Sepak Takraw is a sport played mainly in Southeast Asia, especially in the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. “Sepak” is a Malay word meaning kick or smash, and “Takraw” is a Thai word meaning rattan ball. The fundamentals are simple and similar to volleyball, only players throw the ball over the net instead of using their hands.
- Set up the court. The court is rectangular and measures 13.4 meters by 6.1 meters, roughly the same size as a badminton court. The net is in the middle of the field and should be 1.52m high. A serve circle should be shot 3.05m from the back line and 2.45m from the sidelines. The radius of the service circle must be 0.3 m. Each corner has a free area just outside the delimited 3m by 3m lot. A quarter circle with a radius of 0.9 m extends from the sides of the center line.
Get a Sepak Takraw ball, which should be spherical, about the size of a volleyball ball, and made from woven fibers.
For women, the net should be 1.42 m high. - Assemble your team. Sepak Takraw is played with two teams, called Regu and Mississauga. Each Regu has 5 players in total – 3 players on the pitch and 2 substitutes.
The server, also known as Tekong, is located in the center of the field. The Tekong serves the ball over the net. The goal is to serve him, so it’s hard for the other team to defend themselves.
The Left Interior, also known as the Feeder, is on the left side of the yard. The Feeder has the most control over the ball during the game. They place the ball according to the attacker. They can poke the ball and throw the striker to hit. These players are generally very agile and responsive.
The inside right, also known as the Striker or Killer, is on the right side of the pitch. The attacker’s goal is to place the ball in the other team’s court. They also block the spikes of the other team. - Know how Sepak Takraw is marked. When reading the Regu format, a match consists of 3 sets. A match is won when a team wins 2 sets. Each game is played at 21 points.
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If a team does not win 2 sets in a row, the third set, called “Tie-break”, only counts 15 points.
If the game is tied at 20-20, the winner is the first team to be ahead by 2 points, up to 25 points. For the tie-break match, if the match is 14-14, the first time 2 points, up to 17 points, wins.
Part two of three:
Learn the basics
- Know the basic skills. In Sepak Takraw, you cannot touch the ball with your hands or arms. This means that you have to use your feet, legs and knees to control the ball. Although it does require a bit of agility and athleticism, there are some basic movements you can learn.
- Learn the inside kick. The inside kick is probably the most important skill to learn because it is the one you will be using the most. This is used to control the ball. You can also use this kick for good spikes.
For this kick, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your supporting leg bent at the knee. Hit the ball with the inside of your dominant foot. Practice working with both feet to gain more agility and flexibility in your kicks.
When the ball comes towards you, lift the inside of your foot to connect to the ball.
To practice this kick, dribble the ball by hitting it on the inside of your foot. Use a different foot each time the ball goes down.
A variation of this kick uses the outside of the foot. When the ball hits you and you can’t position yourself to use the inside of your foot, use the outside instead.
3. Learn the kick.
The kick is used to save the ball, not to control it. Extend your leg. Let the ball bounce off your toes or lift your leg if the ball is higher. It should be done slowly and without electricity. This is used when receiving the ball.
When the ball comes at you from a low angle, bounce the ball off the top of your foot.
4. Use the header.
The header is another essential skill for the game. This “kick” uses the head, preferably your forehead on your hair. This is used when the ball comes to you above the waist. You will likely have to bend down to get under the ball.
Practice getting used to the feeling of the ball against your head as it can hurt. This is used both for serving and for hitting.
5 Use the knee / thigh kick
This kick is used when receiving the ball. The knee / thigh kick deflects the ball as it moves towards you between your waist and your knees. By hitting the ball with your thigh or knee, you reposition the ball so you can use an inside kick. It is also used when the ball is too close to your body.
A knee and thigh kick is like walking with a high knee. Using your thigh instead of your knee gives you better control. This is typically used with players who are receiving a serve. This kick should be practiced with the inside kick.
6 Learn to hit.
Hitting or hitting the ball sends it over the net. There are different ways of doing this.
Strike with the bottom of your foot. After bouncing the ball in the air, throw your leg in the air at about head height. Then hit the ball with the bottom of your foot.
Use the inside foot to hit the ball. After bouncing the ball high enough in the air, curl your leg at shoulder height and hit the ball with the inside of your foot.
Use the top of your foot to kick back if you are in a position where you cannot face the net. Kick at shoulder height, making sure the top of your foot is connected to the ball. For more power, do a combined kick. Start by lifting the knee of your non-hitting foot, then when that foot hits the ground, use that power to throw the ground for a stronger, faster kick.
Use your head to strike by hitting the ball with your head. Make sure you lean forward to send the ball over the net rather than into the air.
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7 Use the chest and shoulders.
You can use any part of the body except the arms and hands when playing sepak takraw. You can use your chest and shoulders to bounce the ball when trying to get it into the correct playing position.
Try not to receive a serve or hit with the chest and shoulders.
- Flip a coin. Team captains call him. Whoever calls correctly chooses to go first (called “choose service”) or to choose which side they want to be on (called “choose side”).
- Serve the ball. The designated team serves first. At the start of the match, the Feeder and Striker stand in the quadrant on their side of the court while the Tekong stands with one foot in the serve circle. Either the Feeder or the Striker throws the ball at the Tekong to start the match. He then throws the ball over the net with the foot outside the service circle.
The other team can be anywhere on the pitch.
The serving team gets a point if the ball hits the net and lands in the court. The team continues to serve whenever they are awarded a point.
After the initial serve, all players are free to move around the field.
3 Pass the ball to the attacker. To respond to the serve, the defensive team will attempt to pass the ball over the net in less than 3 touches of the ball. Both the Tekong and the Feeder move around the field to pass the ball to the attacker with one or two contacts. The attacker will use the third final touchdown to send the ball over the net.
Players can have more than one touch.
4 Pass the ball to the other team using only your feet and head. When play continues, the team cannot use their hands or arms. Each team has 3 keys to return the ball to the net.
Play continues until a team fouls. This happens when the team does not return the ball to the net in less than 3 touches, when the ball is not hit before it hits the ground, the net is preventing it from going to the other side of the field or going out of bounds. . If a foul is committed, the other team scores.
When a team wins a point, it receives the next serve.
5 Change the side of the field for a new set. After a team reaches 21 (or 25) points, the set is over. To start a new set, the teams change sides. The team that lost the previous set serves. When a team wins two sets, a new match is started.
