thumb|A play of Sepak takraw

Sepak takraw, or Sepaktakraw, It is similar to volleyball and footvolley in its use of a rattan ball and players using only their feet, knees, shoulders, chest, and head to touch the ball. Sepak takraw is often referred to as a mixture of volleyball, for its use of a net, and association football, as players use their feet.

The sport's modern version was introduced, developed, and standardised in 1960 when officials from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Myanmar met in Kuala Lumpur to agree on a name and standard rules for it. It was previously known as Sepak Raga Jaring and was first exhibited in Penang in 1945. It was introduced in the 1965 Southeast Asian Peninsular Games in Kuala Lumpur as a medal event. Sepak takraw is considered Malaysia's national sport. "Sepak Takraw" literally means "to kick a rattan ball". The choice of this name for the sport was essentially a compromise between Malaysia and Thailand in Kuala Lumpur in 1960.

In the past, it was called "Sepak Raga Jaring" in Malaysia, As the game evolved, the feather-stuffed ball was replaced by an air-filled ball with a two-layered hull. Cuju is also considered by the International Football Association (FIFA) as the origin of football as a sport.

In Myanmar, Sepak Takraw is known as "chinlone". Chinlone has played a prominent role in Myanmar for about 1,500 years. Its style is performance-based because it was first created as a demonstrative activity to entertain Burmese royalty. Chinlone is heavily influenced by traditional Burmese martial arts and dance.

In Malaysia, the first recorded instance of Sepak Takraw, with balls made of woven strips of rattan, was in the Malacca Sultanate (present-day Malaysia) in the 15th century, according to an ancient Malay manuscript, "Sejarah Melayu" (Malay Annals).

thumb|Video recording of a Sepak Takraw match

In Thailand, there is evidence that the Thai played Sepak Takraw during the reign of King Naresuan (1590–1605) of Ayutthaya Kingdom. A French historian, François Henri Turpin, wrote about how the Siamese played the game of Takraw to stay in shape. In Sulawesi, the traditional Makassar football game is called "Raga" (the player is called "Pa'Raga"). Men play the "Raga" circle in a group, where the ball is passed from one to the other. The man who kicks the highest ball is the winner. "Raga" is also played for fun by demonstrating several tricks, such as kicking the ball and placing it on the player's head with the handle of the Passapu'

thumb|A traditional sipà (rattan wicker ball) from the [[Maranao people of the Philippines, along with kakasing tops and a sungka board]]

In the Philippines, the sport is related to a native game called "sipà" (or "sipà salama" among Muslim Filipinos) and, along with traditional martial arts, survived Spanish colonisation. It is a popular sport played by children in Philippines and was the Philippine national sport until it was replaced by Arnis in 2009. Sepak Takraw is included in Philippine's elementary and high school curriculum.

Origins of the modern sport

In the beginning, Sepak Takraw was not meant to be competitive, but was a casual game with an emphasis on physical activity. The game acted as an exercise to improve dexterity and loosen the limbs after long periods of sitting, standing or working. However, the modern version of Sepak Takraw began taking shape sometime during the 1940s. In 1935 in Seremban, Sepak Raga was first played on a badminton court over the net with players on two opposing sides, amid celebrations of the Silver Jubilee of George V. The event is the earliest example of modern sport rules being used for Sepak Raga, turning it into a competitive sport. Badminton was a preferred sport for the British, whereas Sepak Raga was mainly played by the Malays. Since the diversion sport was first played amid the Jubilee festivity, it was known as "Sepak Raga Jubilee" (Jubilee Sepak Raga). The sport spread rapidly through the remainder of Malaya. From Penang, "Sepak Raga Jaring" spread to Alor Setar in Kedah, to Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur and then to Singapore. By 1960, the variation was well known in many Malayan schools that had badminton courts.

About the same time, similar developments occurred in Thailand. In 1929, the Siam Sports Association drafted the first rules for the Takraw competition. Four years later, the association introduced the volleyball-style net and held the first public contest. Within just a few years, Takraw was added to the curriculum in Siamese schools. The game became such a cherished local custom that another exhibition of volleyball-style Takraw was staged to celebrate the kingdom's first constitution in 1933, the year after Thailand abolished its absolute monarchy. Thus, a game of Sepak Takraw that witnesses acrobatic movements by athletes was officially introduced at the international level. In Malaya, an inter-state competition known as "Khir Johari Gold Cup" was organised at Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur from 27 to 28 December 1962 to further advance the sport. Penang, where Sepak Raga Jaring originated, would become the primary holder of the tournament. By that point, "Sepak Raga Jaring" was quite popular in Malaya and is now regarded as Malaysia's national sport.

In 1977, Penang's Sepak Takraw team participated in North Malaysian Week in Adelaide, Australia.

Competition

thumb|Sepak takraw competition in the [[Philippines]]

International play is now governed by ISTAF. Major competitions for the sport such as the ISTAF SuperSeries, the ISTAF World Cup and the King's Cup World Championships are held every year.

Sepak Takraw is now a regular sport event in the Asian Games and the Southeast Asian Games, with Thailand having won the most medals for the event.

Asian Games

Sepak Takraw has been a sport at the Asian Games since 1990 with Thailand securing the highest number of gold medals.

Canada

The Lao people first brought Sepak Takraw into Canada when they immigrated as refugees in the 1970s. But the game began gaining exposure outside the Laotian communities when a Saskatchewan teacher, Richard (Rick) Engel, who was introduced to Sepak Takraw while living in Asia, included it in Asian Sport, Education & Culture (ASEC) International's School Presentation Program. Sepak Takraw was so well received by schools that it became part of ASEC's mandate to help introduce, promote, and organise the sport across the country. In May 1998, after introducing many schools to the sport, and in concert with experienced players, ASEC International organised the first Canadian inter-provincial tournament with men's, boys', and girls' teams. By the end of 1998, Engel was sent to Bangkok, Thailand to film at the 14th King's Cup Sepak Takraw World Championships – the footage of which was used to produce a widely used instructional Sepak Takraw video/DVD, called Sepak Takraw – Just for Kicks.

On 11 December 1998, the Sepak Takraw Association of Canada (STAC) was incorporated to organise and govern the sport nationally. Its office was set up in Regina, Saskatchewan, where there were experienced players and organisational support, sharing resources and office space of the already established ASEC International, a committee which has now become Sepak Takraw Saskatchewan Inc. The first annual Canadian Open Sepak Takraw Championships (a national and international tournament event) were held in May 1999 in Regina and have over the years attracted teams from across Canada, the United States, Japan, Malaysia, and China. That same year, Canada also attended its first International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) Congress and was accepted as member of ISTAF. In 2000, Rick Engel, Perry Senko, and Brydon Blacklaws played for Team Canada and earned a silver medal in the entry level division of the King's Cup World Sepak Takraw Championships in Thailand. Another major milestone was achieved on 3 December 2000, when STAC and the sport of Sepak Takraw became an official class E Member of the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Canada has since contributed much to the development of Sepak Takraw worldwide, with Engel authoring three instructional books and helping produce five DVDs about the sport, while STAC did the publishing. The most notable of these books is Sepak Takraw 101 - The Complete Coaching/Instructional Manual for Sepak Takraw (Kick Volleyball), the third edition of which has also been translated into Indonesian and published in Indonesia through a government education project. Engel has since introduced the sport and conducted Sepak Takraw skills clinics in schools and sessions at physical education teachers' conferences all over Canada, the US, and Europe.

Japan

A Japanese team played at the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing. While as of 2010 there are no professional teams in Japan, university-level teams have been established at Asia University, Chiba University, Keio University, and Waseda University.

Philippines

The Philippine Sepak Takraw team competes internationally. Among veteran players still in the lineup are Jason Huerte, Rheyjhey Ortouste, Mark Joseph Gonzales, Josefina Maat, Des Oltor, Ronsted Gabayeron, and Sara Catain.

United States

The earliest accounts of organised Takraw in the United States involve a group of students from Northrop University (Greg St. Pierre, Thomas Gong, Joel "big bird" Nelson, and Mark Kimitsuka) in 1986 in Inglewood, California, learning about and playing the sport in Los Angeles. In the early 80s, Southeast Asians held soccer tournaments with Takraw events in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and California, especially within the Lao, Hmong, and Thai communities. Malaysian students attending the university often enjoyed playing the sport on a court atop the dormitory cafeteria. They taught a handful of curious US students how to play, which in turn inspired Malaysia Airlines to sponsor a US team from the university to attend the National Tournament in Kuala Lumpur in November 1987. The Northrop team played in a bracket of international new teams with Korea, Sri Lanka, and Australia. The US team beat Sri Lanka and Australia to bring home the gold.

The Los Angeles Asian community and Northrop's team had already established a Takraw community in and around the city. Kurt Sonderegger moved to Los Angeles, founded the United States Takraw Association and started a business that sold plastic Takraw balls. In 1989, he was sent an invitation from the International Sepaktakraw Federation and, along with a few of the Northrop group, travelled to represent the United States in the World Championships.

The team was soundly defeated, but the Takraw world celebrated the participation of non-Asian teams in the World Championships.

Rules and regulations

Measurements of courts and equipment often vary among tournaments and organisations that operate from a recreational to a competitive level; international competitive rules and regulations are used in this section. There are two types of event categories: the ryu and the doubles ryu. The ryu category is played by three players on each team, while the doubles ryu is played by two players on each team.

Expressions

Takraw is the Thai word for the hand-woven rattan ball originally used in the game. Therefore, the game is essentially "kick ball". The concept of Footvolley originates from Thai Takraw pronounced (Tha-Graw). It is also sometimes incorrectly referred to by foreigners as "Shaolin Soccer"; however, it is an ancient game mainly enjoyed between Thailand and Laos.

Court

thumb|250px|Sepak takraw court diagram

Sepak Takraw is played on court a similar to badminton's double sized court.

The court has an area of free from all obstacles up to the height of measured from the floor surface (sand and grass court not advisable). The width of the lines bounding the court should not be more than measured and drawn inwards from the edge of the court measurements. All the boundary lines should be drawn at least away from all obstacles. The centre line of should be drawn equally dividing the right and left court.

Where the center line meets the sidelines, quarter circles shall be drawn, on either side, from the sideline to the center line with a radius of measured and drawn outwards from the edge of the 0.9 m radius .

The service circle of 0.3 m radius shall be drawn on the left and on the right court, the centre of which is 2.45 m from the back line of the court and 3.05 m from the sidelines, the 0.04 m line shall be measured and drawn outward from the edge of the 0.3 m radius.

Net

The net should be made of fine ordinary cord or nylon with 6 cm to 8 cm mesh, similar to a volleyball net.

  • High Windz by Sapda Chanachot is a one-shot manga that revolves around the sport.
  • In the second episode of Nichijou, Mio Naganohara's mother fails to wake her daughter up for school because she went out to play Sepak Takraw with the neighborhood association.
  • The sport is played in the Let's Go Luna episode "Kick It Good".
  • Sepak Takraw was featured in the episode Temple Frogs from the Disney animated show Amphibia, where Sprig stumbles upon a match played at the Thai Temple.

See also

  • ISTAF World Cup
  • ISTAF SuperSeries
  • Padbol
  • Cuju

References

  • Predecessors to modern game of Sepak Takraw
  • Gajah Emas balls and equipment
  • TAKRAW ASSOCIATION OF THAILAND
  • Sepaktakraw Malaysia