Sepak Takraw
Sepak Takraw
Sepak Takraw
Sepak takraw or kick volleyball, is a sport native to Southeast Asia. Sepak takraw differs from the similar sport of footvolley
in its use of a rattan ball and only allowing players to use their feet, knee, chest, and head to touch the ball.
In Indonesia, and Singapore, it is called sepak takraw. In Malaysia, it is called as sepak raga. In Thailand, it is called as
takraw only. In Laos, it is kataw (Lao: "twine" and "kick"). In the Philippines, besides the borrowed term "takraw", it is also
known by its native name sipa, meaning "kick". In Myanmar, it is known as chin lone, and is considered more of an art as
there is often no opposing team, and the point is to keep the ball aloft gracefully and interestingly.
Similar games include footbag net, footvolley, football tennis, bossaball, jianzi, jokgu and sipa.
History
The earliest historical evidence shows the game was played in the 15th century's Malacca Sultanate of Malaysia, for it is
mentioned in the Malay historical text, "Sejarah Melayu" (Malay Annals). The Malay Annals described in details the
incident of Raja Muhammad, a son of Sultan Mansur Shah who was accidentally hit with a rattan ball by Tun Besar, a son
of Tun Perak, in a Sepak raga game. The ball hit Raja Muhammad's headgear and knocked it down to the ground. In anger,
Raja Muhammad immediately stabbed and killed Tun Besar, whereupon some of Tun Besar's kinsmen retaliated and
wanted to kill Raja Muhammad. However, Tun Perak managed to restrain them from such an act of treason by saying that
he would no longer accept Raja Muhammad as the Sultan's heir. As a result of this incident, Sultan Mansur Shah ordered
his son out of Malacca and had him installed as the ruler of Pahang.
In Indonesia, sepak takraw was spread from nearby Malacca across the strait to Riau islands and Riau area in Sumatra as
early as the 16th century, where it is also called as Sepak Raga in local Malay tongue, at that time some of Sumatran areas
were part of Malacca sultanate. From there the Malay people spread across archipelago and introduced the game to
Buginese people in Sulawesi. Then the game is developed as Buginese traditional game which is called "Raga" (the players
are called "Pa'Raga"). The "Raga" can trace its origin from Malacca Sultanate, and was popular in South Sulawesi since the
19th century. Some men playing "Raga" encircling within a group, the ball is passed from one to another and the man who
kicked the ball highest is the winner. "Raga" 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 (Bugis cloth headgear similar to Malay tanjak).
In Thailand (formerly Siam), there was evidence that the Thai had played Sepak Takraw since the Ayutthaya Kingdom, at
least during the reign of King Naresuan (1590–1605). A French historian, François Henri Turpin, wrote about how the
Siamese played the game of takraw to stay in shape. Murals at Bangkok's Wat Phra Kaeo which was built in 1785, depict
the Hindu god Hanuman playing sepak takraw in a ring with a troop of monkeys. The game was played in its circle form
for hundreds of years, and the modern version of sepak takraw began taking shape in Thailand sometime during the early
1740s. In 1929 the Siam Sports Association drafted the first rules for 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 introduced 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 absolute
monarchy.
In the Philippines the sport was called "sipa" and along with traditional martial arts survived the three century Spanish
colonization. It is a popular sport played by children in Philippines. It was the Philippine national sport until it was replaced
by arnis in 2009. Sepak Takraw is included in Philippine's elementary and highschool curriculum. In Myanmar, or Burma,
it was dubbed "chinlone", in Laos "kator", "cầu mây" in Vietnam and in Indonesia "raga" or "sepak takraw".
The sepak takraw sport is played on a similar to badminton double sized court.
Area of 13.4 by 6.1 metres (44 ft × 20 ft) free from all obstacles up to the height of 8 metres (26 ft) measured from the
floor surface (sand and grass court not advisable). The width of the lines bounding the court should not be more than 4
centimetres (1.6 in) measured and drawn inwards from the edge of the court measurements. All the boundary lines should
be drawn at least 3.0 metres (9.8 ft) away from all obstacles. The centre line of 2 cm (0.79 in) should be drawn equally
dividing the right and left court.
At the corner of each at the center line, the quarter circle shall be drawn from the sideline to the center line with a radius
of 0.9 metres (2 ft 11 in) 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 center 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 shall be made of fine ordinary cord or nylon with 6 cm to 8 cm mesh. Similar to a volleyball net/
The net shall be 0.7 m in width and not shorter than 6.10 m in length and taped at 0.05 m from tape double at the top and
sideline, called boundary tape.
The net shall be edged with 0.05 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 over and flush with the top of the posts. The top of the net shall be 1.52
m (1.42 m for women) in height from the center and 1.55 m (1.45 m for women) at the posts.[21]
Ball