The Westernian Advocate

Magazine-Sports
Angel Joy Liwag
Clark Alduz Viray

Hands off, fancy footworks

Reigniting the enthusiasm for Sepak Takraw

While sepak takraw does not share the spotlight with other mainstream sports in our

country, this dynamic game has been attracting the attention of sports aficionados in

recent years—a proof that Asian sports are as engaging as their western counterparts.

All Set!

While there are still ongoing disputes about the origins of sepak takraw, most

sources identifies Asia as the birthplace of this engaging game that incorporates the

elements of other sports like volleyball and football—and like most Asian games, sepak

takraw is a team sport.

“Per team kailangan ng tatlong players sa court—may tinatawag na tekong, ito yung

nags-serve ng bola, spiker at setter na siyang nagto-toss or nag-se-set para sa spiker

ang objective ay mapalapat ang bola sa kabilang court. Ang unang makatapos ng score

ng dalawang set na may tig-21 na puntos ay tatanghaling panalo,” shared Vincent

Hernandez Palma, a Palarong Pambansa 2016 delegate for sepak takraw.

A sepak takraw match can be intense as players are restricted to use their hands and

must rely on their feet, head knees and even the chest in serving and receiving a rattan

ball and at times, the players can get caught in the heat of the moment, resulting in

violations.

“Sa violations mayroon tayong stepping on the line, over reaching, double touching,

shouting at the other players and disrespecting the referee. Usually lahat ng ‘yan hindi

maiwasang ma-commit ng players,” added Palma.

 Sepak takraw has many variations depending on the country where it is being

played, the governing body that hosted the match and in most local versions of sepak,

the rules are made by the players themselves-just like the ‘sipa’ game which is a street

game version of sepak and have no finite set of rules.

Flipped Over

Before being replaced by arnis on 2009, sepak takraw was the national sports of the

Philippines but ironically, even before the shift, sepak takraw is not given much attention

by sports enthusiasts.

This in turn leads to the idle status of sepak takraw in regional and national level

tournaments and oftentimes, games only reach the Private Schools Athletic Association

(PRISAA) level.

“Actually 15 years ago, mayroon kaming team ng Sepak Takraw ang naging

problema ay walang competition so sa madaling salita, hanggang PRISAA lang ‘yung

competition na nasasalihan. Nagkaroon kami ng ‘streamlining’ kung tawagin. ‘Yung mga

walang competition, not more than 50% ay disregarded na,” stated Mr. Luis Romy L.

Bautro; Sports Development Coordinator of University of Batangas.

Moreover, the public’s attention is more centered on the country’s mainstream sports

such as basketball and volleyball, making it hard for lesser participated sports such as

sepak takraw to compete for a university’s funding and support.

“Every player ay PHP 16,000 na agad ‘yung nagagastos sa airport pa lamang

dagdag gastos lamang kung mag-iinvest tayo kasi walang masyadong naglalaro. Kaya

kami tumigil na kasi kulang din ng kalaban. Ang basketball kasi natin, hindi s’ya
nawawala sa top 4 sa region natin, even volleyball. Sa national, hindi tayo nawawala sa

semi-finals,” expressed Coach Bautro.

Gravity defying

It is jaw dropping to see the players of sepak takraw as they exchange the rattan ball

in a dynamic rally—a feat that is a result of the athlete’s intensive training. To play

sepak, one must achieve the peak of his physique and learn several skills.

“In terms of athleticism,ang dapat taglayin ng mga maglalaro ay flexibility, agility and

stamina. For sports skills naman, dapat silang matuto ng ball handling/control which is

essential for the game,” explained Attorney Reynan Garcia; a sepak takraw player and

coach for the city’s sepak players.

Through the past years, more attention is being given to sepak takraw—in the

Philippines, there is a growing number of people in the sports community who are

gaining more interest in this dynamic sport.

“People are still more in to volleyball and basketball. But lately the sport is picking up

in the country. Because of the social media and tournaments around the country. Last

week the 1st Philippine Sepak Takraw League (PSTL) had just concluded at NCR,”

ended Atty. Garcia.

Uniquely Asian

Recent years saw the polarized attention being given to sepak takraw, but on the

brighter side, people are seeing sepak as more than just a traditional Asian game—it is

the embodiment of the Asians resourcefulness and camaraderie.