History[edit]

Considered by many to be one of the coolest sports around, Sepak Takraw has certainly found some popularity due to the unusual way in which the game is played. Earliest historical e idence shows the game was played in the !"th century#s $alacca Sultanate, for it is mentioned in the $alay historical te%t, &Se'arah $elayu& ($alay )nnals*.[+] The $alay )nnals described in details the incident of ,a'a $uhammad, a son of Sultan $ansur Shah who was accidentally hit with a rattan ball by Tun -esar, a son of Tun .erak, in a Sepak raga game. The ball hit ,a'a $uhammad#s headgear and knocked it down to the ground. /n anger, ,a'a $uhammad immediately stabbed and killed Tun -esar, whereupon some of Tun -esar#s kinsmen retaliated and wanted to kill ,a'a $uhammad. Howe er, Tun .erak managed to restrain them from such an act of treason by saying that he would no longer accept ,a'a $uhammad as the Sultan#s heir. )s a result of this incident, Sultan $ansur Shah ordered his son out of $alacca and had him installed as the ruler of .ahang.["] /n /ndonesia, sepak takraw was spread from nearby $alacca across the strait to ,iau islands and ,iau area in Sumatra as early as !0th century, where it is also called as Sepak Raga in local $alay tongue,[0][1] at that time some of Sumatran areas were part of $alacca sultanate. 2rom there the $alay people spread across archipelago and introduced the game to -uginese people in Sulawesi. Then the game is de eloped as -uginese traditional game which is called &,aga& (the players are called &.a#,aga&*. The &,aga& can trace its origin from $alacca Sultanate,[3] and was popular in South Sulawesi since !4th century. Some men playing &,aga& encircling within a group, the ball is passed from one to another and the man who kicked the ball highest is the winner. &,aga& is also played for fun by demonstrating some tricks, such as kicking the ball and putting it on top of player#s head holds by tengkolok bugis (-ugis cloth headgear similar to $alay tanjak*. /n -angkok, murals at 5at .hra 6aeo which was built in !13", depict the Hindu god Hanuman playing sepak takraw in a ring with a troop of monkeys. 7ther historical accounts mention the game earlier during the reign of 6ing 8aresuan(!"49:!09"* of )yutthaya. The game remained in its circle form for hundreds of years, and the modern ersion of sepak takraw began taking shape in Thailand sometime during early !1+9s. /n !3;4 the Siam Sports )ssociation drafted the first rules for takraw competition. [citation needed] 2our years later, the association introduced the olleyball<style net and held the first public contest. 5ithin 'ust a few years, takraw was introduced to the curriculum in Siamese schools. The game became such a cherished local custom that another e%hibition of olleyball<style takraw was staged to celebrate the kingdom=s first constitution in !4>>, the year after Thailand abolished absolute monarchy. /n the .hilippines the sport was called &sipa& and along with traditional martial arts sur i ed the three century Spanish coloni?ation. /t is a popular sport played by children in .hilippines, this is their national sport. Sepak Takraw is included in .hilippine#s elementary and highschool curriculum./n $yanmar, or

-urma, it was dubbed &Chinlone&, in @aos &6ator&, &cAu mBy& in Cietnam and in /ndonesia &,aga& or &Sepak Takraw&.[!] /t is belie ed that many ariations of the game e ol ed from an ancient Chinese military e%ercise, where soldiers would try to keep a feathered shuttlecock airborne by kicking it back and forth between two people. )s the sport de eloped, the animal hide and chicken feathers were e entually replaced by balls made of wo en strips of rattan.[citation needed] The first ersions of sepak takraw were not so much of a competition, but rather cooperati e displays of skill designed to e%ercise the body, impro e de%terity and loosen the limbs after long periods of sitting, standing or working.[citation needed] -y the !4+9s, the net ersion of the game had spread throughout Southeast )sia, and formal rules were introduced. This sport became officially known as #sepak takraw#.

Competition[edit]
/nternational play is now go erned by /ST)2, the /nternational Sepak Takraw 2ederation. The big competition like /ST)2 Super Series, $alaysia /ST)2 5orld Cup and Thailand 6ings Cup 5orld Championships are held e ery year. Sepak takraw is now a regular sport e ent in the )sian Dames and the Southeast )sian Dames.

Canada[edit]
/t was the @aotian people who first brought Sepak Takraw into Canada when they immigrated as refugees in the !419s. -ut the game got e%posure outside the @aotian communities and really started taking off when a Saskatchewan teacher, ,ichard (,ick* Engel, who encountered Sepak Takraw while li ing in )sia, included it in )sian Sport, Education E Culture ()SEC* /nternational=s School .resentation .rogram. Sepak Takraw was so well recei ed by schools that it became part of )SEC=s mandate to help introduce, promote and organise the sport right across the country. Then in $ay !443, after getting many schools playing Sepak Takraw, and by networking with e%perienced players, )SEC /nternational organised the first Canadian inter<pro incial tournament to include men=s, boys and girls teams. -y the end of !443, Engel was sent to -angkok, Thailand to film at the !+th 6ing=s Cup Sepak Takraw 5orld Championships : the footage of which was used to produce a widely used instructional Sepak Takraw CideoFGCG, called, HSepak Takraw : Iust for 6icksJ. Then on Gecember !!, !443, the Sepak Takraw )ssociation of Canada (ST)C* was incorporated to organise and go ern the sport nationally. /ts office was set up in ,egina, S6, where there are e%perienced players and organisational support, and where it could share the resources and office space of the already established )SEC /nternational, a committee from which has now become Sepak Takraw Saskatchewan /nc. The first annual Canadian 7pen Sepak Takraw Championships (a national and

international tournament e ent* were held in $ay !444 in ,egina, S6, and ha e o er the years attracted teams from across Canada, KS), Iapan, $alaysia and China. That same year Canada also attended its first /nternational Sepak Takraw 2ederation (/ST)2* Congress and was accepted as members of /ST)2, which go erns the sport globally. Then in ;999, ,ick Engel, .erry Senko and -rydon -lacklaws played for Team Canada and earned a sil er medal in the entry le el di ision of the 6ing#s Cup 5orld Sepak Takraw Championships in Thailand. )nother ma'or milestone was achie ed on Gecember >, ;999, when ST)C and the sport of Sepak Takraw became an official class E $ember of the Canadian 7lympic Committee. Canada has since contributed much to the de elopment of Sepak Takraw world<wide, with Engel authoring > /nstructional Sepak Takraw Books and helping produce " Sepak Takraw GCG#s, while ST)C does the publishing ... the most notable book being &Sepak Takraw !9! < The Complete CoachingF/nstructional $anual for Sepak Takraw (6ick Colleyball*&, the >rd Edition of which has also been translated and published in the /ndonesian @anguage and released in /ndonesia through a go ernment Education pro'ect. Engel has found himself to be in demand, introducing the sport and conducting Sepak Takraw Skills Clinics in Schools and Sessions at .hys. Ed. Teachers# Conferences all o er Canada, KS) and Europe.

Japan[edit]
) Iapan team composed of uni ersity students debutedLalong with the sports itselfLat the !449 )sian Dames in -ei'ing. 5hile there are no professional teams in Iapan, colleges such as )sia Kni ersity, Chiba Kni ersity, 5aseda Kni ersity and 6eio Kni ersity ha e formed their own teams.[4]

United States[edit]
The earliest accounts of organi?ed takraw in the Knited States in ol e a group of students from 8orthrop Kni ersity (Dreg St. .ierre, Thomas Dong, Ioel &big bird& 8elson, and $ark 6imitsuka* in !430 in /nglewood, California, learning about and playing the sport in @os )ngeles. /n the early 39s, Southeast )sians held soccer tournaments that had takraw e ents in 5isconsin, $ichigan, $innesota and California, especially within the @ao, Hmong and Thai communities. [!9] $alaysian students attending the Kni ersity often en'oyed playing the sport on a court on top of the dormitory cafeteria. They taught a handful of curious )merican students how to play, which in turn inspired the $alaysian )irline system to sponsor a K.S. team from the uni ersity to attend the 8ational Tournament in 6uala @umpur in 8o ember !431. The 8orthrop team played in a bracket of international new teams with 6orea, Sri @anka, and )ustralia. The K.S. team beat Sri @anka and )ustralia to bring home the gold. [!!] Takraw really began to take off, howe er, in the late !439s when 6urt Sonderegger, an )merican working in Swit?erland, met a fellow )merican who showed him a bouncy ball made of wo en strips of rattan. The tra eller told Sonderegger that the ball was from Thailand and ga e him the ball as a gift. Sonderegger was a soccer fan, and takraw had an immediate appeal to him. 7n a whim, Sonderegger booked a trip to

Thailand to find out more. 5hile in Thailand, Sonderegger disco ered the actual sport of sepak takraw and was hooked. @os )ngeles#s )sian community and 8orthrop#s team had already established a takraw community in and around @.). Sonderegger mo ed to @os )ngeles, founded the Knited States Takraw )ssociation, and started a business that sold plastic takraw balls. /n !434, he was sent an in itation from the /nternational Sepak Takraw 2ederation, and Sonderegger along with a few of the 8orthrop group tra eled to represent the Knited States in the 5orld Championships. The team was beaten badly but the takraw world was enchanted with the fact that non<)sian teams had competed at the 5orld Championships.[!;]

,ules and regulations[edit]

$easurements of court and eMuipment often ary among tournaments and organi?ations that operate from a recreational to a competiti e le elN international competitive rules and regulation are used in this section. There two types of e ent categoriesO the regu and the doubles regu. The regu category is played by three players on each team while the doubles regu is played by two players on each team.

Expressions[edit]
Takraw is the Thai word for the hand<wo en rattan ball originally used in the game. So the game is essentially &kick ball&.[!>] The concept of 2oot olley originates from Thai Takraw pronounced (Tha<Draw* )lso, sometimes misnamed by foreigners as &Shaolin Soccer& howe er it is an ancient game mainly en'oyed between Thai and @aos.

Court[edit]

Sepak Takraw court diagram

The sepak takraw sport is played on a similar to badminton double si?ed court. [!+] )rea of !>.+ by 0.! metres (++ ft P ;9 ft* free from all obstacles up to the height of 3 metres (;0 ft* measured from the floor surface (sand and grass court not ad isable*. The width of the lines bounding the court should not be more than + centimetres (!.0 in* measured and drawn inwards from the edge of the

court measurements. )ll the boundary lines should be drawn at least >.9 metres (4.3 ft* away from all obstacles. The centre line of ; cm (9.14 in* should be drawn eMually di iding the right and left court. )t the corner of each at the center line, the Muarter circle shall be drawn from the sideline to the center line with a radius of 9.4 metres (; ft !! in* measured and drawn outwards from the edge of the 9.4 m radius. The ser ice circle of 9.> m radius shall be drawn on the left and on the right court, the center of which is ;.+" m from the back line of the court and >.9" m from the sidelines, the 9.9+ m line shall be measured and drawn outward from the edge of the 9.> m radius. [!"]

Net[edit]
The net shall be made of fine ordinary cord or nylon with 0 cm to 3 cm mesh. Similar to a olleyball net.[!+] The net shall be 9.1 m in width and not shorter than 0.!9 m in length and taped at 9.9" m from tape double at the top and sideline, called boundary tape. The net shall be edged with 9.9" m tape double at the top and the bottom of the net supported by a fine ordinary cord or nylon cord that runs through the tape and strain o er and flush with the top of the posts. The top of the net shall be !."; m (!.+; m for women* in height from the center and !."" m (!.+" m for women#s* at the posts.[!"]

Ball[edit]

) sepak takraw ball made out of rattan

The sepak takraw ball shall be spherical in shape, made of synthetic fiber or one wo en layer. Sepak takraw balls without synthetic rubber co ering must ha e !; holes and ;9 intersections, must ha e a circumference measuring not less from +;:++ cm (!1:!1 in* for men and from +>:+" cm (!1:!3 in* for

women, and must ha e a weight that ranges from !19:!39 g (0.9:0.> o?* for men and from !"9:!09 g (".>:".0 o?* for women. The ball can be in plain single colour, multi<colour, and luminous colours, but not in any colour that will impair the performance of the players. The sepak takraw ball can also be constructed of synthetic rubber or soft durable material for co ering the ball, for the purpose of softening the impact of the ball on the player=s body. The type of material and method used for constructing the ball or for co ering the ball with rubber or soft durable co ering must be appro ed by /ST)2 before it can be used for any competition. )ll world, international, and regional competitions sanctioned by /nternational Sepak Takraw 2ederation, including but not limited to, the 7lympic Dames, 5orld Dames, Commonwealth Dames, )sian Dames and SE) Dames, must be played with /ST)2 appro ed sepak takraw balls. [!"]

Players[edit]
) match is played by two teams, also known as #regus#, each consisting of three players. 7ne of the three players shall be at the backN he is called a HTekongJ. The other two players shall be in front, one on the left and the other on the right. The player on the left is called a H@eft /nsideJ and the player on the right is called a H,ight /nsideJ.[!"]

Start of play and service[edit]

The side that must ser e first shall start the first set. The side that wins the first set shall ha e the options of HChoosing Ser iceJ. The throw must be e%ecuted as soon as the referee calls the score. /f either of the &/nside& players throws the ball before the referee calls the score, it must be re<thrown and a warning will be gi en to the thrower. Guring the ser ice, as soon as the Tekong kicks the ball, all the players are allowed to mo e about freely in their respecti e courts. The ser ice is alid if the ball passes o er the net, whether it touches the net or not, and inside the boundary of the two net tapes and boundary lines of the opponent=s court. [!"]

Faults in the a!e[edit]

Servin side durin service[edit]
The &/nside& player who is making ser ice throws, plays about with the ball (throwing up the ball, bumping, gi ing to other &/nside& player etc.* after the call of score has been made by the referee. The &/nside& player lifts his feet or steps on the line or crosses o er or touches the net while throwing the ball.

The Tekong 'umps off the ground to e%ecute the ser ice. The Tekong does not kick the ball on the ser ice throw. The ball touches his own player before crossing o er the opponent court. The ball goes o er the net but falls outside the court. The ball does not cross to the opponent side. ) player uses his hand or hands, or any other part of his arms to facilitate the e%ecution of a kick e en if the hand or arm does not directly touch the ball, but it touches other ob'ects or surfaces instead when doing so.

Servin and receivin side durin service[edit]

Creating distracting manner or noise or shouting at his opponent.

For "oth sides durin the a!e[edit]

)ny player who touches the ball on the opponent side. )ny part of player#s body crosses o er into opponent#s court whether abo e or under the net e%cept during the follow<through of the ball. .laying the ball more than > times in succession. The ball touches the arm Stopping or holding the ball under the arm, between the legs or body. )ny part of the body or player#s outfits e.g. shoes, 'ersey, head band etc., touches the net or the post or the referee#s chairs or falls into the opponent#s side. The ball touches the ceiling, roof or the wall (any ob'ects*.

Scorin syste![edit]
)n official match is won by best of fi e sets, win > sets of "N used on important tournaments on all matches or in finals after group stages. ) team e ent or group match is won by best of three sets, win ; sets of >N used in team e ents and often in tournaments to speed up group stages. /n a knock out system mainly used in tournaments teams don=t ha e to play the "th (or >rd* set if the winner is known. /n a league system it is mandatory for all teams to complete all " (or >* sets.

/n the last "th (or >rd* set the change of sides takes place when one team reaches 3 points. .ointO when either ser ing side or recei ing side commits a fault, a point is awarded to the opponent side including making ne%t ser ice. SetO each set is won by the side which scores fifteen (!"* points with a minimum lead of two (;* points. /n the e ent of a !+<!+ tie, the set shall be won by the side which gets a lead of two (;* points, or when a side reaches !1 points (whiche er occurs first*. $atchO a match is won by the team who has won more sets, > (or ;*. Teams can win >, ;, ! or 9 set points per match in best of " or win ;, ! or 9 set points per match in best of >. ,ankingO in group stages of tournaments or team e ents (round robin* the ranking in a group is determined byO !. Sum of match winsN a match win gi es ! point ;. Sum set points >. .oint difference QF< Summari?ed from /ST)2 rules since Ianuary ;9!!.[!"]