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport. Usually one of the Forward
players is designated the “Primary Spiker” to limit confusion. The other Forward (Primary Setter)
still spikes when the “Primary Spiker” can’t get to the ball.

BLOCKING: A block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ball,
that is coming from above and close to the net, from being drilled into the defending side. A block
is usually made by jumping and raising the side of one’s foot and leg above the net, or by turning
and jumping up with the back to the net … never face the net.
 SEPAK TAKRAW (Kick Volleyball):
Sepak Takraw is a fast-paced, action-packed sport played by two opposing regus with three
players on each side. Each regu is permitted to hit the takraw ball three times before it must
cross the net again, similar to volleyball but without using hands or arms. Another major
difference is that the same player may hit the ball all three times if he or she chooses.

STRATEGIES:
The strategies in Sepak Takraw are very similar to those in volleyball, but using only the body
parts that are allowed in soccer. The receiving team will attempt to play the takraw ball
towards the front of the net, usually having all 3 players involved in making the best use of
their 3 hits to pass, set and spike the ball - all without the use of hands or arms, so it's like
soccer-volleyball!