The basics

If soccer and volleyball had a baby (as if they

aren’t hard enough on their own), it would be
sepak takraw, and it would be (and is)
insane. Sepak takraw takes the hard parts of
volleyball (the high net, small court and the rule
that the ball must remain in the air) and the hard
part of soccer (precise ball control without your
hands) and combines them into a sport that looks
far too difficult to be possible.

Basically you’re playing volleyball with your feet,

and the ball isn’t the only thing that’s airborne.
The insane jumps and flips that are performed by
the players may just be the best part of watching
this high-energy and seemingly impossible game.

You may have never heard of it but sepak takraw

is huge in Asia, and has been played for
centuries. It’s unclear where it originated but it
has deep and strong roots in a number of
Southeast-Asian countries such as Malaysia, the
Philippines and Thailand.

The name “sepak takraw” comes from a

combination of the Malay word for ‘kick’ and the
Thai name of the ball used in play. The sport has
huge tournaments across Asia and its popularity
is slowly but surely spreading all across the globe.

The rules
 Sepak takraw is typically played on a court with
two three-player teams on each side

 Similar to volleyball, the object of the game is to

hit the ball onto the other side of the court so
that it can’t be returned by your opponent and
hits the floor; doing so earns you a point

 A game is usually a best-of-three sets, with a set

being won by a score of 21 points

 The ball used is much smaller than a volleyball and

is typically made of woven rattan or rubber

 Similar to soccer, any part of the body can be used

to hit the ball except for the hands or arms

 Similar to volleyball, the ball cannot hit the floor

and each team has three hits to try and get the
ball back over the net

 Also similar to volleyball, the ball must be served

over the net at the beginning of each point-
attempt

Techniques
Horse Kick
A high kick

Sunback Spike

Performing the horse kick while jumping

Roll spike

A sunback spike performed with a flip

Inside kick

Hitting the ball with the inside of your foot

Knee kick

Hitting the ball with your thigh

Header

Hitting the ball with your forehead