Sepak takraw, a spectacular sport in Southeast Asia

You have undoubtedly already seen at random during your walks in Indonesia a small rattan ball that seems to fly in the air! A curious mix of football and volleyball, sepak takraw is one of Southeast Asia’s most spectacular pastimes.

There are several versions of this game, but the goal remains the same regardless of the country in which it is played: to keep that little rattan ball in the air as long as possible using the feet, knees, shoulders. , the head,… You will understand, any part of the body, except the hands.

Whether it is called sipa in the Philippines, sepak raga in Malaysia, da cau in Vietnam or even kator in Laos, this sport is part of the traditions of Southeast Asia.

The origins of sepak takraw

It appears that this game originated in part from China and arrived in the region with Chinese trade. At the beginning of our era, some 2,000 years ago, a similar game served as a military exercise for Chinese soldiers who had to send a ball filled with feathers into the air, thus allowing them to acquire a certain dexterity and above all to keep the form.

But it is in the 15th century in Malaysia that the sepak takraw as we know it today finds its origin. Some Malaysian historical texts mention that the game was played in the Sultanate of Malacca. At that time, it was reserved for the royal court. Several players, up to 30, would get in circles and throw the ball at each other, the goal being not to drop the ball to the ground.

Around the 16th century, the game spread in indonesia where people called it sepak raga. In Sulawesi, the traditional Bugis football game is also called Raga (the player is called Pa’Raga). There is a variation of the game where the ball is passed from one player to the other and the one who sends the ball higher is declared the winner.

In Thailand, some may have had the chance to admire the murals of Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok? The Hindu god Hanuman is represented there playing sepak takraw in a ring with other monkeys.

The game has been played in its circular form for hundreds of years. It was a way of socializing in the villages. But it was in 1740, in Thailand, that the modern version of sepak takraw appeared. In 1829, the Siam Sports Association wrote the first rules of the game. Four years later, the association introduced the volleyball-style net and organized the first public match. The game then becomes a national sport in the same way as Thai boxing. He goes into schools and is part of the physical education program.

In 1933, in Thailand, the game was so popular that a sepak takraw exhibition was organized to celebrate the first constitution of the kingdom, after Thailand abolished the absolute monarchy.

Sepak takraw, an official discipline at the Asian Games

Internationally, the game is governed by ISTAF, the International Sepak Takraw Federation. In 1990, sepak takraw became a discipline of Asian games. In 1997, Thailand hosted the first women’s championships. Today, some 31 countries have a national sepak takraw association.

Sepak takraw and volleyball share the same sports field

It is played on a field the same size as a badminton court. A net, identical to that of volleyball, divides the court in two.

In official competitions, the traditional rattan ball is no longer used. Too fragile, it has been replaced by a braided synthetic fiber ball.

Sepak takraw: the rules of the game

The game is played by two teams. Each team is called a regu. Each regu is made up of three players.

A match is played in two winning sets, each set being won when a team wins 21 points. In the event of a 3rd set, the first team to reach 15 points wins the set.

A player is placed in the center of the field: it is the tekong or the server. The other two players stand one on the left and the other on the right. The left player (apit kiri) is the passer and the right player (apit kanan) is the attacker.

The game is played like volleyball; it is simply forbidden to use the arms and hands.

As soon as the tekong hits the ball, all players are allowed to move freely in their respective courts.

The service is valid if the ball passes over the net, whether it touches it or not, and is sent within the limits of the opposing team’s field. Players can pass a maximum of three passes to each other or to themselves before returning the ball to the opposing court. The team scores a point when the ball hits the ground in the opposing court or if the opposing players kick the ball out of bounds.

It is a very impressive game to watch where gravity is constantly challenged. The aerial twists of the players and the blinding speed of the game make the spectator feast.

Asian nations are putting pressure on the Olympic Organizing Committee so that sepak takraw becomes an Olympic discipline.

So to your balls !!!

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