HISTORY OF SEPAK TAKRAW

In 1935 during the Golden Jubilee Celebrations for King George V the game of sepak raga was played on a badminton court in the Malaysian State of Negeri Sembilan The development of the game was interupted by the war In 1945 in Penang the net was again introduced and the popularity spread to surrounding areas and then countries n 1965 Malaysia hosted the South East Asian Peninsular games (SEAP) and sepak raga was introduced There were lengthy discussion between Malaysian and Singapore delegates on the one hand and Laos and Thai delegates on the other with regard to the official name of the sport An agreement was subsequently arrived at and it was decided that the sport would be known as Sepak Takraw Sepak means KICK in Malay and Takraw means BALL in Thai word

Almost every nation that played this game knew it by a different name In Malaysia Singapore and Brunei its called sepak raga whereas in Thailand its commonly known as takraw The same game goes by the name of sipa in the Philippines da cau in Vietnam rago in Indonesia and kator in Laos Since sepak takraw was played and enjoyed in several countries there were a lot of inconsistencies in terms of how the game was played and judged

In 1960 representatives from Malaysia Singapore Indonesia Lao and Thailand met in Kuala Lumpur to standardise rules and regulations for the game And after a long and heated debate consensus was reached that the sport would henceforth be officially called sepak takraw

They also formed the Asian Sepak Takraw Federation (ASTAF) and translated the rules into English setting the stage for the first international competition held in Malaysia in 1965 at the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games or SEAP Games the predecessor to todays Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) This chain of events set the stage for the international development of sepak takraw However it was the replacement of the natural rattan ball which tended to splinter and warp with the more standardised synthetic plastic ball that really kicked the games popularity into high gear

In 1990 sepak takraw was included at the Asian Games in Beijing Women also got in on the action with the first womens championships in Thailand hosted in 1997 Today more than 20 countries have national sepak takraw associations with representatives on the board of the global governing body the International Sepak Takraw Federation (ISTAF)

FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT

Court

The standard court of the Sport Sepak Takraw is an area of 134m X 61m free from all obstacles up to a height of 8m It is advisable that the court is flat concrete surface The width of the lines that determines the perimeter of the court should not be more than 004m measured and drawn inside the measurements of the court The lines of the court should also be at least 30m away from any obstacles Each side should have a 67X61m area

The centerline of the Sepak Takraw court measuring about 002m divides the court into two equal halves A quarter circle must also be drawn at the intersection of each of the sidelines with the centerline measuring 09m in radius The quarter circle must be drawn outwards from the edge of the measured radius The court should also have a service circle of about 03m in radius This circle is drawn on the left on the left and from the sidelines The 004m line will be measured on the right court and should be drawn outward from the ledge The sideline facing the net should have a 245m distance from the center of the circle and 305m from the side Posts The post height differs with males and females The official height of the posts for males is 155m from the floor and 145m for the females It should be made using very strong material and shall not be more than 004 in diameter The position of the posts should be 03 m away from the sideline and should be positioned in line with the centerline

Both male and female players are required to wear shorts and sleeved t-shirts Players must tuck-in their shirts The t-shirts for all players must also be numbered permanently in which numbers are only ranged from 1 to 15 The captain of each regu (team of 3 or 4 players) is required to wear an armband on their left arm Any apparel that could endanger opponents is not allowed

RULES AND REGULATION

1 THE COURT11 Area of 144m (72m X72m each side of the court) x 65m free fromall obstacles up to the height of 8 m measured from the floor surfaceThe surface of the court must be beach sand12 The width of the lines bounding the court should not be more than004m measured and drawn inwards from the edge of the courtmeasurements A tape or rope can be used to be the boundary linesAll the boundary lines should be drawn at least 30m away from allobstacles13 The Centerline of 002m should be drawn equally dividing the rightand left court

2 THE POST21 The posts shall be 155m (145m for women) in height from theground and shall be sufficiently firm to maintain high net tension Itshould be made from very strong materials and shall not be more004m in radius22 The posts shall be erected or placed firmly 03m away from thesideline and in line with the Centerline3 THE NET31 The net shall be made of fine ordinary cord or nylon with 006m to008m mesh The net shall be 07m in width and not shorter than650m in length and taped at 005m from tape double at the top andsideline called boundary tape32 The net shall be edged with 005m tape double at the top and thebottom of the net supported by a fine ordinary cord or nylon cord thatruns through the tape and strain over and flush with the top of theposts The top of the net shall be 152m (142m for women) in heightfrom the center and 155m (145m for women) at the posts

4 THE SEPAKTAKRAW BALL41 The Sepaktakraw ball shall be spherical having 12 holes 20intersections It shall be made of synthetic fibre of one woven layercovering with synthetic rubber The circumference shall not be lessthan 040m and not more than 044m The weight before play shall notbe less than 170 gm and not more than 200 gm for men and women42 All world international regional competitions sanctioned by ISTAFincluding but not limited to the Olympic Games World GamesCommonwealth Games Asian Games and Sea Games must beplayed with ISTAF approved sepaktakraw balls5 THE PLAYERS

51 A team comprises four players and two reserves The game is played

by two REGUs consisting of four players (per team) on each side52 The player serving will position himself behind the baseline of thecourt Any one of the four players can execute the serve

53 The other three players shall be in their respective court

6 PLAYERrsquoS ATTIRE61 The players are allowed to wear anything besides jeans long pantsand as long as the attire is decent It is forbidden for players to wearanything that endanger themselves or their opponents during thegame62 Players wearing earrings chains watches and any other form ofaccessories are not allowed to play in the court63 For women swimming costume is allowed but shorts or bermudasmust be worn to overlap the costume

1048633 Jerseys1048633 T-Shirt1048633 Singlet1048633 Round neck shirts1048633 Bermudas1048633 Shorts1048633 Tights1048633 Caps1048633 Sunglasses or Visors1048633 Goggles64 The players are permitted to use sun visors goggles and caps toprotect their eyes from the sun65 The entire apparel of a player is regarded as part of hisher body66 The regu captain is identified with a marking or an armband on the left arm)

67 Anything that helps to speed the ball or movement of a player is not allowed

7 SUBSTITUTION71 Substitution of a player is allowed at any time on request made by theTeam Manager to the Official Referee when the ball is not in play72 Each Regu is allowed to make one substitution per set only73 A Player who has been sent off by Referee during a match may besubstituted provided no substitution has been made74 Any player having played in the starting line-up or as a substitute inthe current game is not allowed to play again75 Any Regu having less than 4 players will not be allowed to continuethe game and will be considered as having lost

8 OFFICIALSFor International Tournaments the game shall be managed by the followingofficialsi) 2 Technical Delegatesii) 6 Juryiii) 1 Official referee (Seated behind the refereersquos chair)2 Referees (1 Referee seated in an elevatedposition and the other also seated inelevated position to help the referee)iv) 2 Linesmen Standing at the baseline facing theReferee81 Two technical delegates to the Sea Games Asian Games and WorldChampionships and any other international competitions that aresanctioned by ISTAF The expenses of the Technical Delegatesinvolving round trip air tickets accommodations meals andallowances of US$7500 per day shall be paid by the organizingcommittee The host country must guarantee proper accreditation fortechnical delegates who have been appointed The technicaldelegates must be allowed to inspect the competition venue facilitiesand equipment to insure that they conform to ISTAF regulations82 ISTAF Members Jury of Appeals ndash 4 members to be appointed to aJury of Appeal to any ISTAF sanctioned competitions including AsianGames Sea Games and other International and Continentalcompetitions sanctioned by ISTAF The host country shall provideaccommodations meals and internal transportation during thecompetition period Members of the Jury shall be paid US$2000 perday for their services Two (2) members of the Jury of Appeal are tobe appointed by the host country of whom one of them is the technical committee chairman and shall act as the chairman of the Jury of

Appeal As for the other member of the Jury of Appeal from the hostcountry he will act as secretary without vote

9 THE TOSS AND WARM UP91 Before commencing the game the Referee will toss a coin or disc andthe side winning the toss will choose side or service The side thatloses the toss will abide with the decision The side winning the tossshall warm-up first for 2 minutes followed by the other Regu Only5 persons are allowed to move freely in the court with the official ball

10 POSITION OF PLAYERS DURING SERVICE101 At the start of play the players of both Regus must be in theirrespective courts in a ready position102 The Player serving the ball must have both feet outside the base line103 The other three players shall be within their side of the court andremain in one spot while lsquoserversquo is being made104 The opponent or receiving Regu is free to be anywhere within itscourt11 START OF PLAY AND SERVICE111 The ldquoRegurdquo that chooses ldquoservicerdquo shall start the match112 Once the Referee calls the score the player doing the service will tossthe ball in the air and kicks the ball over to the opponent The ball canbe kicked in any manner using the foot If the Tekong throws the ballbefore the Referee calls the score it shall be a re-throw and a warningwill be given to the thrower The serve can be executed anywherealong the baseline

113 During the service as soon as the Tekong kicks the ball all theplayers are allowed to move about freely in their respective courts114 The service is valid if the ball passes over the net whether it touchesthe net or not and inside the boundary of the two net tapes andboundary lines of the opponents court12 FAULT121 The Serving Side During Service1211 The ldquoTekongrdquo plays about with the ball (bumping giving toother player etc) after the call of score has been made bythe Referee1212 The Inside player lifts his feet or steps on the line orcrosses over or touches the net while throwing the ball 1213 The Tekong does not kick the ball on the service throw1214 The ball touches his own player before crossing over theopponent court1215 The ball goes over the net but falls outside the court1216 The ball does not cross to the opponent side1217 The tekong foot touches the baseline or any other markingsin the court before he kicks the ball to serve10486331218 A player uses his hand or hands or any other parts of hisarm or arms to facilitate the execution of a kick even if thehand or arm does not directly touches the ball but it touchesother objects or surfaces instead when doing so

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents court

whether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the ball

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents courtwhether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the bal

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents courtwhether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the ball

15 SCORING OF POINTS151 A point is given to the Regu when its opponent have committed anyfault16 SCORING SYSTEM161 The winning point for the match is a maximum of 21 points162 The change of side shall occur whereby one Regu has reaches 11Points

17 TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF PLAY171 The Referee can suspend play temporarily in the event ofobstructions disturbances or any injury to a player who needsimmediate treatment for not more than 5 minutes172 An injured player is allowed up to 5 minutes injury time-out If after 5minutes the player is unable to continue a substitution must bemade If the injured players team has already made a substitution thematch will be declared a forfeit in favor of the opposing team173 In the course of such suspension all players are not allowed to leavethe court18 DISCIPLINE181 Every player must abide by the rules of the game182 Only the Captain of the Regu is allowed to approach the Refereeduring the game183 Players are not allowed to wear any jewelry or accessories egearrings chains watches etc in the court

19 PENALTY

191 Players disobeying rules will be penalised by the Referee1911 Showing dissent by words or action towards any officialswith regards to any decision and to any players or spectators1912 Using foul or abusive language to any officials players orspectator1913 To take any improper step or action in order to influence anydecision made by the officials1914 To leave the court without the permission of the Referee1915 To commit ungentlemanly conduct1916 To disobey orders and rules of play

The Referee may use one of the following cards1048633 Yellow Card - Caution1048633 Red Card - ExpulsionRed card shall be given to the following offences committedldquoINTENTIONALLYrdquo1917 Persist in misconduct after receiving a caution1918 Violent conduct (eg Striking kicking the opponent spittingetc)1919 Using foul or abusive languageNote Any player who is shown the Red Card shall be sent off the court anddisciplinary action shall be taken against him The Player concerned shallnot be allowed to play in any game until sanction has been made192 Fouls and misconduct are penalized as followsDisciplinary Sanctions ndash1921 Cautionable Offence

A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following six offences

19211 Is guilty of unsporting behavior by the display ofsuch action that can be reasonably regarded aseither a mitigated or unmitigated violation of thenorms of sporting ethics which can be consideredas having or will have a detrimental effect on theproper conduct of the match as a wh19214 Delays the restart of play19215 Enters or re-enters the court without thereferees permission19216 Deliberately leaves the court without therefereersquos permissionole19212 Shows dissent by word or action19213 Persistently infringes the Laws of the Game

193 Sending-off OffencesA player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the

following five offences1931 Is guilty of serious foul play1932 Is guilty of violent conduct including an act executed withdeliberate intent to cause injury to his opponent1933 Spits at an opponent or any other person1934 Using offensive or insulting or abusive language andorgestures194 A player who commits a cautionable offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a yellow card isawarded for each the offence committed is disciplined as follows

1941 OffenceFirst Yellow CardPenaltyNormal Caution1942 Offence Second Yellow Card received by the same player in differentmatches but in the same tournamentPenaltya) One Match Suspension1943 OffenceThird Yellow Card received after suspension for the first twoYellow Cards in the tournament by the same playerPenaltya) Two (2) Matches Suspensionb) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematch

1944 OffenceFourth Yellow CardYellow card received after two matches suspension for theearlier Third Yellow Card in the same tournament by thesame playerPenaltyImmediate suspension from playing in the next orsubsequent matches in any tournament sanctioned byrelevant Sepaktakraw controlling authority until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a have been reached on thematter1945 Offence Two Yellow Cards received by the same player within theSame match

Penaltyb) Two (2) Matches Suspensionc) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematchd) A Red Card will be given for a third disciplinary offencecommitted in any other matches in the tournament195 A player who commits a sending-off offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a red card is awardedfor each of the offence committed is disciplined according to thenature of the offence committed is disciplined as follows

Offence1951 A Red CardPenaltySend-Off from the game and immediate suspension fromplaying in any tournament sanctioned by the relevantcontrolling authority for Sepaktakraw until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a decision has been reached onthe matter

20 MISCONDUCT OF TEAM OFFICIALS201 Disciplinary action will be taken against Team Officials or his team forany misconduct or disturbances committed by the official or teamduring a tournament whether in or outside the court202 Any team official who commits a misconduct or disturbances will beimmediately escorted out from the arena by the tournament officialsand the official referee and will also be immediately suspended frombeing a team official until a Disciplinary Committee is convened and adecision has been reached on the matter21 GENERAL211 In the event of any question or any matter arising out of any pointwhich is not expressly provided for in any of the rules of the game thedecision of the Official Referee shall be final

BASIC AND FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS

Inside Kick

Arguably it is the most important skill This is the kick you will use the most Watch any top class players in action and youll see that this is the control kick of choice This move sets up all the killer spikes While doing an inside kick you should stand in a good athletic stance Feet shoulder width apart Remember to bend your support leg at the knee And it is important always keep an eye on the ball The kicking motion is easy and dont swing at the ball too hard The ball is bouncy and you need to just hit it in the right spot on your foot as well as with the proper motion Try a few times of simply tossing the ball to yourself Focus on the ball and pop it back up to your hands Catch the ball and then try again Do this until the ball is consistently coming back up with ease and pop it back up to your hands Once you have gained consistency in this drill you can begin to try to link some kicks together Try dropping to your strong foot popping the ball up and then kicking with your weak foot before catching the ball Try to link three kicks together on alternating feet You should be able to see your progression All rights reserved Spiker Dek is owned by Sport Action International in the promotion of sepaktakraw in the Takraw Thailand League All rights reserved

KneeThigh kick

The knee and thigh is used when the ball comes fast towards the area between your knees and your waist This skill is used to bump or deflect the ball up enough to use an inside kick to control the ball It is also used when kicking consecutive kicks or in a circle and the ball gets to close to your body The motion is like a high step marching motion Simply raise the leg with your hip allowing your knee to bendTry to contact the ball on the thigh where possible instead of the knee as it provides better control Make sure the ball hits the fleshy part of the thigh to bump the ball up and out a bit Try a few back up to your hands Once you feel comfortable try to link with one inside kick then catch the ball Do this over and over until it comes naturally Once you get this combination and doing it naturally without thinking you will be aware of your improvement in skill

Header

The header is probably the second most important skill to have especially in the net game The header is used to pop up a ball that comes higher than the waist The best way to learn the header is like the inside kick The contact point should be just above the forehead at he hairline not too much on the forehead and not too much on the top of the head right in between Toss the ball to yourself hit it with your head and then catch it Do this several times until you feel comfortable with this skill When doing the

header remember to bend your knees and get low beneath the ball Like the other kicks you dont need to focus on power but on accuracy and placement The next step in this skill drill is to toss the ball higher and again control it with your head before catching the ball It hurts a bit at first but youll get use to it The graduating step is to a header from a high inside kick or from a header to a controlling inside kick Try both combinations as you will be using both of them as you begin to play more

Front kickToe kick

The toe kick is a defensive kick great for saving a ball that has gotten out in front of you It is not however a good control kick Those who play soccer may disagree but in sepaktakraw the inside is the right way Learn the toe kick for savesthe inside for control The toe kick is achieved by placing the foot out for the ball and depending on the height of the either lifting the foot with your hip or just letting the ball bounce off You dont need much power because the ball tends to fly off uncontrollably Do it slow and take it easy Like the other kicks do the same toss and catch drill Then try with different combinations Do the same progression

REFERENCES

1 uarr 10 11 12 Shawn Kelley Takraw A Traditional Southeast Asian (mostly in Malaysia ) Sport Archived from the original on July 10 2007 httpwebarchiveorgweb20070710234948httpwwwtatnewsorgemagazine2813asp Retrieved July 30 2007

2 uarr J A Mangan Fan Hong (2002) Sport in Asian society past and present Frank Cass Publishers pp 220 ISBN 978-0714683300

3 uarr Dunsmore Susi (1983) Sepak Raga University of Michigan p 24 uarr Brown Charles Cuthbert (1970) Sejarah Melayu or Malay annals an

annotated translation [from the Malay] Oxford University Press p 895 uarr Permainan MarragaAkraga (Bugis) Melayuonline

httpmelayuonlinecomindculturedig1224permainan-marraga-akraga Retrieved 2010-08-04

6 uarr Hackworth M (2006) Sepak Takraw Sierra Star Journal644 858-1017 uarr Sepak Takraw By Fred Varcoe Metropolis Magazine February 4 2010

httpmetropoliscojpartssportsepak-takraw Retrieved 2010-02-048 uarr The Log Northrop University Student Newspaper November 5 1987 Vol 35

No 39 uarr Northrop University Magazine December 1987 Vol 3 No 410uarr Video CNN August 8 1994

httpsportsillustratedcnncomvaultarticlemagazineMAG1005482indexhtm11uarr KalishJ (2004) Talking Takraw[Electronic Version] Journal of Mens Fitness

Vol 20 Issue 10

12uarr 120 121 Sportsmatchmaker (2005) Sepak TakrawRetrieved March 23 2009 from the sportsmatchmaker website httpwwwsportsmatchmakercomruless-sportssepak_takrawcfm

13uarr 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) (2004) Sepaktakraw Laws of the Game (PDF) httpwwwsepaktakraworgpdflawofthegamepdf Retrieved July 29 2007

TERMINOLOGY

Block Blocking is a defensive skill used to counter a spike coming from close to the net Block is usually made by jumping in the air and raising a leg andor back to divert the ball back into the opponents court A block counts as one contact Center Line Divides the length of the playing court into two equal halves Dig The act of fielding hard hit ball successfully usually a spike or block to regain control ie The Dig by Thailand came at crucial point in the game Dink A soft hit ball -usually either a dink serve or a dink spike Fault A violation of one of the rules of the game Feeder Person who sets the ball to the spiker First Ball Term used to describe receiving the serve by the opposing team Killer Same as Spiker Common in international terminology Quarter Circle Place on court where the serving teams forwards (left inside and right inside players) must remain until the ball has been kicked by the server or back player Regu Malaysian word for team In takraw a team of 4 players (3 starters plus 1 reserve) is known as a Regu and a squad of 3 Regus is known as a Team Roll Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net rotates in the air and kicks the ball over the opposite shoulder from the kicking foot with a flip like motion Th most dramatic and famous move in the game Service Over When the serving team fails to return the ball over the net or commits a fault or foul The opposing team becomes the serving team but a point is not awarded to either team USA also uses the same term as volleyball - Side Out Serving Circle Circle of 1 foot radius located in both halves of the court The server is required to have one foot touching the ground inside the serving circle during a serve Set (1) A period of play which is concluded when one team reaches 15 points Matches

consists of the best of three sets Set (2) A high pass by one player to a team-mate or to self to enable a spike Service The act of putting the ball into play by the back player

Service (Hand) Toss A hand throw of the ball by one of the forward inside players to the back who must kick the ball into play in one try Spike A powerfully hit shot directed into the opponents half of the court by the foot or head Sunback Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net and kicks the ball over the same shoulder as the kicking foot In soccer this is known as a bicycle kick or

bike for short

STRATEGIES

The strategies in Sepak Takraw are very similar to those in volleyball The receiving team will attempt to playthe takraw ball towards the front of the net making the best use of their 3 hits to set and spike the ballTHE GOALThe goal in any form of takraw is to keep the hand-woven ball off the ground for as long as possible usingany part of the body except hands and armsTakraw challenges an individuals assumptions of what they are and are not capable of doing As you gaincontrol of the takraw ball you will find it very rewarding when you can easily whiz through a string ofconsecutive kicks or place an accurate pass to another player While amazing yourself and your friendsyou will also be having fun greatly increasing your eye-foot coordination and overall ball control (super forenhancing and refining soccer skills) strengthening your legs and really increasing your flexibility

GETTING STARTEDTry the FIVE BASIC KICKSHITS shown here These kicks may seem awkward at first but be patientand practice each kick individually What was impossible yesterday can be achieved today Once thebasics are learned try the free style kicks (and make up some of your own) then you can play a wholeseries of games including the ones below

1 INSIDE KICKThere are 5 basic kickshits that any goodTakraw player will have mastered The mostimportant of these is the inside kick for itprovides maximum ball control Use this kick tofield a ball dropping in front of youWith your planted leg flexed at the knee lift upyour other leg and swing the foot and lowerpart of the leg in and up sideways like apendulum in front of you turning the ankle sothat you hit the ball with the flat surface of theinside of your foot The inside kick is commonlyused for passing and setting the ball up highfor a spike2 THE OUTSIDE KICKThe Outside Kick is used when the Takraw balldrops outside your shoulders and slightly behindyou It is similar to the Inside Kick in that your legswings like a pendulum but out and upward (ratherthan in and upward) Shift weight to ball of supportfoot as you lift kicking leg up away from body Turnyour ankle so that toes are pointing out (not down)which enables you to kick the ball up with the flatoutside surface of your foot Avoid swinging orkicking your leg forward (only lift it upward)3 FRONT FOOT KICKThis kick is primarily used to save a lowdropping ball in front of you To propel the ballupwards most consistently the front of yourfoot must be flicked up in a quick smoothmotion as the ball is contacted (remaining looseat the ankle not stiff)

4 THE KNEE BUMPThe Knee Bump is usually used to deflect upwards alow angle pass or a fast serve to the mid-body Liftyour knee up very quickly with the foot followingunderneath (not kicking out) The ball is contacted atabout waist level with the front of your thigh justbehind the knee for maximum upward thrust andheight Contact with ball in mid-thigh area will servethe same purpose but ball will not be thrust up ashighNote both the Front Foot Kick and Knee Bump are used for added control when making a save orcontrolling a pass They do not always provide consistent control

5 THE HEADERThe fifth basic hit is the Header and it is usedfrequently in games to deflect upwards a highangle pass or fast serve to the upper bodyWith legs flexed at the knees put the top ofyour forehead in front of the ball lifting up yourchin and spring up from the legs as the ballstrikes the forehead so as to deflect it up highin your own courtGeneral Helpful Hints- aIways be in a ready stance with feet pointing ahead and shoulder width apart knees slightlybent weight low and slightly forward- with the basic kickshits usually you should face the direction that you want to direct the ball to asyou contact it- approach contact with the ball in a slow easy and relaxed fashion it is more important to firstdevelop good timing (knowing when and how to contact the ball) than it is to kick the ball hard- the support leg provides your balance so should maintain a low profile and be flexed at the kneeas your other foot executes the kick- ambidexterity is key to being a more versatile player when ball approaches your right side kick itwith your right foot - left side left footFREE STYLEThis is your chance to expand on your basic kicks and come up with some more challenging moves of yourown Here are a couple to get you startedFLYING CLIPPERLeap off the same foot that youll use to kick theball Cross your kicking foot behind and underyour other leg Lift your kicking foot turning yourankle and making contact with the ball with the flaysurface on the inside of your footHAND LOOPThis move can be done with a number of kicks Positionyour arms to form a loop The idea is to have the ball firstfall through the hand loop then kick it back upwardthrough the loopDifferent GamesSOLO PLAYThe object of play is to keep the takraw ball in the air as long as possible without using hands or armsanything else goes

CIRCLE GAMEThe object of the traditional ldquoCircle Gamerdquo is the same as ldquoSoIo Playrdquo except with a group of playersstanding in a circleThis activity was played as far back as the 14th century in India Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Burma) thePhilippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was woven out of a rattan material available in abundancethereSEPAK TAKRAW - THE NET GAMEldquoSepakrdquo is Malay for ldquokickrdquo and ldquoTakrawrdquo is Thai for the ldquohand-woven ballrdquo that is used In 1945enthusiasts added a court and net with the same dimensions as in doubles badminton and a set of rulessimilar to volleyball (without using hands or arms) to form a fantastic spectator sport with worldchampionship tournaments held in both Malaysia and ThailandIn western countries it has been mostly Laotian immigrants who have first introduced Takraw to othersNow ASEC INTERNATIONAL is also happy to help introduce promote and organize this fun and excitingrecreational activitysportPLAYERS POSITIONS1 The serving teams forwards must remain in their quarter circles while the back player must haveonly one foot in the serving circle until the ball is contacted by the servers foot2 The receiving teams players may stand anywhere in their side of the court but usually the backplayer stands just in front of the serving circle with the forwards on either side of him3 Players are allowed to move freely on each half of the court once the ball is has been servedTO BEGIN PLAYThe game begins by one of the forwards tossing the takraw ball to the backplayer The back player must then kick the ball with the foot that is outside the serving circle into theopponents court in one try (usually with an extended version of the inside kick) The serve is still good ifthe ball hits the net as it goes into the other half of the courtSCORING1 Only the serving team can make a point2 A fault by the team possessing the ball constitutes a loss of serve3 A set is won by scoring 21 points unless the points are tied 20 -20 then the set shall be decidedon a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 25 points4 A match is won by winning two out of three sets

5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

• Court

FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT

Court

The standard court of the Sport Sepak Takraw is an area of 134m X 61m free from all obstacles up to a height of 8m It is advisable that the court is flat concrete surface The width of the lines that determines the perimeter of the court should not be more than 004m measured and drawn inside the measurements of the court The lines of the court should also be at least 30m away from any obstacles Each side should have a 67X61m area

The centerline of the Sepak Takraw court measuring about 002m divides the court into two equal halves A quarter circle must also be drawn at the intersection of each of the sidelines with the centerline measuring 09m in radius The quarter circle must be drawn outwards from the edge of the measured radius The court should also have a service circle of about 03m in radius This circle is drawn on the left on the left and from the sidelines The 004m line will be measured on the right court and should be drawn outward from the ledge The sideline facing the net should have a 245m distance from the center of the circle and 305m from the side Posts The post height differs with males and females The official height of the posts for males is 155m from the floor and 145m for the females It should be made using very strong material and shall not be more than 004 in diameter The position of the posts should be 03 m away from the sideline and should be positioned in line with the centerline

Both male and female players are required to wear shorts and sleeved t-shirts Players must tuck-in their shirts The t-shirts for all players must also be numbered permanently in which numbers are only ranged from 1 to 15 The captain of each regu (team of 3 or 4 players) is required to wear an armband on their left arm Any apparel that could endanger opponents is not allowed

RULES AND REGULATION

1 THE COURT11 Area of 144m (72m X72m each side of the court) x 65m free fromall obstacles up to the height of 8 m measured from the floor surfaceThe surface of the court must be beach sand12 The width of the lines bounding the court should not be more than004m measured and drawn inwards from the edge of the courtmeasurements A tape or rope can be used to be the boundary linesAll the boundary lines should be drawn at least 30m away from allobstacles13 The Centerline of 002m should be drawn equally dividing the rightand left court

2 THE POST21 The posts shall be 155m (145m for women) in height from theground and shall be sufficiently firm to maintain high net tension Itshould be made from very strong materials and shall not be more004m in radius22 The posts shall be erected or placed firmly 03m away from thesideline and in line with the Centerline3 THE NET31 The net shall be made of fine ordinary cord or nylon with 006m to008m mesh The net shall be 07m in width and not shorter than650m in length and taped at 005m from tape double at the top andsideline called boundary tape32 The net shall be edged with 005m tape double at the top and thebottom of the net supported by a fine ordinary cord or nylon cord thatruns through the tape and strain over and flush with the top of theposts The top of the net shall be 152m (142m for women) in heightfrom the center and 155m (145m for women) at the posts

4 THE SEPAKTAKRAW BALL41 The Sepaktakraw ball shall be spherical having 12 holes 20intersections It shall be made of synthetic fibre of one woven layercovering with synthetic rubber The circumference shall not be lessthan 040m and not more than 044m The weight before play shall notbe less than 170 gm and not more than 200 gm for men and women42 All world international regional competitions sanctioned by ISTAFincluding but not limited to the Olympic Games World GamesCommonwealth Games Asian Games and Sea Games must beplayed with ISTAF approved sepaktakraw balls5 THE PLAYERS

51 A team comprises four players and two reserves The game is played

by two REGUs consisting of four players (per team) on each side52 The player serving will position himself behind the baseline of thecourt Any one of the four players can execute the serve

53 The other three players shall be in their respective court

6 PLAYERrsquoS ATTIRE61 The players are allowed to wear anything besides jeans long pantsand as long as the attire is decent It is forbidden for players to wearanything that endanger themselves or their opponents during thegame62 Players wearing earrings chains watches and any other form ofaccessories are not allowed to play in the court63 For women swimming costume is allowed but shorts or bermudasmust be worn to overlap the costume

1048633 Jerseys1048633 T-Shirt1048633 Singlet1048633 Round neck shirts1048633 Bermudas1048633 Shorts1048633 Tights1048633 Caps1048633 Sunglasses or Visors1048633 Goggles64 The players are permitted to use sun visors goggles and caps toprotect their eyes from the sun65 The entire apparel of a player is regarded as part of hisher body66 The regu captain is identified with a marking or an armband on the left arm)

67 Anything that helps to speed the ball or movement of a player is not allowed

7 SUBSTITUTION71 Substitution of a player is allowed at any time on request made by theTeam Manager to the Official Referee when the ball is not in play72 Each Regu is allowed to make one substitution per set only73 A Player who has been sent off by Referee during a match may besubstituted provided no substitution has been made74 Any player having played in the starting line-up or as a substitute inthe current game is not allowed to play again75 Any Regu having less than 4 players will not be allowed to continuethe game and will be considered as having lost

8 OFFICIALSFor International Tournaments the game shall be managed by the followingofficialsi) 2 Technical Delegatesii) 6 Juryiii) 1 Official referee (Seated behind the refereersquos chair)2 Referees (1 Referee seated in an elevatedposition and the other also seated inelevated position to help the referee)iv) 2 Linesmen Standing at the baseline facing theReferee81 Two technical delegates to the Sea Games Asian Games and WorldChampionships and any other international competitions that aresanctioned by ISTAF The expenses of the Technical Delegatesinvolving round trip air tickets accommodations meals andallowances of US$7500 per day shall be paid by the organizingcommittee The host country must guarantee proper accreditation fortechnical delegates who have been appointed The technicaldelegates must be allowed to inspect the competition venue facilitiesand equipment to insure that they conform to ISTAF regulations82 ISTAF Members Jury of Appeals ndash 4 members to be appointed to aJury of Appeal to any ISTAF sanctioned competitions including AsianGames Sea Games and other International and Continentalcompetitions sanctioned by ISTAF The host country shall provideaccommodations meals and internal transportation during thecompetition period Members of the Jury shall be paid US$2000 perday for their services Two (2) members of the Jury of Appeal are tobe appointed by the host country of whom one of them is the technical committee chairman and shall act as the chairman of the Jury of

Appeal As for the other member of the Jury of Appeal from the hostcountry he will act as secretary without vote

9 THE TOSS AND WARM UP91 Before commencing the game the Referee will toss a coin or disc andthe side winning the toss will choose side or service The side thatloses the toss will abide with the decision The side winning the tossshall warm-up first for 2 minutes followed by the other Regu Only5 persons are allowed to move freely in the court with the official ball

10 POSITION OF PLAYERS DURING SERVICE101 At the start of play the players of both Regus must be in theirrespective courts in a ready position102 The Player serving the ball must have both feet outside the base line103 The other three players shall be within their side of the court andremain in one spot while lsquoserversquo is being made104 The opponent or receiving Regu is free to be anywhere within itscourt11 START OF PLAY AND SERVICE111 The ldquoRegurdquo that chooses ldquoservicerdquo shall start the match112 Once the Referee calls the score the player doing the service will tossthe ball in the air and kicks the ball over to the opponent The ball canbe kicked in any manner using the foot If the Tekong throws the ballbefore the Referee calls the score it shall be a re-throw and a warningwill be given to the thrower The serve can be executed anywherealong the baseline

113 During the service as soon as the Tekong kicks the ball all theplayers are allowed to move about freely in their respective courts114 The service is valid if the ball passes over the net whether it touchesthe net or not and inside the boundary of the two net tapes andboundary lines of the opponents court12 FAULT121 The Serving Side During Service1211 The ldquoTekongrdquo plays about with the ball (bumping giving toother player etc) after the call of score has been made bythe Referee1212 The Inside player lifts his feet or steps on the line orcrosses over or touches the net while throwing the ball 1213 The Tekong does not kick the ball on the service throw1214 The ball touches his own player before crossing over theopponent court1215 The ball goes over the net but falls outside the court1216 The ball does not cross to the opponent side1217 The tekong foot touches the baseline or any other markingsin the court before he kicks the ball to serve10486331218 A player uses his hand or hands or any other parts of hisarm or arms to facilitate the execution of a kick even if thehand or arm does not directly touches the ball but it touchesother objects or surfaces instead when doing so

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents court

whether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the ball

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents courtwhether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the bal

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents courtwhether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the ball

15 SCORING OF POINTS151 A point is given to the Regu when its opponent have committed anyfault16 SCORING SYSTEM161 The winning point for the match is a maximum of 21 points162 The change of side shall occur whereby one Regu has reaches 11Points

17 TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF PLAY171 The Referee can suspend play temporarily in the event ofobstructions disturbances or any injury to a player who needsimmediate treatment for not more than 5 minutes172 An injured player is allowed up to 5 minutes injury time-out If after 5minutes the player is unable to continue a substitution must bemade If the injured players team has already made a substitution thematch will be declared a forfeit in favor of the opposing team173 In the course of such suspension all players are not allowed to leavethe court18 DISCIPLINE181 Every player must abide by the rules of the game182 Only the Captain of the Regu is allowed to approach the Refereeduring the game183 Players are not allowed to wear any jewelry or accessories egearrings chains watches etc in the court

19 PENALTY

191 Players disobeying rules will be penalised by the Referee1911 Showing dissent by words or action towards any officialswith regards to any decision and to any players or spectators1912 Using foul or abusive language to any officials players orspectator1913 To take any improper step or action in order to influence anydecision made by the officials1914 To leave the court without the permission of the Referee1915 To commit ungentlemanly conduct1916 To disobey orders and rules of play

The Referee may use one of the following cards1048633 Yellow Card - Caution1048633 Red Card - ExpulsionRed card shall be given to the following offences committedldquoINTENTIONALLYrdquo1917 Persist in misconduct after receiving a caution1918 Violent conduct (eg Striking kicking the opponent spittingetc)1919 Using foul or abusive languageNote Any player who is shown the Red Card shall be sent off the court anddisciplinary action shall be taken against him The Player concerned shallnot be allowed to play in any game until sanction has been made192 Fouls and misconduct are penalized as followsDisciplinary Sanctions ndash1921 Cautionable Offence

A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following six offences

19211 Is guilty of unsporting behavior by the display ofsuch action that can be reasonably regarded aseither a mitigated or unmitigated violation of thenorms of sporting ethics which can be consideredas having or will have a detrimental effect on theproper conduct of the match as a wh19214 Delays the restart of play19215 Enters or re-enters the court without thereferees permission19216 Deliberately leaves the court without therefereersquos permissionole19212 Shows dissent by word or action19213 Persistently infringes the Laws of the Game

193 Sending-off OffencesA player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the

following five offences1931 Is guilty of serious foul play1932 Is guilty of violent conduct including an act executed withdeliberate intent to cause injury to his opponent1933 Spits at an opponent or any other person1934 Using offensive or insulting or abusive language andorgestures194 A player who commits a cautionable offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a yellow card isawarded for each the offence committed is disciplined as follows

1941 OffenceFirst Yellow CardPenaltyNormal Caution1942 Offence Second Yellow Card received by the same player in differentmatches but in the same tournamentPenaltya) One Match Suspension1943 OffenceThird Yellow Card received after suspension for the first twoYellow Cards in the tournament by the same playerPenaltya) Two (2) Matches Suspensionb) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematch

1944 OffenceFourth Yellow CardYellow card received after two matches suspension for theearlier Third Yellow Card in the same tournament by thesame playerPenaltyImmediate suspension from playing in the next orsubsequent matches in any tournament sanctioned byrelevant Sepaktakraw controlling authority until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a have been reached on thematter1945 Offence Two Yellow Cards received by the same player within theSame match

Penaltyb) Two (2) Matches Suspensionc) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematchd) A Red Card will be given for a third disciplinary offencecommitted in any other matches in the tournament195 A player who commits a sending-off offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a red card is awardedfor each of the offence committed is disciplined according to thenature of the offence committed is disciplined as follows

Offence1951 A Red CardPenaltySend-Off from the game and immediate suspension fromplaying in any tournament sanctioned by the relevantcontrolling authority for Sepaktakraw until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a decision has been reached onthe matter

20 MISCONDUCT OF TEAM OFFICIALS201 Disciplinary action will be taken against Team Officials or his team forany misconduct or disturbances committed by the official or teamduring a tournament whether in or outside the court202 Any team official who commits a misconduct or disturbances will beimmediately escorted out from the arena by the tournament officialsand the official referee and will also be immediately suspended frombeing a team official until a Disciplinary Committee is convened and adecision has been reached on the matter21 GENERAL211 In the event of any question or any matter arising out of any pointwhich is not expressly provided for in any of the rules of the game thedecision of the Official Referee shall be final

BASIC AND FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS

Inside Kick

Arguably it is the most important skill This is the kick you will use the most Watch any top class players in action and youll see that this is the control kick of choice This move sets up all the killer spikes While doing an inside kick you should stand in a good athletic stance Feet shoulder width apart Remember to bend your support leg at the knee And it is important always keep an eye on the ball The kicking motion is easy and dont swing at the ball too hard The ball is bouncy and you need to just hit it in the right spot on your foot as well as with the proper motion Try a few times of simply tossing the ball to yourself Focus on the ball and pop it back up to your hands Catch the ball and then try again Do this until the ball is consistently coming back up with ease and pop it back up to your hands Once you have gained consistency in this drill you can begin to try to link some kicks together Try dropping to your strong foot popping the ball up and then kicking with your weak foot before catching the ball Try to link three kicks together on alternating feet You should be able to see your progression All rights reserved Spiker Dek is owned by Sport Action International in the promotion of sepaktakraw in the Takraw Thailand League All rights reserved

KneeThigh kick

The knee and thigh is used when the ball comes fast towards the area between your knees and your waist This skill is used to bump or deflect the ball up enough to use an inside kick to control the ball It is also used when kicking consecutive kicks or in a circle and the ball gets to close to your body The motion is like a high step marching motion Simply raise the leg with your hip allowing your knee to bendTry to contact the ball on the thigh where possible instead of the knee as it provides better control Make sure the ball hits the fleshy part of the thigh to bump the ball up and out a bit Try a few back up to your hands Once you feel comfortable try to link with one inside kick then catch the ball Do this over and over until it comes naturally Once you get this combination and doing it naturally without thinking you will be aware of your improvement in skill

Header

The header is probably the second most important skill to have especially in the net game The header is used to pop up a ball that comes higher than the waist The best way to learn the header is like the inside kick The contact point should be just above the forehead at he hairline not too much on the forehead and not too much on the top of the head right in between Toss the ball to yourself hit it with your head and then catch it Do this several times until you feel comfortable with this skill When doing the

header remember to bend your knees and get low beneath the ball Like the other kicks you dont need to focus on power but on accuracy and placement The next step in this skill drill is to toss the ball higher and again control it with your head before catching the ball It hurts a bit at first but youll get use to it The graduating step is to a header from a high inside kick or from a header to a controlling inside kick Try both combinations as you will be using both of them as you begin to play more

Front kickToe kick

The toe kick is a defensive kick great for saving a ball that has gotten out in front of you It is not however a good control kick Those who play soccer may disagree but in sepaktakraw the inside is the right way Learn the toe kick for savesthe inside for control The toe kick is achieved by placing the foot out for the ball and depending on the height of the either lifting the foot with your hip or just letting the ball bounce off You dont need much power because the ball tends to fly off uncontrollably Do it slow and take it easy Like the other kicks do the same toss and catch drill Then try with different combinations Do the same progression

REFERENCES

1 uarr 10 11 12 Shawn Kelley Takraw A Traditional Southeast Asian (mostly in Malaysia ) Sport Archived from the original on July 10 2007 httpwebarchiveorgweb20070710234948httpwwwtatnewsorgemagazine2813asp Retrieved July 30 2007

2 uarr J A Mangan Fan Hong (2002) Sport in Asian society past and present Frank Cass Publishers pp 220 ISBN 978-0714683300

3 uarr Dunsmore Susi (1983) Sepak Raga University of Michigan p 24 uarr Brown Charles Cuthbert (1970) Sejarah Melayu or Malay annals an

annotated translation [from the Malay] Oxford University Press p 895 uarr Permainan MarragaAkraga (Bugis) Melayuonline

httpmelayuonlinecomindculturedig1224permainan-marraga-akraga Retrieved 2010-08-04

6 uarr Hackworth M (2006) Sepak Takraw Sierra Star Journal644 858-1017 uarr Sepak Takraw By Fred Varcoe Metropolis Magazine February 4 2010

httpmetropoliscojpartssportsepak-takraw Retrieved 2010-02-048 uarr The Log Northrop University Student Newspaper November 5 1987 Vol 35

No 39 uarr Northrop University Magazine December 1987 Vol 3 No 410uarr Video CNN August 8 1994

httpsportsillustratedcnncomvaultarticlemagazineMAG1005482indexhtm11uarr KalishJ (2004) Talking Takraw[Electronic Version] Journal of Mens Fitness

Vol 20 Issue 10

12uarr 120 121 Sportsmatchmaker (2005) Sepak TakrawRetrieved March 23 2009 from the sportsmatchmaker website httpwwwsportsmatchmakercomruless-sportssepak_takrawcfm

13uarr 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) (2004) Sepaktakraw Laws of the Game (PDF) httpwwwsepaktakraworgpdflawofthegamepdf Retrieved July 29 2007

TERMINOLOGY

Block Blocking is a defensive skill used to counter a spike coming from close to the net Block is usually made by jumping in the air and raising a leg andor back to divert the ball back into the opponents court A block counts as one contact Center Line Divides the length of the playing court into two equal halves Dig The act of fielding hard hit ball successfully usually a spike or block to regain control ie The Dig by Thailand came at crucial point in the game Dink A soft hit ball -usually either a dink serve or a dink spike Fault A violation of one of the rules of the game Feeder Person who sets the ball to the spiker First Ball Term used to describe receiving the serve by the opposing team Killer Same as Spiker Common in international terminology Quarter Circle Place on court where the serving teams forwards (left inside and right inside players) must remain until the ball has been kicked by the server or back player Regu Malaysian word for team In takraw a team of 4 players (3 starters plus 1 reserve) is known as a Regu and a squad of 3 Regus is known as a Team Roll Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net rotates in the air and kicks the ball over the opposite shoulder from the kicking foot with a flip like motion Th most dramatic and famous move in the game Service Over When the serving team fails to return the ball over the net or commits a fault or foul The opposing team becomes the serving team but a point is not awarded to either team USA also uses the same term as volleyball - Side Out Serving Circle Circle of 1 foot radius located in both halves of the court The server is required to have one foot touching the ground inside the serving circle during a serve Set (1) A period of play which is concluded when one team reaches 15 points Matches

consists of the best of three sets Set (2) A high pass by one player to a team-mate or to self to enable a spike Service The act of putting the ball into play by the back player

Service (Hand) Toss A hand throw of the ball by one of the forward inside players to the back who must kick the ball into play in one try Spike A powerfully hit shot directed into the opponents half of the court by the foot or head Sunback Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net and kicks the ball over the same shoulder as the kicking foot In soccer this is known as a bicycle kick or

bike for short

STRATEGIES

The strategies in Sepak Takraw are very similar to those in volleyball The receiving team will attempt to playthe takraw ball towards the front of the net making the best use of their 3 hits to set and spike the ballTHE GOALThe goal in any form of takraw is to keep the hand-woven ball off the ground for as long as possible usingany part of the body except hands and armsTakraw challenges an individuals assumptions of what they are and are not capable of doing As you gaincontrol of the takraw ball you will find it very rewarding when you can easily whiz through a string ofconsecutive kicks or place an accurate pass to another player While amazing yourself and your friendsyou will also be having fun greatly increasing your eye-foot coordination and overall ball control (super forenhancing and refining soccer skills) strengthening your legs and really increasing your flexibility

GETTING STARTEDTry the FIVE BASIC KICKSHITS shown here These kicks may seem awkward at first but be patientand practice each kick individually What was impossible yesterday can be achieved today Once thebasics are learned try the free style kicks (and make up some of your own) then you can play a wholeseries of games including the ones below

1 INSIDE KICKThere are 5 basic kickshits that any goodTakraw player will have mastered The mostimportant of these is the inside kick for itprovides maximum ball control Use this kick tofield a ball dropping in front of youWith your planted leg flexed at the knee lift upyour other leg and swing the foot and lowerpart of the leg in and up sideways like apendulum in front of you turning the ankle sothat you hit the ball with the flat surface of theinside of your foot The inside kick is commonlyused for passing and setting the ball up highfor a spike2 THE OUTSIDE KICKThe Outside Kick is used when the Takraw balldrops outside your shoulders and slightly behindyou It is similar to the Inside Kick in that your legswings like a pendulum but out and upward (ratherthan in and upward) Shift weight to ball of supportfoot as you lift kicking leg up away from body Turnyour ankle so that toes are pointing out (not down)which enables you to kick the ball up with the flatoutside surface of your foot Avoid swinging orkicking your leg forward (only lift it upward)3 FRONT FOOT KICKThis kick is primarily used to save a lowdropping ball in front of you To propel the ballupwards most consistently the front of yourfoot must be flicked up in a quick smoothmotion as the ball is contacted (remaining looseat the ankle not stiff)

4 THE KNEE BUMPThe Knee Bump is usually used to deflect upwards alow angle pass or a fast serve to the mid-body Liftyour knee up very quickly with the foot followingunderneath (not kicking out) The ball is contacted atabout waist level with the front of your thigh justbehind the knee for maximum upward thrust andheight Contact with ball in mid-thigh area will servethe same purpose but ball will not be thrust up ashighNote both the Front Foot Kick and Knee Bump are used for added control when making a save orcontrolling a pass They do not always provide consistent control

5 THE HEADERThe fifth basic hit is the Header and it is usedfrequently in games to deflect upwards a highangle pass or fast serve to the upper bodyWith legs flexed at the knees put the top ofyour forehead in front of the ball lifting up yourchin and spring up from the legs as the ballstrikes the forehead so as to deflect it up highin your own courtGeneral Helpful Hints- aIways be in a ready stance with feet pointing ahead and shoulder width apart knees slightlybent weight low and slightly forward- with the basic kickshits usually you should face the direction that you want to direct the ball to asyou contact it- approach contact with the ball in a slow easy and relaxed fashion it is more important to firstdevelop good timing (knowing when and how to contact the ball) than it is to kick the ball hard- the support leg provides your balance so should maintain a low profile and be flexed at the kneeas your other foot executes the kick- ambidexterity is key to being a more versatile player when ball approaches your right side kick itwith your right foot - left side left footFREE STYLEThis is your chance to expand on your basic kicks and come up with some more challenging moves of yourown Here are a couple to get you startedFLYING CLIPPERLeap off the same foot that youll use to kick theball Cross your kicking foot behind and underyour other leg Lift your kicking foot turning yourankle and making contact with the ball with the flaysurface on the inside of your footHAND LOOPThis move can be done with a number of kicks Positionyour arms to form a loop The idea is to have the ball firstfall through the hand loop then kick it back upwardthrough the loopDifferent GamesSOLO PLAYThe object of play is to keep the takraw ball in the air as long as possible without using hands or armsanything else goes

CIRCLE GAMEThe object of the traditional ldquoCircle Gamerdquo is the same as ldquoSoIo Playrdquo except with a group of playersstanding in a circleThis activity was played as far back as the 14th century in India Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Burma) thePhilippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was woven out of a rattan material available in abundancethereSEPAK TAKRAW - THE NET GAMEldquoSepakrdquo is Malay for ldquokickrdquo and ldquoTakrawrdquo is Thai for the ldquohand-woven ballrdquo that is used In 1945enthusiasts added a court and net with the same dimensions as in doubles badminton and a set of rulessimilar to volleyball (without using hands or arms) to form a fantastic spectator sport with worldchampionship tournaments held in both Malaysia and ThailandIn western countries it has been mostly Laotian immigrants who have first introduced Takraw to othersNow ASEC INTERNATIONAL is also happy to help introduce promote and organize this fun and excitingrecreational activitysportPLAYERS POSITIONS1 The serving teams forwards must remain in their quarter circles while the back player must haveonly one foot in the serving circle until the ball is contacted by the servers foot2 The receiving teams players may stand anywhere in their side of the court but usually the backplayer stands just in front of the serving circle with the forwards on either side of him3 Players are allowed to move freely on each half of the court once the ball is has been servedTO BEGIN PLAYThe game begins by one of the forwards tossing the takraw ball to the backplayer The back player must then kick the ball with the foot that is outside the serving circle into theopponents court in one try (usually with an extended version of the inside kick) The serve is still good ifthe ball hits the net as it goes into the other half of the courtSCORING1 Only the serving team can make a point2 A fault by the team possessing the ball constitutes a loss of serve3 A set is won by scoring 21 points unless the points are tied 20 -20 then the set shall be decidedon a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 25 points4 A match is won by winning two out of three sets

5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

• Court

RULES AND REGULATION

1 THE COURT11 Area of 144m (72m X72m each side of the court) x 65m free fromall obstacles up to the height of 8 m measured from the floor surfaceThe surface of the court must be beach sand12 The width of the lines bounding the court should not be more than004m measured and drawn inwards from the edge of the courtmeasurements A tape or rope can be used to be the boundary linesAll the boundary lines should be drawn at least 30m away from allobstacles13 The Centerline of 002m should be drawn equally dividing the rightand left court

2 THE POST21 The posts shall be 155m (145m for women) in height from theground and shall be sufficiently firm to maintain high net tension Itshould be made from very strong materials and shall not be more004m in radius22 The posts shall be erected or placed firmly 03m away from thesideline and in line with the Centerline3 THE NET31 The net shall be made of fine ordinary cord or nylon with 006m to008m mesh The net shall be 07m in width and not shorter than650m in length and taped at 005m from tape double at the top andsideline called boundary tape32 The net shall be edged with 005m tape double at the top and thebottom of the net supported by a fine ordinary cord or nylon cord thatruns through the tape and strain over and flush with the top of theposts The top of the net shall be 152m (142m for women) in heightfrom the center and 155m (145m for women) at the posts

4 THE SEPAKTAKRAW BALL41 The Sepaktakraw ball shall be spherical having 12 holes 20intersections It shall be made of synthetic fibre of one woven layercovering with synthetic rubber The circumference shall not be lessthan 040m and not more than 044m The weight before play shall notbe less than 170 gm and not more than 200 gm for men and women42 All world international regional competitions sanctioned by ISTAFincluding but not limited to the Olympic Games World GamesCommonwealth Games Asian Games and Sea Games must beplayed with ISTAF approved sepaktakraw balls5 THE PLAYERS

51 A team comprises four players and two reserves The game is played

by two REGUs consisting of four players (per team) on each side52 The player serving will position himself behind the baseline of thecourt Any one of the four players can execute the serve

53 The other three players shall be in their respective court

6 PLAYERrsquoS ATTIRE61 The players are allowed to wear anything besides jeans long pantsand as long as the attire is decent It is forbidden for players to wearanything that endanger themselves or their opponents during thegame62 Players wearing earrings chains watches and any other form ofaccessories are not allowed to play in the court63 For women swimming costume is allowed but shorts or bermudasmust be worn to overlap the costume

1048633 Jerseys1048633 T-Shirt1048633 Singlet1048633 Round neck shirts1048633 Bermudas1048633 Shorts1048633 Tights1048633 Caps1048633 Sunglasses or Visors1048633 Goggles64 The players are permitted to use sun visors goggles and caps toprotect their eyes from the sun65 The entire apparel of a player is regarded as part of hisher body66 The regu captain is identified with a marking or an armband on the left arm)

67 Anything that helps to speed the ball or movement of a player is not allowed

7 SUBSTITUTION71 Substitution of a player is allowed at any time on request made by theTeam Manager to the Official Referee when the ball is not in play72 Each Regu is allowed to make one substitution per set only73 A Player who has been sent off by Referee during a match may besubstituted provided no substitution has been made74 Any player having played in the starting line-up or as a substitute inthe current game is not allowed to play again75 Any Regu having less than 4 players will not be allowed to continuethe game and will be considered as having lost

8 OFFICIALSFor International Tournaments the game shall be managed by the followingofficialsi) 2 Technical Delegatesii) 6 Juryiii) 1 Official referee (Seated behind the refereersquos chair)2 Referees (1 Referee seated in an elevatedposition and the other also seated inelevated position to help the referee)iv) 2 Linesmen Standing at the baseline facing theReferee81 Two technical delegates to the Sea Games Asian Games and WorldChampionships and any other international competitions that aresanctioned by ISTAF The expenses of the Technical Delegatesinvolving round trip air tickets accommodations meals andallowances of US$7500 per day shall be paid by the organizingcommittee The host country must guarantee proper accreditation fortechnical delegates who have been appointed The technicaldelegates must be allowed to inspect the competition venue facilitiesand equipment to insure that they conform to ISTAF regulations82 ISTAF Members Jury of Appeals ndash 4 members to be appointed to aJury of Appeal to any ISTAF sanctioned competitions including AsianGames Sea Games and other International and Continentalcompetitions sanctioned by ISTAF The host country shall provideaccommodations meals and internal transportation during thecompetition period Members of the Jury shall be paid US$2000 perday for their services Two (2) members of the Jury of Appeal are tobe appointed by the host country of whom one of them is the technical committee chairman and shall act as the chairman of the Jury of

Appeal As for the other member of the Jury of Appeal from the hostcountry he will act as secretary without vote

9 THE TOSS AND WARM UP91 Before commencing the game the Referee will toss a coin or disc andthe side winning the toss will choose side or service The side thatloses the toss will abide with the decision The side winning the tossshall warm-up first for 2 minutes followed by the other Regu Only5 persons are allowed to move freely in the court with the official ball

10 POSITION OF PLAYERS DURING SERVICE101 At the start of play the players of both Regus must be in theirrespective courts in a ready position102 The Player serving the ball must have both feet outside the base line103 The other three players shall be within their side of the court andremain in one spot while lsquoserversquo is being made104 The opponent or receiving Regu is free to be anywhere within itscourt11 START OF PLAY AND SERVICE111 The ldquoRegurdquo that chooses ldquoservicerdquo shall start the match112 Once the Referee calls the score the player doing the service will tossthe ball in the air and kicks the ball over to the opponent The ball canbe kicked in any manner using the foot If the Tekong throws the ballbefore the Referee calls the score it shall be a re-throw and a warningwill be given to the thrower The serve can be executed anywherealong the baseline

113 During the service as soon as the Tekong kicks the ball all theplayers are allowed to move about freely in their respective courts114 The service is valid if the ball passes over the net whether it touchesthe net or not and inside the boundary of the two net tapes andboundary lines of the opponents court12 FAULT121 The Serving Side During Service1211 The ldquoTekongrdquo plays about with the ball (bumping giving toother player etc) after the call of score has been made bythe Referee1212 The Inside player lifts his feet or steps on the line orcrosses over or touches the net while throwing the ball 1213 The Tekong does not kick the ball on the service throw1214 The ball touches his own player before crossing over theopponent court1215 The ball goes over the net but falls outside the court1216 The ball does not cross to the opponent side1217 The tekong foot touches the baseline or any other markingsin the court before he kicks the ball to serve10486331218 A player uses his hand or hands or any other parts of hisarm or arms to facilitate the execution of a kick even if thehand or arm does not directly touches the ball but it touchesother objects or surfaces instead when doing so

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents court

whether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the ball

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents courtwhether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the bal

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents courtwhether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the ball

15 SCORING OF POINTS151 A point is given to the Regu when its opponent have committed anyfault16 SCORING SYSTEM161 The winning point for the match is a maximum of 21 points162 The change of side shall occur whereby one Regu has reaches 11Points

17 TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF PLAY171 The Referee can suspend play temporarily in the event ofobstructions disturbances or any injury to a player who needsimmediate treatment for not more than 5 minutes172 An injured player is allowed up to 5 minutes injury time-out If after 5minutes the player is unable to continue a substitution must bemade If the injured players team has already made a substitution thematch will be declared a forfeit in favor of the opposing team173 In the course of such suspension all players are not allowed to leavethe court18 DISCIPLINE181 Every player must abide by the rules of the game182 Only the Captain of the Regu is allowed to approach the Refereeduring the game183 Players are not allowed to wear any jewelry or accessories egearrings chains watches etc in the court

19 PENALTY

191 Players disobeying rules will be penalised by the Referee1911 Showing dissent by words or action towards any officialswith regards to any decision and to any players or spectators1912 Using foul or abusive language to any officials players orspectator1913 To take any improper step or action in order to influence anydecision made by the officials1914 To leave the court without the permission of the Referee1915 To commit ungentlemanly conduct1916 To disobey orders and rules of play

The Referee may use one of the following cards1048633 Yellow Card - Caution1048633 Red Card - ExpulsionRed card shall be given to the following offences committedldquoINTENTIONALLYrdquo1917 Persist in misconduct after receiving a caution1918 Violent conduct (eg Striking kicking the opponent spittingetc)1919 Using foul or abusive languageNote Any player who is shown the Red Card shall be sent off the court anddisciplinary action shall be taken against him The Player concerned shallnot be allowed to play in any game until sanction has been made192 Fouls and misconduct are penalized as followsDisciplinary Sanctions ndash1921 Cautionable Offence

A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following six offences

19211 Is guilty of unsporting behavior by the display ofsuch action that can be reasonably regarded aseither a mitigated or unmitigated violation of thenorms of sporting ethics which can be consideredas having or will have a detrimental effect on theproper conduct of the match as a wh19214 Delays the restart of play19215 Enters or re-enters the court without thereferees permission19216 Deliberately leaves the court without therefereersquos permissionole19212 Shows dissent by word or action19213 Persistently infringes the Laws of the Game

193 Sending-off OffencesA player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the

following five offences1931 Is guilty of serious foul play1932 Is guilty of violent conduct including an act executed withdeliberate intent to cause injury to his opponent1933 Spits at an opponent or any other person1934 Using offensive or insulting or abusive language andorgestures194 A player who commits a cautionable offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a yellow card isawarded for each the offence committed is disciplined as follows

1941 OffenceFirst Yellow CardPenaltyNormal Caution1942 Offence Second Yellow Card received by the same player in differentmatches but in the same tournamentPenaltya) One Match Suspension1943 OffenceThird Yellow Card received after suspension for the first twoYellow Cards in the tournament by the same playerPenaltya) Two (2) Matches Suspensionb) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematch

1944 OffenceFourth Yellow CardYellow card received after two matches suspension for theearlier Third Yellow Card in the same tournament by thesame playerPenaltyImmediate suspension from playing in the next orsubsequent matches in any tournament sanctioned byrelevant Sepaktakraw controlling authority until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a have been reached on thematter1945 Offence Two Yellow Cards received by the same player within theSame match

Penaltyb) Two (2) Matches Suspensionc) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematchd) A Red Card will be given for a third disciplinary offencecommitted in any other matches in the tournament195 A player who commits a sending-off offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a red card is awardedfor each of the offence committed is disciplined according to thenature of the offence committed is disciplined as follows

Offence1951 A Red CardPenaltySend-Off from the game and immediate suspension fromplaying in any tournament sanctioned by the relevantcontrolling authority for Sepaktakraw until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a decision has been reached onthe matter

20 MISCONDUCT OF TEAM OFFICIALS201 Disciplinary action will be taken against Team Officials or his team forany misconduct or disturbances committed by the official or teamduring a tournament whether in or outside the court202 Any team official who commits a misconduct or disturbances will beimmediately escorted out from the arena by the tournament officialsand the official referee and will also be immediately suspended frombeing a team official until a Disciplinary Committee is convened and adecision has been reached on the matter21 GENERAL211 In the event of any question or any matter arising out of any pointwhich is not expressly provided for in any of the rules of the game thedecision of the Official Referee shall be final

BASIC AND FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS

Inside Kick

Arguably it is the most important skill This is the kick you will use the most Watch any top class players in action and youll see that this is the control kick of choice This move sets up all the killer spikes While doing an inside kick you should stand in a good athletic stance Feet shoulder width apart Remember to bend your support leg at the knee And it is important always keep an eye on the ball The kicking motion is easy and dont swing at the ball too hard The ball is bouncy and you need to just hit it in the right spot on your foot as well as with the proper motion Try a few times of simply tossing the ball to yourself Focus on the ball and pop it back up to your hands Catch the ball and then try again Do this until the ball is consistently coming back up with ease and pop it back up to your hands Once you have gained consistency in this drill you can begin to try to link some kicks together Try dropping to your strong foot popping the ball up and then kicking with your weak foot before catching the ball Try to link three kicks together on alternating feet You should be able to see your progression All rights reserved Spiker Dek is owned by Sport Action International in the promotion of sepaktakraw in the Takraw Thailand League All rights reserved

KneeThigh kick

The knee and thigh is used when the ball comes fast towards the area between your knees and your waist This skill is used to bump or deflect the ball up enough to use an inside kick to control the ball It is also used when kicking consecutive kicks or in a circle and the ball gets to close to your body The motion is like a high step marching motion Simply raise the leg with your hip allowing your knee to bendTry to contact the ball on the thigh where possible instead of the knee as it provides better control Make sure the ball hits the fleshy part of the thigh to bump the ball up and out a bit Try a few back up to your hands Once you feel comfortable try to link with one inside kick then catch the ball Do this over and over until it comes naturally Once you get this combination and doing it naturally without thinking you will be aware of your improvement in skill

Header

The header is probably the second most important skill to have especially in the net game The header is used to pop up a ball that comes higher than the waist The best way to learn the header is like the inside kick The contact point should be just above the forehead at he hairline not too much on the forehead and not too much on the top of the head right in between Toss the ball to yourself hit it with your head and then catch it Do this several times until you feel comfortable with this skill When doing the

header remember to bend your knees and get low beneath the ball Like the other kicks you dont need to focus on power but on accuracy and placement The next step in this skill drill is to toss the ball higher and again control it with your head before catching the ball It hurts a bit at first but youll get use to it The graduating step is to a header from a high inside kick or from a header to a controlling inside kick Try both combinations as you will be using both of them as you begin to play more

Front kickToe kick

The toe kick is a defensive kick great for saving a ball that has gotten out in front of you It is not however a good control kick Those who play soccer may disagree but in sepaktakraw the inside is the right way Learn the toe kick for savesthe inside for control The toe kick is achieved by placing the foot out for the ball and depending on the height of the either lifting the foot with your hip or just letting the ball bounce off You dont need much power because the ball tends to fly off uncontrollably Do it slow and take it easy Like the other kicks do the same toss and catch drill Then try with different combinations Do the same progression

REFERENCES

1 uarr 10 11 12 Shawn Kelley Takraw A Traditional Southeast Asian (mostly in Malaysia ) Sport Archived from the original on July 10 2007 httpwebarchiveorgweb20070710234948httpwwwtatnewsorgemagazine2813asp Retrieved July 30 2007

2 uarr J A Mangan Fan Hong (2002) Sport in Asian society past and present Frank Cass Publishers pp 220 ISBN 978-0714683300

3 uarr Dunsmore Susi (1983) Sepak Raga University of Michigan p 24 uarr Brown Charles Cuthbert (1970) Sejarah Melayu or Malay annals an

annotated translation [from the Malay] Oxford University Press p 895 uarr Permainan MarragaAkraga (Bugis) Melayuonline

httpmelayuonlinecomindculturedig1224permainan-marraga-akraga Retrieved 2010-08-04

6 uarr Hackworth M (2006) Sepak Takraw Sierra Star Journal644 858-1017 uarr Sepak Takraw By Fred Varcoe Metropolis Magazine February 4 2010

httpmetropoliscojpartssportsepak-takraw Retrieved 2010-02-048 uarr The Log Northrop University Student Newspaper November 5 1987 Vol 35

No 39 uarr Northrop University Magazine December 1987 Vol 3 No 410uarr Video CNN August 8 1994

httpsportsillustratedcnncomvaultarticlemagazineMAG1005482indexhtm11uarr KalishJ (2004) Talking Takraw[Electronic Version] Journal of Mens Fitness

Vol 20 Issue 10

12uarr 120 121 Sportsmatchmaker (2005) Sepak TakrawRetrieved March 23 2009 from the sportsmatchmaker website httpwwwsportsmatchmakercomruless-sportssepak_takrawcfm

13uarr 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) (2004) Sepaktakraw Laws of the Game (PDF) httpwwwsepaktakraworgpdflawofthegamepdf Retrieved July 29 2007

TERMINOLOGY

Block Blocking is a defensive skill used to counter a spike coming from close to the net Block is usually made by jumping in the air and raising a leg andor back to divert the ball back into the opponents court A block counts as one contact Center Line Divides the length of the playing court into two equal halves Dig The act of fielding hard hit ball successfully usually a spike or block to regain control ie The Dig by Thailand came at crucial point in the game Dink A soft hit ball -usually either a dink serve or a dink spike Fault A violation of one of the rules of the game Feeder Person who sets the ball to the spiker First Ball Term used to describe receiving the serve by the opposing team Killer Same as Spiker Common in international terminology Quarter Circle Place on court where the serving teams forwards (left inside and right inside players) must remain until the ball has been kicked by the server or back player Regu Malaysian word for team In takraw a team of 4 players (3 starters plus 1 reserve) is known as a Regu and a squad of 3 Regus is known as a Team Roll Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net rotates in the air and kicks the ball over the opposite shoulder from the kicking foot with a flip like motion Th most dramatic and famous move in the game Service Over When the serving team fails to return the ball over the net or commits a fault or foul The opposing team becomes the serving team but a point is not awarded to either team USA also uses the same term as volleyball - Side Out Serving Circle Circle of 1 foot radius located in both halves of the court The server is required to have one foot touching the ground inside the serving circle during a serve Set (1) A period of play which is concluded when one team reaches 15 points Matches

consists of the best of three sets Set (2) A high pass by one player to a team-mate or to self to enable a spike Service The act of putting the ball into play by the back player

Service (Hand) Toss A hand throw of the ball by one of the forward inside players to the back who must kick the ball into play in one try Spike A powerfully hit shot directed into the opponents half of the court by the foot or head Sunback Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net and kicks the ball over the same shoulder as the kicking foot In soccer this is known as a bicycle kick or

bike for short

STRATEGIES

The strategies in Sepak Takraw are very similar to those in volleyball The receiving team will attempt to playthe takraw ball towards the front of the net making the best use of their 3 hits to set and spike the ballTHE GOALThe goal in any form of takraw is to keep the hand-woven ball off the ground for as long as possible usingany part of the body except hands and armsTakraw challenges an individuals assumptions of what they are and are not capable of doing As you gaincontrol of the takraw ball you will find it very rewarding when you can easily whiz through a string ofconsecutive kicks or place an accurate pass to another player While amazing yourself and your friendsyou will also be having fun greatly increasing your eye-foot coordination and overall ball control (super forenhancing and refining soccer skills) strengthening your legs and really increasing your flexibility

GETTING STARTEDTry the FIVE BASIC KICKSHITS shown here These kicks may seem awkward at first but be patientand practice each kick individually What was impossible yesterday can be achieved today Once thebasics are learned try the free style kicks (and make up some of your own) then you can play a wholeseries of games including the ones below

1 INSIDE KICKThere are 5 basic kickshits that any goodTakraw player will have mastered The mostimportant of these is the inside kick for itprovides maximum ball control Use this kick tofield a ball dropping in front of youWith your planted leg flexed at the knee lift upyour other leg and swing the foot and lowerpart of the leg in and up sideways like apendulum in front of you turning the ankle sothat you hit the ball with the flat surface of theinside of your foot The inside kick is commonlyused for passing and setting the ball up highfor a spike2 THE OUTSIDE KICKThe Outside Kick is used when the Takraw balldrops outside your shoulders and slightly behindyou It is similar to the Inside Kick in that your legswings like a pendulum but out and upward (ratherthan in and upward) Shift weight to ball of supportfoot as you lift kicking leg up away from body Turnyour ankle so that toes are pointing out (not down)which enables you to kick the ball up with the flatoutside surface of your foot Avoid swinging orkicking your leg forward (only lift it upward)3 FRONT FOOT KICKThis kick is primarily used to save a lowdropping ball in front of you To propel the ballupwards most consistently the front of yourfoot must be flicked up in a quick smoothmotion as the ball is contacted (remaining looseat the ankle not stiff)

4 THE KNEE BUMPThe Knee Bump is usually used to deflect upwards alow angle pass or a fast serve to the mid-body Liftyour knee up very quickly with the foot followingunderneath (not kicking out) The ball is contacted atabout waist level with the front of your thigh justbehind the knee for maximum upward thrust andheight Contact with ball in mid-thigh area will servethe same purpose but ball will not be thrust up ashighNote both the Front Foot Kick and Knee Bump are used for added control when making a save orcontrolling a pass They do not always provide consistent control

5 THE HEADERThe fifth basic hit is the Header and it is usedfrequently in games to deflect upwards a highangle pass or fast serve to the upper bodyWith legs flexed at the knees put the top ofyour forehead in front of the ball lifting up yourchin and spring up from the legs as the ballstrikes the forehead so as to deflect it up highin your own courtGeneral Helpful Hints- aIways be in a ready stance with feet pointing ahead and shoulder width apart knees slightlybent weight low and slightly forward- with the basic kickshits usually you should face the direction that you want to direct the ball to asyou contact it- approach contact with the ball in a slow easy and relaxed fashion it is more important to firstdevelop good timing (knowing when and how to contact the ball) than it is to kick the ball hard- the support leg provides your balance so should maintain a low profile and be flexed at the kneeas your other foot executes the kick- ambidexterity is key to being a more versatile player when ball approaches your right side kick itwith your right foot - left side left footFREE STYLEThis is your chance to expand on your basic kicks and come up with some more challenging moves of yourown Here are a couple to get you startedFLYING CLIPPERLeap off the same foot that youll use to kick theball Cross your kicking foot behind and underyour other leg Lift your kicking foot turning yourankle and making contact with the ball with the flaysurface on the inside of your footHAND LOOPThis move can be done with a number of kicks Positionyour arms to form a loop The idea is to have the ball firstfall through the hand loop then kick it back upwardthrough the loopDifferent GamesSOLO PLAYThe object of play is to keep the takraw ball in the air as long as possible without using hands or armsanything else goes

CIRCLE GAMEThe object of the traditional ldquoCircle Gamerdquo is the same as ldquoSoIo Playrdquo except with a group of playersstanding in a circleThis activity was played as far back as the 14th century in India Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Burma) thePhilippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was woven out of a rattan material available in abundancethereSEPAK TAKRAW - THE NET GAMEldquoSepakrdquo is Malay for ldquokickrdquo and ldquoTakrawrdquo is Thai for the ldquohand-woven ballrdquo that is used In 1945enthusiasts added a court and net with the same dimensions as in doubles badminton and a set of rulessimilar to volleyball (without using hands or arms) to form a fantastic spectator sport with worldchampionship tournaments held in both Malaysia and ThailandIn western countries it has been mostly Laotian immigrants who have first introduced Takraw to othersNow ASEC INTERNATIONAL is also happy to help introduce promote and organize this fun and excitingrecreational activitysportPLAYERS POSITIONS1 The serving teams forwards must remain in their quarter circles while the back player must haveonly one foot in the serving circle until the ball is contacted by the servers foot2 The receiving teams players may stand anywhere in their side of the court but usually the backplayer stands just in front of the serving circle with the forwards on either side of him3 Players are allowed to move freely on each half of the court once the ball is has been servedTO BEGIN PLAYThe game begins by one of the forwards tossing the takraw ball to the backplayer The back player must then kick the ball with the foot that is outside the serving circle into theopponents court in one try (usually with an extended version of the inside kick) The serve is still good ifthe ball hits the net as it goes into the other half of the courtSCORING1 Only the serving team can make a point2 A fault by the team possessing the ball constitutes a loss of serve3 A set is won by scoring 21 points unless the points are tied 20 -20 then the set shall be decidedon a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 25 points4 A match is won by winning two out of three sets

5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

• Court

by two REGUs consisting of four players (per team) on each side52 The player serving will position himself behind the baseline of thecourt Any one of the four players can execute the serve

53 The other three players shall be in their respective court

6 PLAYERrsquoS ATTIRE61 The players are allowed to wear anything besides jeans long pantsand as long as the attire is decent It is forbidden for players to wearanything that endanger themselves or their opponents during thegame62 Players wearing earrings chains watches and any other form ofaccessories are not allowed to play in the court63 For women swimming costume is allowed but shorts or bermudasmust be worn to overlap the costume

1048633 Jerseys1048633 T-Shirt1048633 Singlet1048633 Round neck shirts1048633 Bermudas1048633 Shorts1048633 Tights1048633 Caps1048633 Sunglasses or Visors1048633 Goggles64 The players are permitted to use sun visors goggles and caps toprotect their eyes from the sun65 The entire apparel of a player is regarded as part of hisher body66 The regu captain is identified with a marking or an armband on the left arm)

67 Anything that helps to speed the ball or movement of a player is not allowed

7 SUBSTITUTION71 Substitution of a player is allowed at any time on request made by theTeam Manager to the Official Referee when the ball is not in play72 Each Regu is allowed to make one substitution per set only73 A Player who has been sent off by Referee during a match may besubstituted provided no substitution has been made74 Any player having played in the starting line-up or as a substitute inthe current game is not allowed to play again75 Any Regu having less than 4 players will not be allowed to continuethe game and will be considered as having lost

8 OFFICIALSFor International Tournaments the game shall be managed by the followingofficialsi) 2 Technical Delegatesii) 6 Juryiii) 1 Official referee (Seated behind the refereersquos chair)2 Referees (1 Referee seated in an elevatedposition and the other also seated inelevated position to help the referee)iv) 2 Linesmen Standing at the baseline facing theReferee81 Two technical delegates to the Sea Games Asian Games and WorldChampionships and any other international competitions that aresanctioned by ISTAF The expenses of the Technical Delegatesinvolving round trip air tickets accommodations meals andallowances of US$7500 per day shall be paid by the organizingcommittee The host country must guarantee proper accreditation fortechnical delegates who have been appointed The technicaldelegates must be allowed to inspect the competition venue facilitiesand equipment to insure that they conform to ISTAF regulations82 ISTAF Members Jury of Appeals ndash 4 members to be appointed to aJury of Appeal to any ISTAF sanctioned competitions including AsianGames Sea Games and other International and Continentalcompetitions sanctioned by ISTAF The host country shall provideaccommodations meals and internal transportation during thecompetition period Members of the Jury shall be paid US$2000 perday for their services Two (2) members of the Jury of Appeal are tobe appointed by the host country of whom one of them is the technical committee chairman and shall act as the chairman of the Jury of

Appeal As for the other member of the Jury of Appeal from the hostcountry he will act as secretary without vote

9 THE TOSS AND WARM UP91 Before commencing the game the Referee will toss a coin or disc andthe side winning the toss will choose side or service The side thatloses the toss will abide with the decision The side winning the tossshall warm-up first for 2 minutes followed by the other Regu Only5 persons are allowed to move freely in the court with the official ball

10 POSITION OF PLAYERS DURING SERVICE101 At the start of play the players of both Regus must be in theirrespective courts in a ready position102 The Player serving the ball must have both feet outside the base line103 The other three players shall be within their side of the court andremain in one spot while lsquoserversquo is being made104 The opponent or receiving Regu is free to be anywhere within itscourt11 START OF PLAY AND SERVICE111 The ldquoRegurdquo that chooses ldquoservicerdquo shall start the match112 Once the Referee calls the score the player doing the service will tossthe ball in the air and kicks the ball over to the opponent The ball canbe kicked in any manner using the foot If the Tekong throws the ballbefore the Referee calls the score it shall be a re-throw and a warningwill be given to the thrower The serve can be executed anywherealong the baseline

113 During the service as soon as the Tekong kicks the ball all theplayers are allowed to move about freely in their respective courts114 The service is valid if the ball passes over the net whether it touchesthe net or not and inside the boundary of the two net tapes andboundary lines of the opponents court12 FAULT121 The Serving Side During Service1211 The ldquoTekongrdquo plays about with the ball (bumping giving toother player etc) after the call of score has been made bythe Referee1212 The Inside player lifts his feet or steps on the line orcrosses over or touches the net while throwing the ball 1213 The Tekong does not kick the ball on the service throw1214 The ball touches his own player before crossing over theopponent court1215 The ball goes over the net but falls outside the court1216 The ball does not cross to the opponent side1217 The tekong foot touches the baseline or any other markingsin the court before he kicks the ball to serve10486331218 A player uses his hand or hands or any other parts of hisarm or arms to facilitate the execution of a kick even if thehand or arm does not directly touches the ball but it touchesother objects or surfaces instead when doing so

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents court

whether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the ball

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents courtwhether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the bal

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents courtwhether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the ball

15 SCORING OF POINTS151 A point is given to the Regu when its opponent have committed anyfault16 SCORING SYSTEM161 The winning point for the match is a maximum of 21 points162 The change of side shall occur whereby one Regu has reaches 11Points

17 TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF PLAY171 The Referee can suspend play temporarily in the event ofobstructions disturbances or any injury to a player who needsimmediate treatment for not more than 5 minutes172 An injured player is allowed up to 5 minutes injury time-out If after 5minutes the player is unable to continue a substitution must bemade If the injured players team has already made a substitution thematch will be declared a forfeit in favor of the opposing team173 In the course of such suspension all players are not allowed to leavethe court18 DISCIPLINE181 Every player must abide by the rules of the game182 Only the Captain of the Regu is allowed to approach the Refereeduring the game183 Players are not allowed to wear any jewelry or accessories egearrings chains watches etc in the court

19 PENALTY

191 Players disobeying rules will be penalised by the Referee1911 Showing dissent by words or action towards any officialswith regards to any decision and to any players or spectators1912 Using foul or abusive language to any officials players orspectator1913 To take any improper step or action in order to influence anydecision made by the officials1914 To leave the court without the permission of the Referee1915 To commit ungentlemanly conduct1916 To disobey orders and rules of play

The Referee may use one of the following cards1048633 Yellow Card - Caution1048633 Red Card - ExpulsionRed card shall be given to the following offences committedldquoINTENTIONALLYrdquo1917 Persist in misconduct after receiving a caution1918 Violent conduct (eg Striking kicking the opponent spittingetc)1919 Using foul or abusive languageNote Any player who is shown the Red Card shall be sent off the court anddisciplinary action shall be taken against him The Player concerned shallnot be allowed to play in any game until sanction has been made192 Fouls and misconduct are penalized as followsDisciplinary Sanctions ndash1921 Cautionable Offence

A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following six offences

19211 Is guilty of unsporting behavior by the display ofsuch action that can be reasonably regarded aseither a mitigated or unmitigated violation of thenorms of sporting ethics which can be consideredas having or will have a detrimental effect on theproper conduct of the match as a wh19214 Delays the restart of play19215 Enters or re-enters the court without thereferees permission19216 Deliberately leaves the court without therefereersquos permissionole19212 Shows dissent by word or action19213 Persistently infringes the Laws of the Game

193 Sending-off OffencesA player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the

following five offences1931 Is guilty of serious foul play1932 Is guilty of violent conduct including an act executed withdeliberate intent to cause injury to his opponent1933 Spits at an opponent or any other person1934 Using offensive or insulting or abusive language andorgestures194 A player who commits a cautionable offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a yellow card isawarded for each the offence committed is disciplined as follows

1941 OffenceFirst Yellow CardPenaltyNormal Caution1942 Offence Second Yellow Card received by the same player in differentmatches but in the same tournamentPenaltya) One Match Suspension1943 OffenceThird Yellow Card received after suspension for the first twoYellow Cards in the tournament by the same playerPenaltya) Two (2) Matches Suspensionb) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematch

1944 OffenceFourth Yellow CardYellow card received after two matches suspension for theearlier Third Yellow Card in the same tournament by thesame playerPenaltyImmediate suspension from playing in the next orsubsequent matches in any tournament sanctioned byrelevant Sepaktakraw controlling authority until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a have been reached on thematter1945 Offence Two Yellow Cards received by the same player within theSame match

Penaltyb) Two (2) Matches Suspensionc) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematchd) A Red Card will be given for a third disciplinary offencecommitted in any other matches in the tournament195 A player who commits a sending-off offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a red card is awardedfor each of the offence committed is disciplined according to thenature of the offence committed is disciplined as follows

Offence1951 A Red CardPenaltySend-Off from the game and immediate suspension fromplaying in any tournament sanctioned by the relevantcontrolling authority for Sepaktakraw until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a decision has been reached onthe matter

20 MISCONDUCT OF TEAM OFFICIALS201 Disciplinary action will be taken against Team Officials or his team forany misconduct or disturbances committed by the official or teamduring a tournament whether in or outside the court202 Any team official who commits a misconduct or disturbances will beimmediately escorted out from the arena by the tournament officialsand the official referee and will also be immediately suspended frombeing a team official until a Disciplinary Committee is convened and adecision has been reached on the matter21 GENERAL211 In the event of any question or any matter arising out of any pointwhich is not expressly provided for in any of the rules of the game thedecision of the Official Referee shall be final

BASIC AND FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS

Inside Kick

Arguably it is the most important skill This is the kick you will use the most Watch any top class players in action and youll see that this is the control kick of choice This move sets up all the killer spikes While doing an inside kick you should stand in a good athletic stance Feet shoulder width apart Remember to bend your support leg at the knee And it is important always keep an eye on the ball The kicking motion is easy and dont swing at the ball too hard The ball is bouncy and you need to just hit it in the right spot on your foot as well as with the proper motion Try a few times of simply tossing the ball to yourself Focus on the ball and pop it back up to your hands Catch the ball and then try again Do this until the ball is consistently coming back up with ease and pop it back up to your hands Once you have gained consistency in this drill you can begin to try to link some kicks together Try dropping to your strong foot popping the ball up and then kicking with your weak foot before catching the ball Try to link three kicks together on alternating feet You should be able to see your progression All rights reserved Spiker Dek is owned by Sport Action International in the promotion of sepaktakraw in the Takraw Thailand League All rights reserved

KneeThigh kick

The knee and thigh is used when the ball comes fast towards the area between your knees and your waist This skill is used to bump or deflect the ball up enough to use an inside kick to control the ball It is also used when kicking consecutive kicks or in a circle and the ball gets to close to your body The motion is like a high step marching motion Simply raise the leg with your hip allowing your knee to bendTry to contact the ball on the thigh where possible instead of the knee as it provides better control Make sure the ball hits the fleshy part of the thigh to bump the ball up and out a bit Try a few back up to your hands Once you feel comfortable try to link with one inside kick then catch the ball Do this over and over until it comes naturally Once you get this combination and doing it naturally without thinking you will be aware of your improvement in skill

Header

The header is probably the second most important skill to have especially in the net game The header is used to pop up a ball that comes higher than the waist The best way to learn the header is like the inside kick The contact point should be just above the forehead at he hairline not too much on the forehead and not too much on the top of the head right in between Toss the ball to yourself hit it with your head and then catch it Do this several times until you feel comfortable with this skill When doing the

header remember to bend your knees and get low beneath the ball Like the other kicks you dont need to focus on power but on accuracy and placement The next step in this skill drill is to toss the ball higher and again control it with your head before catching the ball It hurts a bit at first but youll get use to it The graduating step is to a header from a high inside kick or from a header to a controlling inside kick Try both combinations as you will be using both of them as you begin to play more

Front kickToe kick

The toe kick is a defensive kick great for saving a ball that has gotten out in front of you It is not however a good control kick Those who play soccer may disagree but in sepaktakraw the inside is the right way Learn the toe kick for savesthe inside for control The toe kick is achieved by placing the foot out for the ball and depending on the height of the either lifting the foot with your hip or just letting the ball bounce off You dont need much power because the ball tends to fly off uncontrollably Do it slow and take it easy Like the other kicks do the same toss and catch drill Then try with different combinations Do the same progression

REFERENCES

1 uarr 10 11 12 Shawn Kelley Takraw A Traditional Southeast Asian (mostly in Malaysia ) Sport Archived from the original on July 10 2007 httpwebarchiveorgweb20070710234948httpwwwtatnewsorgemagazine2813asp Retrieved July 30 2007

2 uarr J A Mangan Fan Hong (2002) Sport in Asian society past and present Frank Cass Publishers pp 220 ISBN 978-0714683300

3 uarr Dunsmore Susi (1983) Sepak Raga University of Michigan p 24 uarr Brown Charles Cuthbert (1970) Sejarah Melayu or Malay annals an

annotated translation [from the Malay] Oxford University Press p 895 uarr Permainan MarragaAkraga (Bugis) Melayuonline

httpmelayuonlinecomindculturedig1224permainan-marraga-akraga Retrieved 2010-08-04

6 uarr Hackworth M (2006) Sepak Takraw Sierra Star Journal644 858-1017 uarr Sepak Takraw By Fred Varcoe Metropolis Magazine February 4 2010

httpmetropoliscojpartssportsepak-takraw Retrieved 2010-02-048 uarr The Log Northrop University Student Newspaper November 5 1987 Vol 35

No 39 uarr Northrop University Magazine December 1987 Vol 3 No 410uarr Video CNN August 8 1994

httpsportsillustratedcnncomvaultarticlemagazineMAG1005482indexhtm11uarr KalishJ (2004) Talking Takraw[Electronic Version] Journal of Mens Fitness

Vol 20 Issue 10

12uarr 120 121 Sportsmatchmaker (2005) Sepak TakrawRetrieved March 23 2009 from the sportsmatchmaker website httpwwwsportsmatchmakercomruless-sportssepak_takrawcfm

13uarr 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) (2004) Sepaktakraw Laws of the Game (PDF) httpwwwsepaktakraworgpdflawofthegamepdf Retrieved July 29 2007

TERMINOLOGY

Block Blocking is a defensive skill used to counter a spike coming from close to the net Block is usually made by jumping in the air and raising a leg andor back to divert the ball back into the opponents court A block counts as one contact Center Line Divides the length of the playing court into two equal halves Dig The act of fielding hard hit ball successfully usually a spike or block to regain control ie The Dig by Thailand came at crucial point in the game Dink A soft hit ball -usually either a dink serve or a dink spike Fault A violation of one of the rules of the game Feeder Person who sets the ball to the spiker First Ball Term used to describe receiving the serve by the opposing team Killer Same as Spiker Common in international terminology Quarter Circle Place on court where the serving teams forwards (left inside and right inside players) must remain until the ball has been kicked by the server or back player Regu Malaysian word for team In takraw a team of 4 players (3 starters plus 1 reserve) is known as a Regu and a squad of 3 Regus is known as a Team Roll Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net rotates in the air and kicks the ball over the opposite shoulder from the kicking foot with a flip like motion Th most dramatic and famous move in the game Service Over When the serving team fails to return the ball over the net or commits a fault or foul The opposing team becomes the serving team but a point is not awarded to either team USA also uses the same term as volleyball - Side Out Serving Circle Circle of 1 foot radius located in both halves of the court The server is required to have one foot touching the ground inside the serving circle during a serve Set (1) A period of play which is concluded when one team reaches 15 points Matches

consists of the best of three sets Set (2) A high pass by one player to a team-mate or to self to enable a spike Service The act of putting the ball into play by the back player

Service (Hand) Toss A hand throw of the ball by one of the forward inside players to the back who must kick the ball into play in one try Spike A powerfully hit shot directed into the opponents half of the court by the foot or head Sunback Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net and kicks the ball over the same shoulder as the kicking foot In soccer this is known as a bicycle kick or

bike for short

STRATEGIES

The strategies in Sepak Takraw are very similar to those in volleyball The receiving team will attempt to playthe takraw ball towards the front of the net making the best use of their 3 hits to set and spike the ballTHE GOALThe goal in any form of takraw is to keep the hand-woven ball off the ground for as long as possible usingany part of the body except hands and armsTakraw challenges an individuals assumptions of what they are and are not capable of doing As you gaincontrol of the takraw ball you will find it very rewarding when you can easily whiz through a string ofconsecutive kicks or place an accurate pass to another player While amazing yourself and your friendsyou will also be having fun greatly increasing your eye-foot coordination and overall ball control (super forenhancing and refining soccer skills) strengthening your legs and really increasing your flexibility

GETTING STARTEDTry the FIVE BASIC KICKSHITS shown here These kicks may seem awkward at first but be patientand practice each kick individually What was impossible yesterday can be achieved today Once thebasics are learned try the free style kicks (and make up some of your own) then you can play a wholeseries of games including the ones below

1 INSIDE KICKThere are 5 basic kickshits that any goodTakraw player will have mastered The mostimportant of these is the inside kick for itprovides maximum ball control Use this kick tofield a ball dropping in front of youWith your planted leg flexed at the knee lift upyour other leg and swing the foot and lowerpart of the leg in and up sideways like apendulum in front of you turning the ankle sothat you hit the ball with the flat surface of theinside of your foot The inside kick is commonlyused for passing and setting the ball up highfor a spike2 THE OUTSIDE KICKThe Outside Kick is used when the Takraw balldrops outside your shoulders and slightly behindyou It is similar to the Inside Kick in that your legswings like a pendulum but out and upward (ratherthan in and upward) Shift weight to ball of supportfoot as you lift kicking leg up away from body Turnyour ankle so that toes are pointing out (not down)which enables you to kick the ball up with the flatoutside surface of your foot Avoid swinging orkicking your leg forward (only lift it upward)3 FRONT FOOT KICKThis kick is primarily used to save a lowdropping ball in front of you To propel the ballupwards most consistently the front of yourfoot must be flicked up in a quick smoothmotion as the ball is contacted (remaining looseat the ankle not stiff)

4 THE KNEE BUMPThe Knee Bump is usually used to deflect upwards alow angle pass or a fast serve to the mid-body Liftyour knee up very quickly with the foot followingunderneath (not kicking out) The ball is contacted atabout waist level with the front of your thigh justbehind the knee for maximum upward thrust andheight Contact with ball in mid-thigh area will servethe same purpose but ball will not be thrust up ashighNote both the Front Foot Kick and Knee Bump are used for added control when making a save orcontrolling a pass They do not always provide consistent control

5 THE HEADERThe fifth basic hit is the Header and it is usedfrequently in games to deflect upwards a highangle pass or fast serve to the upper bodyWith legs flexed at the knees put the top ofyour forehead in front of the ball lifting up yourchin and spring up from the legs as the ballstrikes the forehead so as to deflect it up highin your own courtGeneral Helpful Hints- aIways be in a ready stance with feet pointing ahead and shoulder width apart knees slightlybent weight low and slightly forward- with the basic kickshits usually you should face the direction that you want to direct the ball to asyou contact it- approach contact with the ball in a slow easy and relaxed fashion it is more important to firstdevelop good timing (knowing when and how to contact the ball) than it is to kick the ball hard- the support leg provides your balance so should maintain a low profile and be flexed at the kneeas your other foot executes the kick- ambidexterity is key to being a more versatile player when ball approaches your right side kick itwith your right foot - left side left footFREE STYLEThis is your chance to expand on your basic kicks and come up with some more challenging moves of yourown Here are a couple to get you startedFLYING CLIPPERLeap off the same foot that youll use to kick theball Cross your kicking foot behind and underyour other leg Lift your kicking foot turning yourankle and making contact with the ball with the flaysurface on the inside of your footHAND LOOPThis move can be done with a number of kicks Positionyour arms to form a loop The idea is to have the ball firstfall through the hand loop then kick it back upwardthrough the loopDifferent GamesSOLO PLAYThe object of play is to keep the takraw ball in the air as long as possible without using hands or armsanything else goes

CIRCLE GAMEThe object of the traditional ldquoCircle Gamerdquo is the same as ldquoSoIo Playrdquo except with a group of playersstanding in a circleThis activity was played as far back as the 14th century in India Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Burma) thePhilippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was woven out of a rattan material available in abundancethereSEPAK TAKRAW - THE NET GAMEldquoSepakrdquo is Malay for ldquokickrdquo and ldquoTakrawrdquo is Thai for the ldquohand-woven ballrdquo that is used In 1945enthusiasts added a court and net with the same dimensions as in doubles badminton and a set of rulessimilar to volleyball (without using hands or arms) to form a fantastic spectator sport with worldchampionship tournaments held in both Malaysia and ThailandIn western countries it has been mostly Laotian immigrants who have first introduced Takraw to othersNow ASEC INTERNATIONAL is also happy to help introduce promote and organize this fun and excitingrecreational activitysportPLAYERS POSITIONS1 The serving teams forwards must remain in their quarter circles while the back player must haveonly one foot in the serving circle until the ball is contacted by the servers foot2 The receiving teams players may stand anywhere in their side of the court but usually the backplayer stands just in front of the serving circle with the forwards on either side of him3 Players are allowed to move freely on each half of the court once the ball is has been servedTO BEGIN PLAYThe game begins by one of the forwards tossing the takraw ball to the backplayer The back player must then kick the ball with the foot that is outside the serving circle into theopponents court in one try (usually with an extended version of the inside kick) The serve is still good ifthe ball hits the net as it goes into the other half of the courtSCORING1 Only the serving team can make a point2 A fault by the team possessing the ball constitutes a loss of serve3 A set is won by scoring 21 points unless the points are tied 20 -20 then the set shall be decidedon a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 25 points4 A match is won by winning two out of three sets

5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

• Court

8 OFFICIALSFor International Tournaments the game shall be managed by the followingofficialsi) 2 Technical Delegatesii) 6 Juryiii) 1 Official referee (Seated behind the refereersquos chair)2 Referees (1 Referee seated in an elevatedposition and the other also seated inelevated position to help the referee)iv) 2 Linesmen Standing at the baseline facing theReferee81 Two technical delegates to the Sea Games Asian Games and WorldChampionships and any other international competitions that aresanctioned by ISTAF The expenses of the Technical Delegatesinvolving round trip air tickets accommodations meals andallowances of US$7500 per day shall be paid by the organizingcommittee The host country must guarantee proper accreditation fortechnical delegates who have been appointed The technicaldelegates must be allowed to inspect the competition venue facilitiesand equipment to insure that they conform to ISTAF regulations82 ISTAF Members Jury of Appeals ndash 4 members to be appointed to aJury of Appeal to any ISTAF sanctioned competitions including AsianGames Sea Games and other International and Continentalcompetitions sanctioned by ISTAF The host country shall provideaccommodations meals and internal transportation during thecompetition period Members of the Jury shall be paid US$2000 perday for their services Two (2) members of the Jury of Appeal are tobe appointed by the host country of whom one of them is the technical committee chairman and shall act as the chairman of the Jury of

Appeal As for the other member of the Jury of Appeal from the hostcountry he will act as secretary without vote

9 THE TOSS AND WARM UP91 Before commencing the game the Referee will toss a coin or disc andthe side winning the toss will choose side or service The side thatloses the toss will abide with the decision The side winning the tossshall warm-up first for 2 minutes followed by the other Regu Only5 persons are allowed to move freely in the court with the official ball

10 POSITION OF PLAYERS DURING SERVICE101 At the start of play the players of both Regus must be in theirrespective courts in a ready position102 The Player serving the ball must have both feet outside the base line103 The other three players shall be within their side of the court andremain in one spot while lsquoserversquo is being made104 The opponent or receiving Regu is free to be anywhere within itscourt11 START OF PLAY AND SERVICE111 The ldquoRegurdquo that chooses ldquoservicerdquo shall start the match112 Once the Referee calls the score the player doing the service will tossthe ball in the air and kicks the ball over to the opponent The ball canbe kicked in any manner using the foot If the Tekong throws the ballbefore the Referee calls the score it shall be a re-throw and a warningwill be given to the thrower The serve can be executed anywherealong the baseline

113 During the service as soon as the Tekong kicks the ball all theplayers are allowed to move about freely in their respective courts114 The service is valid if the ball passes over the net whether it touchesthe net or not and inside the boundary of the two net tapes andboundary lines of the opponents court12 FAULT121 The Serving Side During Service1211 The ldquoTekongrdquo plays about with the ball (bumping giving toother player etc) after the call of score has been made bythe Referee1212 The Inside player lifts his feet or steps on the line orcrosses over or touches the net while throwing the ball 1213 The Tekong does not kick the ball on the service throw1214 The ball touches his own player before crossing over theopponent court1215 The ball goes over the net but falls outside the court1216 The ball does not cross to the opponent side1217 The tekong foot touches the baseline or any other markingsin the court before he kicks the ball to serve10486331218 A player uses his hand or hands or any other parts of hisarm or arms to facilitate the execution of a kick even if thehand or arm does not directly touches the ball but it touchesother objects or surfaces instead when doing so

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents court

whether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the ball

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents courtwhether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the bal

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents courtwhether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the ball

15 SCORING OF POINTS151 A point is given to the Regu when its opponent have committed anyfault16 SCORING SYSTEM161 The winning point for the match is a maximum of 21 points162 The change of side shall occur whereby one Regu has reaches 11Points

17 TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF PLAY171 The Referee can suspend play temporarily in the event ofobstructions disturbances or any injury to a player who needsimmediate treatment for not more than 5 minutes172 An injured player is allowed up to 5 minutes injury time-out If after 5minutes the player is unable to continue a substitution must bemade If the injured players team has already made a substitution thematch will be declared a forfeit in favor of the opposing team173 In the course of such suspension all players are not allowed to leavethe court18 DISCIPLINE181 Every player must abide by the rules of the game182 Only the Captain of the Regu is allowed to approach the Refereeduring the game183 Players are not allowed to wear any jewelry or accessories egearrings chains watches etc in the court

19 PENALTY

191 Players disobeying rules will be penalised by the Referee1911 Showing dissent by words or action towards any officialswith regards to any decision and to any players or spectators1912 Using foul or abusive language to any officials players orspectator1913 To take any improper step or action in order to influence anydecision made by the officials1914 To leave the court without the permission of the Referee1915 To commit ungentlemanly conduct1916 To disobey orders and rules of play

The Referee may use one of the following cards1048633 Yellow Card - Caution1048633 Red Card - ExpulsionRed card shall be given to the following offences committedldquoINTENTIONALLYrdquo1917 Persist in misconduct after receiving a caution1918 Violent conduct (eg Striking kicking the opponent spittingetc)1919 Using foul or abusive languageNote Any player who is shown the Red Card shall be sent off the court anddisciplinary action shall be taken against him The Player concerned shallnot be allowed to play in any game until sanction has been made192 Fouls and misconduct are penalized as followsDisciplinary Sanctions ndash1921 Cautionable Offence

A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following six offences

19211 Is guilty of unsporting behavior by the display ofsuch action that can be reasonably regarded aseither a mitigated or unmitigated violation of thenorms of sporting ethics which can be consideredas having or will have a detrimental effect on theproper conduct of the match as a wh19214 Delays the restart of play19215 Enters or re-enters the court without thereferees permission19216 Deliberately leaves the court without therefereersquos permissionole19212 Shows dissent by word or action19213 Persistently infringes the Laws of the Game

193 Sending-off OffencesA player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the

following five offences1931 Is guilty of serious foul play1932 Is guilty of violent conduct including an act executed withdeliberate intent to cause injury to his opponent1933 Spits at an opponent or any other person1934 Using offensive or insulting or abusive language andorgestures194 A player who commits a cautionable offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a yellow card isawarded for each the offence committed is disciplined as follows

1941 OffenceFirst Yellow CardPenaltyNormal Caution1942 Offence Second Yellow Card received by the same player in differentmatches but in the same tournamentPenaltya) One Match Suspension1943 OffenceThird Yellow Card received after suspension for the first twoYellow Cards in the tournament by the same playerPenaltya) Two (2) Matches Suspensionb) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematch

1944 OffenceFourth Yellow CardYellow card received after two matches suspension for theearlier Third Yellow Card in the same tournament by thesame playerPenaltyImmediate suspension from playing in the next orsubsequent matches in any tournament sanctioned byrelevant Sepaktakraw controlling authority until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a have been reached on thematter1945 Offence Two Yellow Cards received by the same player within theSame match

Penaltyb) Two (2) Matches Suspensionc) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematchd) A Red Card will be given for a third disciplinary offencecommitted in any other matches in the tournament195 A player who commits a sending-off offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a red card is awardedfor each of the offence committed is disciplined according to thenature of the offence committed is disciplined as follows

Offence1951 A Red CardPenaltySend-Off from the game and immediate suspension fromplaying in any tournament sanctioned by the relevantcontrolling authority for Sepaktakraw until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a decision has been reached onthe matter

20 MISCONDUCT OF TEAM OFFICIALS201 Disciplinary action will be taken against Team Officials or his team forany misconduct or disturbances committed by the official or teamduring a tournament whether in or outside the court202 Any team official who commits a misconduct or disturbances will beimmediately escorted out from the arena by the tournament officialsand the official referee and will also be immediately suspended frombeing a team official until a Disciplinary Committee is convened and adecision has been reached on the matter21 GENERAL211 In the event of any question or any matter arising out of any pointwhich is not expressly provided for in any of the rules of the game thedecision of the Official Referee shall be final

BASIC AND FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS

Inside Kick

Arguably it is the most important skill This is the kick you will use the most Watch any top class players in action and youll see that this is the control kick of choice This move sets up all the killer spikes While doing an inside kick you should stand in a good athletic stance Feet shoulder width apart Remember to bend your support leg at the knee And it is important always keep an eye on the ball The kicking motion is easy and dont swing at the ball too hard The ball is bouncy and you need to just hit it in the right spot on your foot as well as with the proper motion Try a few times of simply tossing the ball to yourself Focus on the ball and pop it back up to your hands Catch the ball and then try again Do this until the ball is consistently coming back up with ease and pop it back up to your hands Once you have gained consistency in this drill you can begin to try to link some kicks together Try dropping to your strong foot popping the ball up and then kicking with your weak foot before catching the ball Try to link three kicks together on alternating feet You should be able to see your progression All rights reserved Spiker Dek is owned by Sport Action International in the promotion of sepaktakraw in the Takraw Thailand League All rights reserved

KneeThigh kick

The knee and thigh is used when the ball comes fast towards the area between your knees and your waist This skill is used to bump or deflect the ball up enough to use an inside kick to control the ball It is also used when kicking consecutive kicks or in a circle and the ball gets to close to your body The motion is like a high step marching motion Simply raise the leg with your hip allowing your knee to bendTry to contact the ball on the thigh where possible instead of the knee as it provides better control Make sure the ball hits the fleshy part of the thigh to bump the ball up and out a bit Try a few back up to your hands Once you feel comfortable try to link with one inside kick then catch the ball Do this over and over until it comes naturally Once you get this combination and doing it naturally without thinking you will be aware of your improvement in skill

Header

The header is probably the second most important skill to have especially in the net game The header is used to pop up a ball that comes higher than the waist The best way to learn the header is like the inside kick The contact point should be just above the forehead at he hairline not too much on the forehead and not too much on the top of the head right in between Toss the ball to yourself hit it with your head and then catch it Do this several times until you feel comfortable with this skill When doing the

header remember to bend your knees and get low beneath the ball Like the other kicks you dont need to focus on power but on accuracy and placement The next step in this skill drill is to toss the ball higher and again control it with your head before catching the ball It hurts a bit at first but youll get use to it The graduating step is to a header from a high inside kick or from a header to a controlling inside kick Try both combinations as you will be using both of them as you begin to play more

Front kickToe kick

The toe kick is a defensive kick great for saving a ball that has gotten out in front of you It is not however a good control kick Those who play soccer may disagree but in sepaktakraw the inside is the right way Learn the toe kick for savesthe inside for control The toe kick is achieved by placing the foot out for the ball and depending on the height of the either lifting the foot with your hip or just letting the ball bounce off You dont need much power because the ball tends to fly off uncontrollably Do it slow and take it easy Like the other kicks do the same toss and catch drill Then try with different combinations Do the same progression

REFERENCES

1 uarr 10 11 12 Shawn Kelley Takraw A Traditional Southeast Asian (mostly in Malaysia ) Sport Archived from the original on July 10 2007 httpwebarchiveorgweb20070710234948httpwwwtatnewsorgemagazine2813asp Retrieved July 30 2007

2 uarr J A Mangan Fan Hong (2002) Sport in Asian society past and present Frank Cass Publishers pp 220 ISBN 978-0714683300

3 uarr Dunsmore Susi (1983) Sepak Raga University of Michigan p 24 uarr Brown Charles Cuthbert (1970) Sejarah Melayu or Malay annals an

annotated translation [from the Malay] Oxford University Press p 895 uarr Permainan MarragaAkraga (Bugis) Melayuonline

httpmelayuonlinecomindculturedig1224permainan-marraga-akraga Retrieved 2010-08-04

6 uarr Hackworth M (2006) Sepak Takraw Sierra Star Journal644 858-1017 uarr Sepak Takraw By Fred Varcoe Metropolis Magazine February 4 2010

httpmetropoliscojpartssportsepak-takraw Retrieved 2010-02-048 uarr The Log Northrop University Student Newspaper November 5 1987 Vol 35

No 39 uarr Northrop University Magazine December 1987 Vol 3 No 410uarr Video CNN August 8 1994

httpsportsillustratedcnncomvaultarticlemagazineMAG1005482indexhtm11uarr KalishJ (2004) Talking Takraw[Electronic Version] Journal of Mens Fitness

Vol 20 Issue 10

12uarr 120 121 Sportsmatchmaker (2005) Sepak TakrawRetrieved March 23 2009 from the sportsmatchmaker website httpwwwsportsmatchmakercomruless-sportssepak_takrawcfm

13uarr 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) (2004) Sepaktakraw Laws of the Game (PDF) httpwwwsepaktakraworgpdflawofthegamepdf Retrieved July 29 2007

TERMINOLOGY

Block Blocking is a defensive skill used to counter a spike coming from close to the net Block is usually made by jumping in the air and raising a leg andor back to divert the ball back into the opponents court A block counts as one contact Center Line Divides the length of the playing court into two equal halves Dig The act of fielding hard hit ball successfully usually a spike or block to regain control ie The Dig by Thailand came at crucial point in the game Dink A soft hit ball -usually either a dink serve or a dink spike Fault A violation of one of the rules of the game Feeder Person who sets the ball to the spiker First Ball Term used to describe receiving the serve by the opposing team Killer Same as Spiker Common in international terminology Quarter Circle Place on court where the serving teams forwards (left inside and right inside players) must remain until the ball has been kicked by the server or back player Regu Malaysian word for team In takraw a team of 4 players (3 starters plus 1 reserve) is known as a Regu and a squad of 3 Regus is known as a Team Roll Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net rotates in the air and kicks the ball over the opposite shoulder from the kicking foot with a flip like motion Th most dramatic and famous move in the game Service Over When the serving team fails to return the ball over the net or commits a fault or foul The opposing team becomes the serving team but a point is not awarded to either team USA also uses the same term as volleyball - Side Out Serving Circle Circle of 1 foot radius located in both halves of the court The server is required to have one foot touching the ground inside the serving circle during a serve Set (1) A period of play which is concluded when one team reaches 15 points Matches

consists of the best of three sets Set (2) A high pass by one player to a team-mate or to self to enable a spike Service The act of putting the ball into play by the back player

Service (Hand) Toss A hand throw of the ball by one of the forward inside players to the back who must kick the ball into play in one try Spike A powerfully hit shot directed into the opponents half of the court by the foot or head Sunback Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net and kicks the ball over the same shoulder as the kicking foot In soccer this is known as a bicycle kick or

bike for short

STRATEGIES

The strategies in Sepak Takraw are very similar to those in volleyball The receiving team will attempt to playthe takraw ball towards the front of the net making the best use of their 3 hits to set and spike the ballTHE GOALThe goal in any form of takraw is to keep the hand-woven ball off the ground for as long as possible usingany part of the body except hands and armsTakraw challenges an individuals assumptions of what they are and are not capable of doing As you gaincontrol of the takraw ball you will find it very rewarding when you can easily whiz through a string ofconsecutive kicks or place an accurate pass to another player While amazing yourself and your friendsyou will also be having fun greatly increasing your eye-foot coordination and overall ball control (super forenhancing and refining soccer skills) strengthening your legs and really increasing your flexibility

GETTING STARTEDTry the FIVE BASIC KICKSHITS shown here These kicks may seem awkward at first but be patientand practice each kick individually What was impossible yesterday can be achieved today Once thebasics are learned try the free style kicks (and make up some of your own) then you can play a wholeseries of games including the ones below

1 INSIDE KICKThere are 5 basic kickshits that any goodTakraw player will have mastered The mostimportant of these is the inside kick for itprovides maximum ball control Use this kick tofield a ball dropping in front of youWith your planted leg flexed at the knee lift upyour other leg and swing the foot and lowerpart of the leg in and up sideways like apendulum in front of you turning the ankle sothat you hit the ball with the flat surface of theinside of your foot The inside kick is commonlyused for passing and setting the ball up highfor a spike2 THE OUTSIDE KICKThe Outside Kick is used when the Takraw balldrops outside your shoulders and slightly behindyou It is similar to the Inside Kick in that your legswings like a pendulum but out and upward (ratherthan in and upward) Shift weight to ball of supportfoot as you lift kicking leg up away from body Turnyour ankle so that toes are pointing out (not down)which enables you to kick the ball up with the flatoutside surface of your foot Avoid swinging orkicking your leg forward (only lift it upward)3 FRONT FOOT KICKThis kick is primarily used to save a lowdropping ball in front of you To propel the ballupwards most consistently the front of yourfoot must be flicked up in a quick smoothmotion as the ball is contacted (remaining looseat the ankle not stiff)

4 THE KNEE BUMPThe Knee Bump is usually used to deflect upwards alow angle pass or a fast serve to the mid-body Liftyour knee up very quickly with the foot followingunderneath (not kicking out) The ball is contacted atabout waist level with the front of your thigh justbehind the knee for maximum upward thrust andheight Contact with ball in mid-thigh area will servethe same purpose but ball will not be thrust up ashighNote both the Front Foot Kick and Knee Bump are used for added control when making a save orcontrolling a pass They do not always provide consistent control

5 THE HEADERThe fifth basic hit is the Header and it is usedfrequently in games to deflect upwards a highangle pass or fast serve to the upper bodyWith legs flexed at the knees put the top ofyour forehead in front of the ball lifting up yourchin and spring up from the legs as the ballstrikes the forehead so as to deflect it up highin your own courtGeneral Helpful Hints- aIways be in a ready stance with feet pointing ahead and shoulder width apart knees slightlybent weight low and slightly forward- with the basic kickshits usually you should face the direction that you want to direct the ball to asyou contact it- approach contact with the ball in a slow easy and relaxed fashion it is more important to firstdevelop good timing (knowing when and how to contact the ball) than it is to kick the ball hard- the support leg provides your balance so should maintain a low profile and be flexed at the kneeas your other foot executes the kick- ambidexterity is key to being a more versatile player when ball approaches your right side kick itwith your right foot - left side left footFREE STYLEThis is your chance to expand on your basic kicks and come up with some more challenging moves of yourown Here are a couple to get you startedFLYING CLIPPERLeap off the same foot that youll use to kick theball Cross your kicking foot behind and underyour other leg Lift your kicking foot turning yourankle and making contact with the ball with the flaysurface on the inside of your footHAND LOOPThis move can be done with a number of kicks Positionyour arms to form a loop The idea is to have the ball firstfall through the hand loop then kick it back upwardthrough the loopDifferent GamesSOLO PLAYThe object of play is to keep the takraw ball in the air as long as possible without using hands or armsanything else goes

CIRCLE GAMEThe object of the traditional ldquoCircle Gamerdquo is the same as ldquoSoIo Playrdquo except with a group of playersstanding in a circleThis activity was played as far back as the 14th century in India Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Burma) thePhilippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was woven out of a rattan material available in abundancethereSEPAK TAKRAW - THE NET GAMEldquoSepakrdquo is Malay for ldquokickrdquo and ldquoTakrawrdquo is Thai for the ldquohand-woven ballrdquo that is used In 1945enthusiasts added a court and net with the same dimensions as in doubles badminton and a set of rulessimilar to volleyball (without using hands or arms) to form a fantastic spectator sport with worldchampionship tournaments held in both Malaysia and ThailandIn western countries it has been mostly Laotian immigrants who have first introduced Takraw to othersNow ASEC INTERNATIONAL is also happy to help introduce promote and organize this fun and excitingrecreational activitysportPLAYERS POSITIONS1 The serving teams forwards must remain in their quarter circles while the back player must haveonly one foot in the serving circle until the ball is contacted by the servers foot2 The receiving teams players may stand anywhere in their side of the court but usually the backplayer stands just in front of the serving circle with the forwards on either side of him3 Players are allowed to move freely on each half of the court once the ball is has been servedTO BEGIN PLAYThe game begins by one of the forwards tossing the takraw ball to the backplayer The back player must then kick the ball with the foot that is outside the serving circle into theopponents court in one try (usually with an extended version of the inside kick) The serve is still good ifthe ball hits the net as it goes into the other half of the courtSCORING1 Only the serving team can make a point2 A fault by the team possessing the ball constitutes a loss of serve3 A set is won by scoring 21 points unless the points are tied 20 -20 then the set shall be decidedon a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 25 points4 A match is won by winning two out of three sets

5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

• Court

10 POSITION OF PLAYERS DURING SERVICE101 At the start of play the players of both Regus must be in theirrespective courts in a ready position102 The Player serving the ball must have both feet outside the base line103 The other three players shall be within their side of the court andremain in one spot while lsquoserversquo is being made104 The opponent or receiving Regu is free to be anywhere within itscourt11 START OF PLAY AND SERVICE111 The ldquoRegurdquo that chooses ldquoservicerdquo shall start the match112 Once the Referee calls the score the player doing the service will tossthe ball in the air and kicks the ball over to the opponent The ball canbe kicked in any manner using the foot If the Tekong throws the ballbefore the Referee calls the score it shall be a re-throw and a warningwill be given to the thrower The serve can be executed anywherealong the baseline

113 During the service as soon as the Tekong kicks the ball all theplayers are allowed to move about freely in their respective courts114 The service is valid if the ball passes over the net whether it touchesthe net or not and inside the boundary of the two net tapes andboundary lines of the opponents court12 FAULT121 The Serving Side During Service1211 The ldquoTekongrdquo plays about with the ball (bumping giving toother player etc) after the call of score has been made bythe Referee1212 The Inside player lifts his feet or steps on the line orcrosses over or touches the net while throwing the ball 1213 The Tekong does not kick the ball on the service throw1214 The ball touches his own player before crossing over theopponent court1215 The ball goes over the net but falls outside the court1216 The ball does not cross to the opponent side1217 The tekong foot touches the baseline or any other markingsin the court before he kicks the ball to serve10486331218 A player uses his hand or hands or any other parts of hisarm or arms to facilitate the execution of a kick even if thehand or arm does not directly touches the ball but it touchesother objects or surfaces instead when doing so

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents court

whether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the ball

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents courtwhether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the bal

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents courtwhether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the ball

15 SCORING OF POINTS151 A point is given to the Regu when its opponent have committed anyfault16 SCORING SYSTEM161 The winning point for the match is a maximum of 21 points162 The change of side shall occur whereby one Regu has reaches 11Points

17 TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF PLAY171 The Referee can suspend play temporarily in the event ofobstructions disturbances or any injury to a player who needsimmediate treatment for not more than 5 minutes172 An injured player is allowed up to 5 minutes injury time-out If after 5minutes the player is unable to continue a substitution must bemade If the injured players team has already made a substitution thematch will be declared a forfeit in favor of the opposing team173 In the course of such suspension all players are not allowed to leavethe court18 DISCIPLINE181 Every player must abide by the rules of the game182 Only the Captain of the Regu is allowed to approach the Refereeduring the game183 Players are not allowed to wear any jewelry or accessories egearrings chains watches etc in the court

19 PENALTY

191 Players disobeying rules will be penalised by the Referee1911 Showing dissent by words or action towards any officialswith regards to any decision and to any players or spectators1912 Using foul or abusive language to any officials players orspectator1913 To take any improper step or action in order to influence anydecision made by the officials1914 To leave the court without the permission of the Referee1915 To commit ungentlemanly conduct1916 To disobey orders and rules of play

The Referee may use one of the following cards1048633 Yellow Card - Caution1048633 Red Card - ExpulsionRed card shall be given to the following offences committedldquoINTENTIONALLYrdquo1917 Persist in misconduct after receiving a caution1918 Violent conduct (eg Striking kicking the opponent spittingetc)1919 Using foul or abusive languageNote Any player who is shown the Red Card shall be sent off the court anddisciplinary action shall be taken against him The Player concerned shallnot be allowed to play in any game until sanction has been made192 Fouls and misconduct are penalized as followsDisciplinary Sanctions ndash1921 Cautionable Offence

A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following six offences

19211 Is guilty of unsporting behavior by the display ofsuch action that can be reasonably regarded aseither a mitigated or unmitigated violation of thenorms of sporting ethics which can be consideredas having or will have a detrimental effect on theproper conduct of the match as a wh19214 Delays the restart of play19215 Enters or re-enters the court without thereferees permission19216 Deliberately leaves the court without therefereersquos permissionole19212 Shows dissent by word or action19213 Persistently infringes the Laws of the Game

193 Sending-off OffencesA player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the

following five offences1931 Is guilty of serious foul play1932 Is guilty of violent conduct including an act executed withdeliberate intent to cause injury to his opponent1933 Spits at an opponent or any other person1934 Using offensive or insulting or abusive language andorgestures194 A player who commits a cautionable offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a yellow card isawarded for each the offence committed is disciplined as follows

1941 OffenceFirst Yellow CardPenaltyNormal Caution1942 Offence Second Yellow Card received by the same player in differentmatches but in the same tournamentPenaltya) One Match Suspension1943 OffenceThird Yellow Card received after suspension for the first twoYellow Cards in the tournament by the same playerPenaltya) Two (2) Matches Suspensionb) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematch

1944 OffenceFourth Yellow CardYellow card received after two matches suspension for theearlier Third Yellow Card in the same tournament by thesame playerPenaltyImmediate suspension from playing in the next orsubsequent matches in any tournament sanctioned byrelevant Sepaktakraw controlling authority until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a have been reached on thematter1945 Offence Two Yellow Cards received by the same player within theSame match

Penaltyb) Two (2) Matches Suspensionc) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematchd) A Red Card will be given for a third disciplinary offencecommitted in any other matches in the tournament195 A player who commits a sending-off offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a red card is awardedfor each of the offence committed is disciplined according to thenature of the offence committed is disciplined as follows

Offence1951 A Red CardPenaltySend-Off from the game and immediate suspension fromplaying in any tournament sanctioned by the relevantcontrolling authority for Sepaktakraw until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a decision has been reached onthe matter

20 MISCONDUCT OF TEAM OFFICIALS201 Disciplinary action will be taken against Team Officials or his team forany misconduct or disturbances committed by the official or teamduring a tournament whether in or outside the court202 Any team official who commits a misconduct or disturbances will beimmediately escorted out from the arena by the tournament officialsand the official referee and will also be immediately suspended frombeing a team official until a Disciplinary Committee is convened and adecision has been reached on the matter21 GENERAL211 In the event of any question or any matter arising out of any pointwhich is not expressly provided for in any of the rules of the game thedecision of the Official Referee shall be final

BASIC AND FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS

Inside Kick

Arguably it is the most important skill This is the kick you will use the most Watch any top class players in action and youll see that this is the control kick of choice This move sets up all the killer spikes While doing an inside kick you should stand in a good athletic stance Feet shoulder width apart Remember to bend your support leg at the knee And it is important always keep an eye on the ball The kicking motion is easy and dont swing at the ball too hard The ball is bouncy and you need to just hit it in the right spot on your foot as well as with the proper motion Try a few times of simply tossing the ball to yourself Focus on the ball and pop it back up to your hands Catch the ball and then try again Do this until the ball is consistently coming back up with ease and pop it back up to your hands Once you have gained consistency in this drill you can begin to try to link some kicks together Try dropping to your strong foot popping the ball up and then kicking with your weak foot before catching the ball Try to link three kicks together on alternating feet You should be able to see your progression All rights reserved Spiker Dek is owned by Sport Action International in the promotion of sepaktakraw in the Takraw Thailand League All rights reserved

KneeThigh kick

The knee and thigh is used when the ball comes fast towards the area between your knees and your waist This skill is used to bump or deflect the ball up enough to use an inside kick to control the ball It is also used when kicking consecutive kicks or in a circle and the ball gets to close to your body The motion is like a high step marching motion Simply raise the leg with your hip allowing your knee to bendTry to contact the ball on the thigh where possible instead of the knee as it provides better control Make sure the ball hits the fleshy part of the thigh to bump the ball up and out a bit Try a few back up to your hands Once you feel comfortable try to link with one inside kick then catch the ball Do this over and over until it comes naturally Once you get this combination and doing it naturally without thinking you will be aware of your improvement in skill

Header

The header is probably the second most important skill to have especially in the net game The header is used to pop up a ball that comes higher than the waist The best way to learn the header is like the inside kick The contact point should be just above the forehead at he hairline not too much on the forehead and not too much on the top of the head right in between Toss the ball to yourself hit it with your head and then catch it Do this several times until you feel comfortable with this skill When doing the

header remember to bend your knees and get low beneath the ball Like the other kicks you dont need to focus on power but on accuracy and placement The next step in this skill drill is to toss the ball higher and again control it with your head before catching the ball It hurts a bit at first but youll get use to it The graduating step is to a header from a high inside kick or from a header to a controlling inside kick Try both combinations as you will be using both of them as you begin to play more

Front kickToe kick

The toe kick is a defensive kick great for saving a ball that has gotten out in front of you It is not however a good control kick Those who play soccer may disagree but in sepaktakraw the inside is the right way Learn the toe kick for savesthe inside for control The toe kick is achieved by placing the foot out for the ball and depending on the height of the either lifting the foot with your hip or just letting the ball bounce off You dont need much power because the ball tends to fly off uncontrollably Do it slow and take it easy Like the other kicks do the same toss and catch drill Then try with different combinations Do the same progression

REFERENCES

1 uarr 10 11 12 Shawn Kelley Takraw A Traditional Southeast Asian (mostly in Malaysia ) Sport Archived from the original on July 10 2007 httpwebarchiveorgweb20070710234948httpwwwtatnewsorgemagazine2813asp Retrieved July 30 2007

2 uarr J A Mangan Fan Hong (2002) Sport in Asian society past and present Frank Cass Publishers pp 220 ISBN 978-0714683300

3 uarr Dunsmore Susi (1983) Sepak Raga University of Michigan p 24 uarr Brown Charles Cuthbert (1970) Sejarah Melayu or Malay annals an

annotated translation [from the Malay] Oxford University Press p 895 uarr Permainan MarragaAkraga (Bugis) Melayuonline

httpmelayuonlinecomindculturedig1224permainan-marraga-akraga Retrieved 2010-08-04

6 uarr Hackworth M (2006) Sepak Takraw Sierra Star Journal644 858-1017 uarr Sepak Takraw By Fred Varcoe Metropolis Magazine February 4 2010

httpmetropoliscojpartssportsepak-takraw Retrieved 2010-02-048 uarr The Log Northrop University Student Newspaper November 5 1987 Vol 35

No 39 uarr Northrop University Magazine December 1987 Vol 3 No 410uarr Video CNN August 8 1994

httpsportsillustratedcnncomvaultarticlemagazineMAG1005482indexhtm11uarr KalishJ (2004) Talking Takraw[Electronic Version] Journal of Mens Fitness

Vol 20 Issue 10

12uarr 120 121 Sportsmatchmaker (2005) Sepak TakrawRetrieved March 23 2009 from the sportsmatchmaker website httpwwwsportsmatchmakercomruless-sportssepak_takrawcfm

13uarr 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) (2004) Sepaktakraw Laws of the Game (PDF) httpwwwsepaktakraworgpdflawofthegamepdf Retrieved July 29 2007

TERMINOLOGY

Block Blocking is a defensive skill used to counter a spike coming from close to the net Block is usually made by jumping in the air and raising a leg andor back to divert the ball back into the opponents court A block counts as one contact Center Line Divides the length of the playing court into two equal halves Dig The act of fielding hard hit ball successfully usually a spike or block to regain control ie The Dig by Thailand came at crucial point in the game Dink A soft hit ball -usually either a dink serve or a dink spike Fault A violation of one of the rules of the game Feeder Person who sets the ball to the spiker First Ball Term used to describe receiving the serve by the opposing team Killer Same as Spiker Common in international terminology Quarter Circle Place on court where the serving teams forwards (left inside and right inside players) must remain until the ball has been kicked by the server or back player Regu Malaysian word for team In takraw a team of 4 players (3 starters plus 1 reserve) is known as a Regu and a squad of 3 Regus is known as a Team Roll Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net rotates in the air and kicks the ball over the opposite shoulder from the kicking foot with a flip like motion Th most dramatic and famous move in the game Service Over When the serving team fails to return the ball over the net or commits a fault or foul The opposing team becomes the serving team but a point is not awarded to either team USA also uses the same term as volleyball - Side Out Serving Circle Circle of 1 foot radius located in both halves of the court The server is required to have one foot touching the ground inside the serving circle during a serve Set (1) A period of play which is concluded when one team reaches 15 points Matches

consists of the best of three sets Set (2) A high pass by one player to a team-mate or to self to enable a spike Service The act of putting the ball into play by the back player

Service (Hand) Toss A hand throw of the ball by one of the forward inside players to the back who must kick the ball into play in one try Spike A powerfully hit shot directed into the opponents half of the court by the foot or head Sunback Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net and kicks the ball over the same shoulder as the kicking foot In soccer this is known as a bicycle kick or

bike for short

STRATEGIES

The strategies in Sepak Takraw are very similar to those in volleyball The receiving team will attempt to playthe takraw ball towards the front of the net making the best use of their 3 hits to set and spike the ballTHE GOALThe goal in any form of takraw is to keep the hand-woven ball off the ground for as long as possible usingany part of the body except hands and armsTakraw challenges an individuals assumptions of what they are and are not capable of doing As you gaincontrol of the takraw ball you will find it very rewarding when you can easily whiz through a string ofconsecutive kicks or place an accurate pass to another player While amazing yourself and your friendsyou will also be having fun greatly increasing your eye-foot coordination and overall ball control (super forenhancing and refining soccer skills) strengthening your legs and really increasing your flexibility

GETTING STARTEDTry the FIVE BASIC KICKSHITS shown here These kicks may seem awkward at first but be patientand practice each kick individually What was impossible yesterday can be achieved today Once thebasics are learned try the free style kicks (and make up some of your own) then you can play a wholeseries of games including the ones below

1 INSIDE KICKThere are 5 basic kickshits that any goodTakraw player will have mastered The mostimportant of these is the inside kick for itprovides maximum ball control Use this kick tofield a ball dropping in front of youWith your planted leg flexed at the knee lift upyour other leg and swing the foot and lowerpart of the leg in and up sideways like apendulum in front of you turning the ankle sothat you hit the ball with the flat surface of theinside of your foot The inside kick is commonlyused for passing and setting the ball up highfor a spike2 THE OUTSIDE KICKThe Outside Kick is used when the Takraw balldrops outside your shoulders and slightly behindyou It is similar to the Inside Kick in that your legswings like a pendulum but out and upward (ratherthan in and upward) Shift weight to ball of supportfoot as you lift kicking leg up away from body Turnyour ankle so that toes are pointing out (not down)which enables you to kick the ball up with the flatoutside surface of your foot Avoid swinging orkicking your leg forward (only lift it upward)3 FRONT FOOT KICKThis kick is primarily used to save a lowdropping ball in front of you To propel the ballupwards most consistently the front of yourfoot must be flicked up in a quick smoothmotion as the ball is contacted (remaining looseat the ankle not stiff)

4 THE KNEE BUMPThe Knee Bump is usually used to deflect upwards alow angle pass or a fast serve to the mid-body Liftyour knee up very quickly with the foot followingunderneath (not kicking out) The ball is contacted atabout waist level with the front of your thigh justbehind the knee for maximum upward thrust andheight Contact with ball in mid-thigh area will servethe same purpose but ball will not be thrust up ashighNote both the Front Foot Kick and Knee Bump are used for added control when making a save orcontrolling a pass They do not always provide consistent control

5 THE HEADERThe fifth basic hit is the Header and it is usedfrequently in games to deflect upwards a highangle pass or fast serve to the upper bodyWith legs flexed at the knees put the top ofyour forehead in front of the ball lifting up yourchin and spring up from the legs as the ballstrikes the forehead so as to deflect it up highin your own courtGeneral Helpful Hints- aIways be in a ready stance with feet pointing ahead and shoulder width apart knees slightlybent weight low and slightly forward- with the basic kickshits usually you should face the direction that you want to direct the ball to asyou contact it- approach contact with the ball in a slow easy and relaxed fashion it is more important to firstdevelop good timing (knowing when and how to contact the ball) than it is to kick the ball hard- the support leg provides your balance so should maintain a low profile and be flexed at the kneeas your other foot executes the kick- ambidexterity is key to being a more versatile player when ball approaches your right side kick itwith your right foot - left side left footFREE STYLEThis is your chance to expand on your basic kicks and come up with some more challenging moves of yourown Here are a couple to get you startedFLYING CLIPPERLeap off the same foot that youll use to kick theball Cross your kicking foot behind and underyour other leg Lift your kicking foot turning yourankle and making contact with the ball with the flaysurface on the inside of your footHAND LOOPThis move can be done with a number of kicks Positionyour arms to form a loop The idea is to have the ball firstfall through the hand loop then kick it back upwardthrough the loopDifferent GamesSOLO PLAYThe object of play is to keep the takraw ball in the air as long as possible without using hands or armsanything else goes

CIRCLE GAMEThe object of the traditional ldquoCircle Gamerdquo is the same as ldquoSoIo Playrdquo except with a group of playersstanding in a circleThis activity was played as far back as the 14th century in India Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Burma) thePhilippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was woven out of a rattan material available in abundancethereSEPAK TAKRAW - THE NET GAMEldquoSepakrdquo is Malay for ldquokickrdquo and ldquoTakrawrdquo is Thai for the ldquohand-woven ballrdquo that is used In 1945enthusiasts added a court and net with the same dimensions as in doubles badminton and a set of rulessimilar to volleyball (without using hands or arms) to form a fantastic spectator sport with worldchampionship tournaments held in both Malaysia and ThailandIn western countries it has been mostly Laotian immigrants who have first introduced Takraw to othersNow ASEC INTERNATIONAL is also happy to help introduce promote and organize this fun and excitingrecreational activitysportPLAYERS POSITIONS1 The serving teams forwards must remain in their quarter circles while the back player must haveonly one foot in the serving circle until the ball is contacted by the servers foot2 The receiving teams players may stand anywhere in their side of the court but usually the backplayer stands just in front of the serving circle with the forwards on either side of him3 Players are allowed to move freely on each half of the court once the ball is has been servedTO BEGIN PLAYThe game begins by one of the forwards tossing the takraw ball to the backplayer The back player must then kick the ball with the foot that is outside the serving circle into theopponents court in one try (usually with an extended version of the inside kick) The serve is still good ifthe ball hits the net as it goes into the other half of the courtSCORING1 Only the serving team can make a point2 A fault by the team possessing the ball constitutes a loss of serve3 A set is won by scoring 21 points unless the points are tied 20 -20 then the set shall be decidedon a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 25 points4 A match is won by winning two out of three sets

5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

• Court

whether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the ball

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents courtwhether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the bal

122 For Both Regus During The Game1221 Stepping on the centre line (except during a follow through)1222 Any player who touches the ball on the opponent side1223 Any part of players body crosses over into opponents courtwhether above or under the net except during the followthroughof the ball

15 SCORING OF POINTS151 A point is given to the Regu when its opponent have committed anyfault16 SCORING SYSTEM161 The winning point for the match is a maximum of 21 points162 The change of side shall occur whereby one Regu has reaches 11Points

17 TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF PLAY171 The Referee can suspend play temporarily in the event ofobstructions disturbances or any injury to a player who needsimmediate treatment for not more than 5 minutes172 An injured player is allowed up to 5 minutes injury time-out If after 5minutes the player is unable to continue a substitution must bemade If the injured players team has already made a substitution thematch will be declared a forfeit in favor of the opposing team173 In the course of such suspension all players are not allowed to leavethe court18 DISCIPLINE181 Every player must abide by the rules of the game182 Only the Captain of the Regu is allowed to approach the Refereeduring the game183 Players are not allowed to wear any jewelry or accessories egearrings chains watches etc in the court

19 PENALTY

191 Players disobeying rules will be penalised by the Referee1911 Showing dissent by words or action towards any officialswith regards to any decision and to any players or spectators1912 Using foul or abusive language to any officials players orspectator1913 To take any improper step or action in order to influence anydecision made by the officials1914 To leave the court without the permission of the Referee1915 To commit ungentlemanly conduct1916 To disobey orders and rules of play

The Referee may use one of the following cards1048633 Yellow Card - Caution1048633 Red Card - ExpulsionRed card shall be given to the following offences committedldquoINTENTIONALLYrdquo1917 Persist in misconduct after receiving a caution1918 Violent conduct (eg Striking kicking the opponent spittingetc)1919 Using foul or abusive languageNote Any player who is shown the Red Card shall be sent off the court anddisciplinary action shall be taken against him The Player concerned shallnot be allowed to play in any game until sanction has been made192 Fouls and misconduct are penalized as followsDisciplinary Sanctions ndash1921 Cautionable Offence

A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following six offences

19211 Is guilty of unsporting behavior by the display ofsuch action that can be reasonably regarded aseither a mitigated or unmitigated violation of thenorms of sporting ethics which can be consideredas having or will have a detrimental effect on theproper conduct of the match as a wh19214 Delays the restart of play19215 Enters or re-enters the court without thereferees permission19216 Deliberately leaves the court without therefereersquos permissionole19212 Shows dissent by word or action19213 Persistently infringes the Laws of the Game

193 Sending-off OffencesA player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the

following five offences1931 Is guilty of serious foul play1932 Is guilty of violent conduct including an act executed withdeliberate intent to cause injury to his opponent1933 Spits at an opponent or any other person1934 Using offensive or insulting or abusive language andorgestures194 A player who commits a cautionable offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a yellow card isawarded for each the offence committed is disciplined as follows

1941 OffenceFirst Yellow CardPenaltyNormal Caution1942 Offence Second Yellow Card received by the same player in differentmatches but in the same tournamentPenaltya) One Match Suspension1943 OffenceThird Yellow Card received after suspension for the first twoYellow Cards in the tournament by the same playerPenaltya) Two (2) Matches Suspensionb) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematch

1944 OffenceFourth Yellow CardYellow card received after two matches suspension for theearlier Third Yellow Card in the same tournament by thesame playerPenaltyImmediate suspension from playing in the next orsubsequent matches in any tournament sanctioned byrelevant Sepaktakraw controlling authority until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a have been reached on thematter1945 Offence Two Yellow Cards received by the same player within theSame match

Penaltyb) Two (2) Matches Suspensionc) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematchd) A Red Card will be given for a third disciplinary offencecommitted in any other matches in the tournament195 A player who commits a sending-off offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a red card is awardedfor each of the offence committed is disciplined according to thenature of the offence committed is disciplined as follows

Offence1951 A Red CardPenaltySend-Off from the game and immediate suspension fromplaying in any tournament sanctioned by the relevantcontrolling authority for Sepaktakraw until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a decision has been reached onthe matter

20 MISCONDUCT OF TEAM OFFICIALS201 Disciplinary action will be taken against Team Officials or his team forany misconduct or disturbances committed by the official or teamduring a tournament whether in or outside the court202 Any team official who commits a misconduct or disturbances will beimmediately escorted out from the arena by the tournament officialsand the official referee and will also be immediately suspended frombeing a team official until a Disciplinary Committee is convened and adecision has been reached on the matter21 GENERAL211 In the event of any question or any matter arising out of any pointwhich is not expressly provided for in any of the rules of the game thedecision of the Official Referee shall be final

BASIC AND FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS

Inside Kick

Arguably it is the most important skill This is the kick you will use the most Watch any top class players in action and youll see that this is the control kick of choice This move sets up all the killer spikes While doing an inside kick you should stand in a good athletic stance Feet shoulder width apart Remember to bend your support leg at the knee And it is important always keep an eye on the ball The kicking motion is easy and dont swing at the ball too hard The ball is bouncy and you need to just hit it in the right spot on your foot as well as with the proper motion Try a few times of simply tossing the ball to yourself Focus on the ball and pop it back up to your hands Catch the ball and then try again Do this until the ball is consistently coming back up with ease and pop it back up to your hands Once you have gained consistency in this drill you can begin to try to link some kicks together Try dropping to your strong foot popping the ball up and then kicking with your weak foot before catching the ball Try to link three kicks together on alternating feet You should be able to see your progression All rights reserved Spiker Dek is owned by Sport Action International in the promotion of sepaktakraw in the Takraw Thailand League All rights reserved

KneeThigh kick

The knee and thigh is used when the ball comes fast towards the area between your knees and your waist This skill is used to bump or deflect the ball up enough to use an inside kick to control the ball It is also used when kicking consecutive kicks or in a circle and the ball gets to close to your body The motion is like a high step marching motion Simply raise the leg with your hip allowing your knee to bendTry to contact the ball on the thigh where possible instead of the knee as it provides better control Make sure the ball hits the fleshy part of the thigh to bump the ball up and out a bit Try a few back up to your hands Once you feel comfortable try to link with one inside kick then catch the ball Do this over and over until it comes naturally Once you get this combination and doing it naturally without thinking you will be aware of your improvement in skill

Header

The header is probably the second most important skill to have especially in the net game The header is used to pop up a ball that comes higher than the waist The best way to learn the header is like the inside kick The contact point should be just above the forehead at he hairline not too much on the forehead and not too much on the top of the head right in between Toss the ball to yourself hit it with your head and then catch it Do this several times until you feel comfortable with this skill When doing the

header remember to bend your knees and get low beneath the ball Like the other kicks you dont need to focus on power but on accuracy and placement The next step in this skill drill is to toss the ball higher and again control it with your head before catching the ball It hurts a bit at first but youll get use to it The graduating step is to a header from a high inside kick or from a header to a controlling inside kick Try both combinations as you will be using both of them as you begin to play more

Front kickToe kick

The toe kick is a defensive kick great for saving a ball that has gotten out in front of you It is not however a good control kick Those who play soccer may disagree but in sepaktakraw the inside is the right way Learn the toe kick for savesthe inside for control The toe kick is achieved by placing the foot out for the ball and depending on the height of the either lifting the foot with your hip or just letting the ball bounce off You dont need much power because the ball tends to fly off uncontrollably Do it slow and take it easy Like the other kicks do the same toss and catch drill Then try with different combinations Do the same progression

REFERENCES

1 uarr 10 11 12 Shawn Kelley Takraw A Traditional Southeast Asian (mostly in Malaysia ) Sport Archived from the original on July 10 2007 httpwebarchiveorgweb20070710234948httpwwwtatnewsorgemagazine2813asp Retrieved July 30 2007

2 uarr J A Mangan Fan Hong (2002) Sport in Asian society past and present Frank Cass Publishers pp 220 ISBN 978-0714683300

3 uarr Dunsmore Susi (1983) Sepak Raga University of Michigan p 24 uarr Brown Charles Cuthbert (1970) Sejarah Melayu or Malay annals an

annotated translation [from the Malay] Oxford University Press p 895 uarr Permainan MarragaAkraga (Bugis) Melayuonline

httpmelayuonlinecomindculturedig1224permainan-marraga-akraga Retrieved 2010-08-04

6 uarr Hackworth M (2006) Sepak Takraw Sierra Star Journal644 858-1017 uarr Sepak Takraw By Fred Varcoe Metropolis Magazine February 4 2010

httpmetropoliscojpartssportsepak-takraw Retrieved 2010-02-048 uarr The Log Northrop University Student Newspaper November 5 1987 Vol 35

No 39 uarr Northrop University Magazine December 1987 Vol 3 No 410uarr Video CNN August 8 1994

httpsportsillustratedcnncomvaultarticlemagazineMAG1005482indexhtm11uarr KalishJ (2004) Talking Takraw[Electronic Version] Journal of Mens Fitness

Vol 20 Issue 10

12uarr 120 121 Sportsmatchmaker (2005) Sepak TakrawRetrieved March 23 2009 from the sportsmatchmaker website httpwwwsportsmatchmakercomruless-sportssepak_takrawcfm

13uarr 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) (2004) Sepaktakraw Laws of the Game (PDF) httpwwwsepaktakraworgpdflawofthegamepdf Retrieved July 29 2007

TERMINOLOGY

Block Blocking is a defensive skill used to counter a spike coming from close to the net Block is usually made by jumping in the air and raising a leg andor back to divert the ball back into the opponents court A block counts as one contact Center Line Divides the length of the playing court into two equal halves Dig The act of fielding hard hit ball successfully usually a spike or block to regain control ie The Dig by Thailand came at crucial point in the game Dink A soft hit ball -usually either a dink serve or a dink spike Fault A violation of one of the rules of the game Feeder Person who sets the ball to the spiker First Ball Term used to describe receiving the serve by the opposing team Killer Same as Spiker Common in international terminology Quarter Circle Place on court where the serving teams forwards (left inside and right inside players) must remain until the ball has been kicked by the server or back player Regu Malaysian word for team In takraw a team of 4 players (3 starters plus 1 reserve) is known as a Regu and a squad of 3 Regus is known as a Team Roll Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net rotates in the air and kicks the ball over the opposite shoulder from the kicking foot with a flip like motion Th most dramatic and famous move in the game Service Over When the serving team fails to return the ball over the net or commits a fault or foul The opposing team becomes the serving team but a point is not awarded to either team USA also uses the same term as volleyball - Side Out Serving Circle Circle of 1 foot radius located in both halves of the court The server is required to have one foot touching the ground inside the serving circle during a serve Set (1) A period of play which is concluded when one team reaches 15 points Matches

consists of the best of three sets Set (2) A high pass by one player to a team-mate or to self to enable a spike Service The act of putting the ball into play by the back player

Service (Hand) Toss A hand throw of the ball by one of the forward inside players to the back who must kick the ball into play in one try Spike A powerfully hit shot directed into the opponents half of the court by the foot or head Sunback Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net and kicks the ball over the same shoulder as the kicking foot In soccer this is known as a bicycle kick or

bike for short

STRATEGIES

The strategies in Sepak Takraw are very similar to those in volleyball The receiving team will attempt to playthe takraw ball towards the front of the net making the best use of their 3 hits to set and spike the ballTHE GOALThe goal in any form of takraw is to keep the hand-woven ball off the ground for as long as possible usingany part of the body except hands and armsTakraw challenges an individuals assumptions of what they are and are not capable of doing As you gaincontrol of the takraw ball you will find it very rewarding when you can easily whiz through a string ofconsecutive kicks or place an accurate pass to another player While amazing yourself and your friendsyou will also be having fun greatly increasing your eye-foot coordination and overall ball control (super forenhancing and refining soccer skills) strengthening your legs and really increasing your flexibility

GETTING STARTEDTry the FIVE BASIC KICKSHITS shown here These kicks may seem awkward at first but be patientand practice each kick individually What was impossible yesterday can be achieved today Once thebasics are learned try the free style kicks (and make up some of your own) then you can play a wholeseries of games including the ones below

1 INSIDE KICKThere are 5 basic kickshits that any goodTakraw player will have mastered The mostimportant of these is the inside kick for itprovides maximum ball control Use this kick tofield a ball dropping in front of youWith your planted leg flexed at the knee lift upyour other leg and swing the foot and lowerpart of the leg in and up sideways like apendulum in front of you turning the ankle sothat you hit the ball with the flat surface of theinside of your foot The inside kick is commonlyused for passing and setting the ball up highfor a spike2 THE OUTSIDE KICKThe Outside Kick is used when the Takraw balldrops outside your shoulders and slightly behindyou It is similar to the Inside Kick in that your legswings like a pendulum but out and upward (ratherthan in and upward) Shift weight to ball of supportfoot as you lift kicking leg up away from body Turnyour ankle so that toes are pointing out (not down)which enables you to kick the ball up with the flatoutside surface of your foot Avoid swinging orkicking your leg forward (only lift it upward)3 FRONT FOOT KICKThis kick is primarily used to save a lowdropping ball in front of you To propel the ballupwards most consistently the front of yourfoot must be flicked up in a quick smoothmotion as the ball is contacted (remaining looseat the ankle not stiff)

4 THE KNEE BUMPThe Knee Bump is usually used to deflect upwards alow angle pass or a fast serve to the mid-body Liftyour knee up very quickly with the foot followingunderneath (not kicking out) The ball is contacted atabout waist level with the front of your thigh justbehind the knee for maximum upward thrust andheight Contact with ball in mid-thigh area will servethe same purpose but ball will not be thrust up ashighNote both the Front Foot Kick and Knee Bump are used for added control when making a save orcontrolling a pass They do not always provide consistent control

5 THE HEADERThe fifth basic hit is the Header and it is usedfrequently in games to deflect upwards a highangle pass or fast serve to the upper bodyWith legs flexed at the knees put the top ofyour forehead in front of the ball lifting up yourchin and spring up from the legs as the ballstrikes the forehead so as to deflect it up highin your own courtGeneral Helpful Hints- aIways be in a ready stance with feet pointing ahead and shoulder width apart knees slightlybent weight low and slightly forward- with the basic kickshits usually you should face the direction that you want to direct the ball to asyou contact it- approach contact with the ball in a slow easy and relaxed fashion it is more important to firstdevelop good timing (knowing when and how to contact the ball) than it is to kick the ball hard- the support leg provides your balance so should maintain a low profile and be flexed at the kneeas your other foot executes the kick- ambidexterity is key to being a more versatile player when ball approaches your right side kick itwith your right foot - left side left footFREE STYLEThis is your chance to expand on your basic kicks and come up with some more challenging moves of yourown Here are a couple to get you startedFLYING CLIPPERLeap off the same foot that youll use to kick theball Cross your kicking foot behind and underyour other leg Lift your kicking foot turning yourankle and making contact with the ball with the flaysurface on the inside of your footHAND LOOPThis move can be done with a number of kicks Positionyour arms to form a loop The idea is to have the ball firstfall through the hand loop then kick it back upwardthrough the loopDifferent GamesSOLO PLAYThe object of play is to keep the takraw ball in the air as long as possible without using hands or armsanything else goes

CIRCLE GAMEThe object of the traditional ldquoCircle Gamerdquo is the same as ldquoSoIo Playrdquo except with a group of playersstanding in a circleThis activity was played as far back as the 14th century in India Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Burma) thePhilippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was woven out of a rattan material available in abundancethereSEPAK TAKRAW - THE NET GAMEldquoSepakrdquo is Malay for ldquokickrdquo and ldquoTakrawrdquo is Thai for the ldquohand-woven ballrdquo that is used In 1945enthusiasts added a court and net with the same dimensions as in doubles badminton and a set of rulessimilar to volleyball (without using hands or arms) to form a fantastic spectator sport with worldchampionship tournaments held in both Malaysia and ThailandIn western countries it has been mostly Laotian immigrants who have first introduced Takraw to othersNow ASEC INTERNATIONAL is also happy to help introduce promote and organize this fun and excitingrecreational activitysportPLAYERS POSITIONS1 The serving teams forwards must remain in their quarter circles while the back player must haveonly one foot in the serving circle until the ball is contacted by the servers foot2 The receiving teams players may stand anywhere in their side of the court but usually the backplayer stands just in front of the serving circle with the forwards on either side of him3 Players are allowed to move freely on each half of the court once the ball is has been servedTO BEGIN PLAYThe game begins by one of the forwards tossing the takraw ball to the backplayer The back player must then kick the ball with the foot that is outside the serving circle into theopponents court in one try (usually with an extended version of the inside kick) The serve is still good ifthe ball hits the net as it goes into the other half of the courtSCORING1 Only the serving team can make a point2 A fault by the team possessing the ball constitutes a loss of serve3 A set is won by scoring 21 points unless the points are tied 20 -20 then the set shall be decidedon a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 25 points4 A match is won by winning two out of three sets

5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

• Court

191 Players disobeying rules will be penalised by the Referee1911 Showing dissent by words or action towards any officialswith regards to any decision and to any players or spectators1912 Using foul or abusive language to any officials players orspectator1913 To take any improper step or action in order to influence anydecision made by the officials1914 To leave the court without the permission of the Referee1915 To commit ungentlemanly conduct1916 To disobey orders and rules of play

The Referee may use one of the following cards1048633 Yellow Card - Caution1048633 Red Card - ExpulsionRed card shall be given to the following offences committedldquoINTENTIONALLYrdquo1917 Persist in misconduct after receiving a caution1918 Violent conduct (eg Striking kicking the opponent spittingetc)1919 Using foul or abusive languageNote Any player who is shown the Red Card shall be sent off the court anddisciplinary action shall be taken against him The Player concerned shallnot be allowed to play in any game until sanction has been made192 Fouls and misconduct are penalized as followsDisciplinary Sanctions ndash1921 Cautionable Offence

A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following six offences

19211 Is guilty of unsporting behavior by the display ofsuch action that can be reasonably regarded aseither a mitigated or unmitigated violation of thenorms of sporting ethics which can be consideredas having or will have a detrimental effect on theproper conduct of the match as a wh19214 Delays the restart of play19215 Enters or re-enters the court without thereferees permission19216 Deliberately leaves the court without therefereersquos permissionole19212 Shows dissent by word or action19213 Persistently infringes the Laws of the Game

193 Sending-off OffencesA player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the

following five offences1931 Is guilty of serious foul play1932 Is guilty of violent conduct including an act executed withdeliberate intent to cause injury to his opponent1933 Spits at an opponent or any other person1934 Using offensive or insulting or abusive language andorgestures194 A player who commits a cautionable offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a yellow card isawarded for each the offence committed is disciplined as follows

1941 OffenceFirst Yellow CardPenaltyNormal Caution1942 Offence Second Yellow Card received by the same player in differentmatches but in the same tournamentPenaltya) One Match Suspension1943 OffenceThird Yellow Card received after suspension for the first twoYellow Cards in the tournament by the same playerPenaltya) Two (2) Matches Suspensionb) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematch

1944 OffenceFourth Yellow CardYellow card received after two matches suspension for theearlier Third Yellow Card in the same tournament by thesame playerPenaltyImmediate suspension from playing in the next orsubsequent matches in any tournament sanctioned byrelevant Sepaktakraw controlling authority until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a have been reached on thematter1945 Offence Two Yellow Cards received by the same player within theSame match

Penaltyb) Two (2) Matches Suspensionc) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematchd) A Red Card will be given for a third disciplinary offencecommitted in any other matches in the tournament195 A player who commits a sending-off offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a red card is awardedfor each of the offence committed is disciplined according to thenature of the offence committed is disciplined as follows

Offence1951 A Red CardPenaltySend-Off from the game and immediate suspension fromplaying in any tournament sanctioned by the relevantcontrolling authority for Sepaktakraw until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a decision has been reached onthe matter

20 MISCONDUCT OF TEAM OFFICIALS201 Disciplinary action will be taken against Team Officials or his team forany misconduct or disturbances committed by the official or teamduring a tournament whether in or outside the court202 Any team official who commits a misconduct or disturbances will beimmediately escorted out from the arena by the tournament officialsand the official referee and will also be immediately suspended frombeing a team official until a Disciplinary Committee is convened and adecision has been reached on the matter21 GENERAL211 In the event of any question or any matter arising out of any pointwhich is not expressly provided for in any of the rules of the game thedecision of the Official Referee shall be final

BASIC AND FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS

Inside Kick

Arguably it is the most important skill This is the kick you will use the most Watch any top class players in action and youll see that this is the control kick of choice This move sets up all the killer spikes While doing an inside kick you should stand in a good athletic stance Feet shoulder width apart Remember to bend your support leg at the knee And it is important always keep an eye on the ball The kicking motion is easy and dont swing at the ball too hard The ball is bouncy and you need to just hit it in the right spot on your foot as well as with the proper motion Try a few times of simply tossing the ball to yourself Focus on the ball and pop it back up to your hands Catch the ball and then try again Do this until the ball is consistently coming back up with ease and pop it back up to your hands Once you have gained consistency in this drill you can begin to try to link some kicks together Try dropping to your strong foot popping the ball up and then kicking with your weak foot before catching the ball Try to link three kicks together on alternating feet You should be able to see your progression All rights reserved Spiker Dek is owned by Sport Action International in the promotion of sepaktakraw in the Takraw Thailand League All rights reserved

KneeThigh kick

The knee and thigh is used when the ball comes fast towards the area between your knees and your waist This skill is used to bump or deflect the ball up enough to use an inside kick to control the ball It is also used when kicking consecutive kicks or in a circle and the ball gets to close to your body The motion is like a high step marching motion Simply raise the leg with your hip allowing your knee to bendTry to contact the ball on the thigh where possible instead of the knee as it provides better control Make sure the ball hits the fleshy part of the thigh to bump the ball up and out a bit Try a few back up to your hands Once you feel comfortable try to link with one inside kick then catch the ball Do this over and over until it comes naturally Once you get this combination and doing it naturally without thinking you will be aware of your improvement in skill

Header

The header is probably the second most important skill to have especially in the net game The header is used to pop up a ball that comes higher than the waist The best way to learn the header is like the inside kick The contact point should be just above the forehead at he hairline not too much on the forehead and not too much on the top of the head right in between Toss the ball to yourself hit it with your head and then catch it Do this several times until you feel comfortable with this skill When doing the

header remember to bend your knees and get low beneath the ball Like the other kicks you dont need to focus on power but on accuracy and placement The next step in this skill drill is to toss the ball higher and again control it with your head before catching the ball It hurts a bit at first but youll get use to it The graduating step is to a header from a high inside kick or from a header to a controlling inside kick Try both combinations as you will be using both of them as you begin to play more

Front kickToe kick

The toe kick is a defensive kick great for saving a ball that has gotten out in front of you It is not however a good control kick Those who play soccer may disagree but in sepaktakraw the inside is the right way Learn the toe kick for savesthe inside for control The toe kick is achieved by placing the foot out for the ball and depending on the height of the either lifting the foot with your hip or just letting the ball bounce off You dont need much power because the ball tends to fly off uncontrollably Do it slow and take it easy Like the other kicks do the same toss and catch drill Then try with different combinations Do the same progression

REFERENCES

1 uarr 10 11 12 Shawn Kelley Takraw A Traditional Southeast Asian (mostly in Malaysia ) Sport Archived from the original on July 10 2007 httpwebarchiveorgweb20070710234948httpwwwtatnewsorgemagazine2813asp Retrieved July 30 2007

2 uarr J A Mangan Fan Hong (2002) Sport in Asian society past and present Frank Cass Publishers pp 220 ISBN 978-0714683300

3 uarr Dunsmore Susi (1983) Sepak Raga University of Michigan p 24 uarr Brown Charles Cuthbert (1970) Sejarah Melayu or Malay annals an

annotated translation [from the Malay] Oxford University Press p 895 uarr Permainan MarragaAkraga (Bugis) Melayuonline

httpmelayuonlinecomindculturedig1224permainan-marraga-akraga Retrieved 2010-08-04

6 uarr Hackworth M (2006) Sepak Takraw Sierra Star Journal644 858-1017 uarr Sepak Takraw By Fred Varcoe Metropolis Magazine February 4 2010

httpmetropoliscojpartssportsepak-takraw Retrieved 2010-02-048 uarr The Log Northrop University Student Newspaper November 5 1987 Vol 35

No 39 uarr Northrop University Magazine December 1987 Vol 3 No 410uarr Video CNN August 8 1994

httpsportsillustratedcnncomvaultarticlemagazineMAG1005482indexhtm11uarr KalishJ (2004) Talking Takraw[Electronic Version] Journal of Mens Fitness

Vol 20 Issue 10

12uarr 120 121 Sportsmatchmaker (2005) Sepak TakrawRetrieved March 23 2009 from the sportsmatchmaker website httpwwwsportsmatchmakercomruless-sportssepak_takrawcfm

13uarr 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) (2004) Sepaktakraw Laws of the Game (PDF) httpwwwsepaktakraworgpdflawofthegamepdf Retrieved July 29 2007

TERMINOLOGY

Block Blocking is a defensive skill used to counter a spike coming from close to the net Block is usually made by jumping in the air and raising a leg andor back to divert the ball back into the opponents court A block counts as one contact Center Line Divides the length of the playing court into two equal halves Dig The act of fielding hard hit ball successfully usually a spike or block to regain control ie The Dig by Thailand came at crucial point in the game Dink A soft hit ball -usually either a dink serve or a dink spike Fault A violation of one of the rules of the game Feeder Person who sets the ball to the spiker First Ball Term used to describe receiving the serve by the opposing team Killer Same as Spiker Common in international terminology Quarter Circle Place on court where the serving teams forwards (left inside and right inside players) must remain until the ball has been kicked by the server or back player Regu Malaysian word for team In takraw a team of 4 players (3 starters plus 1 reserve) is known as a Regu and a squad of 3 Regus is known as a Team Roll Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net rotates in the air and kicks the ball over the opposite shoulder from the kicking foot with a flip like motion Th most dramatic and famous move in the game Service Over When the serving team fails to return the ball over the net or commits a fault or foul The opposing team becomes the serving team but a point is not awarded to either team USA also uses the same term as volleyball - Side Out Serving Circle Circle of 1 foot radius located in both halves of the court The server is required to have one foot touching the ground inside the serving circle during a serve Set (1) A period of play which is concluded when one team reaches 15 points Matches

consists of the best of three sets Set (2) A high pass by one player to a team-mate or to self to enable a spike Service The act of putting the ball into play by the back player

Service (Hand) Toss A hand throw of the ball by one of the forward inside players to the back who must kick the ball into play in one try Spike A powerfully hit shot directed into the opponents half of the court by the foot or head Sunback Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net and kicks the ball over the same shoulder as the kicking foot In soccer this is known as a bicycle kick or

bike for short

STRATEGIES

The strategies in Sepak Takraw are very similar to those in volleyball The receiving team will attempt to playthe takraw ball towards the front of the net making the best use of their 3 hits to set and spike the ballTHE GOALThe goal in any form of takraw is to keep the hand-woven ball off the ground for as long as possible usingany part of the body except hands and armsTakraw challenges an individuals assumptions of what they are and are not capable of doing As you gaincontrol of the takraw ball you will find it very rewarding when you can easily whiz through a string ofconsecutive kicks or place an accurate pass to another player While amazing yourself and your friendsyou will also be having fun greatly increasing your eye-foot coordination and overall ball control (super forenhancing and refining soccer skills) strengthening your legs and really increasing your flexibility

GETTING STARTEDTry the FIVE BASIC KICKSHITS shown here These kicks may seem awkward at first but be patientand practice each kick individually What was impossible yesterday can be achieved today Once thebasics are learned try the free style kicks (and make up some of your own) then you can play a wholeseries of games including the ones below

1 INSIDE KICKThere are 5 basic kickshits that any goodTakraw player will have mastered The mostimportant of these is the inside kick for itprovides maximum ball control Use this kick tofield a ball dropping in front of youWith your planted leg flexed at the knee lift upyour other leg and swing the foot and lowerpart of the leg in and up sideways like apendulum in front of you turning the ankle sothat you hit the ball with the flat surface of theinside of your foot The inside kick is commonlyused for passing and setting the ball up highfor a spike2 THE OUTSIDE KICKThe Outside Kick is used when the Takraw balldrops outside your shoulders and slightly behindyou It is similar to the Inside Kick in that your legswings like a pendulum but out and upward (ratherthan in and upward) Shift weight to ball of supportfoot as you lift kicking leg up away from body Turnyour ankle so that toes are pointing out (not down)which enables you to kick the ball up with the flatoutside surface of your foot Avoid swinging orkicking your leg forward (only lift it upward)3 FRONT FOOT KICKThis kick is primarily used to save a lowdropping ball in front of you To propel the ballupwards most consistently the front of yourfoot must be flicked up in a quick smoothmotion as the ball is contacted (remaining looseat the ankle not stiff)

4 THE KNEE BUMPThe Knee Bump is usually used to deflect upwards alow angle pass or a fast serve to the mid-body Liftyour knee up very quickly with the foot followingunderneath (not kicking out) The ball is contacted atabout waist level with the front of your thigh justbehind the knee for maximum upward thrust andheight Contact with ball in mid-thigh area will servethe same purpose but ball will not be thrust up ashighNote both the Front Foot Kick and Knee Bump are used for added control when making a save orcontrolling a pass They do not always provide consistent control

5 THE HEADERThe fifth basic hit is the Header and it is usedfrequently in games to deflect upwards a highangle pass or fast serve to the upper bodyWith legs flexed at the knees put the top ofyour forehead in front of the ball lifting up yourchin and spring up from the legs as the ballstrikes the forehead so as to deflect it up highin your own courtGeneral Helpful Hints- aIways be in a ready stance with feet pointing ahead and shoulder width apart knees slightlybent weight low and slightly forward- with the basic kickshits usually you should face the direction that you want to direct the ball to asyou contact it- approach contact with the ball in a slow easy and relaxed fashion it is more important to firstdevelop good timing (knowing when and how to contact the ball) than it is to kick the ball hard- the support leg provides your balance so should maintain a low profile and be flexed at the kneeas your other foot executes the kick- ambidexterity is key to being a more versatile player when ball approaches your right side kick itwith your right foot - left side left footFREE STYLEThis is your chance to expand on your basic kicks and come up with some more challenging moves of yourown Here are a couple to get you startedFLYING CLIPPERLeap off the same foot that youll use to kick theball Cross your kicking foot behind and underyour other leg Lift your kicking foot turning yourankle and making contact with the ball with the flaysurface on the inside of your footHAND LOOPThis move can be done with a number of kicks Positionyour arms to form a loop The idea is to have the ball firstfall through the hand loop then kick it back upwardthrough the loopDifferent GamesSOLO PLAYThe object of play is to keep the takraw ball in the air as long as possible without using hands or armsanything else goes

CIRCLE GAMEThe object of the traditional ldquoCircle Gamerdquo is the same as ldquoSoIo Playrdquo except with a group of playersstanding in a circleThis activity was played as far back as the 14th century in India Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Burma) thePhilippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was woven out of a rattan material available in abundancethereSEPAK TAKRAW - THE NET GAMEldquoSepakrdquo is Malay for ldquokickrdquo and ldquoTakrawrdquo is Thai for the ldquohand-woven ballrdquo that is used In 1945enthusiasts added a court and net with the same dimensions as in doubles badminton and a set of rulessimilar to volleyball (without using hands or arms) to form a fantastic spectator sport with worldchampionship tournaments held in both Malaysia and ThailandIn western countries it has been mostly Laotian immigrants who have first introduced Takraw to othersNow ASEC INTERNATIONAL is also happy to help introduce promote and organize this fun and excitingrecreational activitysportPLAYERS POSITIONS1 The serving teams forwards must remain in their quarter circles while the back player must haveonly one foot in the serving circle until the ball is contacted by the servers foot2 The receiving teams players may stand anywhere in their side of the court but usually the backplayer stands just in front of the serving circle with the forwards on either side of him3 Players are allowed to move freely on each half of the court once the ball is has been servedTO BEGIN PLAYThe game begins by one of the forwards tossing the takraw ball to the backplayer The back player must then kick the ball with the foot that is outside the serving circle into theopponents court in one try (usually with an extended version of the inside kick) The serve is still good ifthe ball hits the net as it goes into the other half of the courtSCORING1 Only the serving team can make a point2 A fault by the team possessing the ball constitutes a loss of serve3 A set is won by scoring 21 points unless the points are tied 20 -20 then the set shall be decidedon a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 25 points4 A match is won by winning two out of three sets

5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

• Court

following five offences1931 Is guilty of serious foul play1932 Is guilty of violent conduct including an act executed withdeliberate intent to cause injury to his opponent1933 Spits at an opponent or any other person1934 Using offensive or insulting or abusive language andorgestures194 A player who commits a cautionable offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a yellow card isawarded for each the offence committed is disciplined as follows

1941 OffenceFirst Yellow CardPenaltyNormal Caution1942 Offence Second Yellow Card received by the same player in differentmatches but in the same tournamentPenaltya) One Match Suspension1943 OffenceThird Yellow Card received after suspension for the first twoYellow Cards in the tournament by the same playerPenaltya) Two (2) Matches Suspensionb) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematch

1944 OffenceFourth Yellow CardYellow card received after two matches suspension for theearlier Third Yellow Card in the same tournament by thesame playerPenaltyImmediate suspension from playing in the next orsubsequent matches in any tournament sanctioned byrelevant Sepaktakraw controlling authority until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a have been reached on thematter1945 Offence Two Yellow Cards received by the same player within theSame match

Penaltyb) Two (2) Matches Suspensionc) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematchd) A Red Card will be given for a third disciplinary offencecommitted in any other matches in the tournament195 A player who commits a sending-off offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a red card is awardedfor each of the offence committed is disciplined according to thenature of the offence committed is disciplined as follows

Offence1951 A Red CardPenaltySend-Off from the game and immediate suspension fromplaying in any tournament sanctioned by the relevantcontrolling authority for Sepaktakraw until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a decision has been reached onthe matter

20 MISCONDUCT OF TEAM OFFICIALS201 Disciplinary action will be taken against Team Officials or his team forany misconduct or disturbances committed by the official or teamduring a tournament whether in or outside the court202 Any team official who commits a misconduct or disturbances will beimmediately escorted out from the arena by the tournament officialsand the official referee and will also be immediately suspended frombeing a team official until a Disciplinary Committee is convened and adecision has been reached on the matter21 GENERAL211 In the event of any question or any matter arising out of any pointwhich is not expressly provided for in any of the rules of the game thedecision of the Official Referee shall be final

BASIC AND FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS

Inside Kick

Arguably it is the most important skill This is the kick you will use the most Watch any top class players in action and youll see that this is the control kick of choice This move sets up all the killer spikes While doing an inside kick you should stand in a good athletic stance Feet shoulder width apart Remember to bend your support leg at the knee And it is important always keep an eye on the ball The kicking motion is easy and dont swing at the ball too hard The ball is bouncy and you need to just hit it in the right spot on your foot as well as with the proper motion Try a few times of simply tossing the ball to yourself Focus on the ball and pop it back up to your hands Catch the ball and then try again Do this until the ball is consistently coming back up with ease and pop it back up to your hands Once you have gained consistency in this drill you can begin to try to link some kicks together Try dropping to your strong foot popping the ball up and then kicking with your weak foot before catching the ball Try to link three kicks together on alternating feet You should be able to see your progression All rights reserved Spiker Dek is owned by Sport Action International in the promotion of sepaktakraw in the Takraw Thailand League All rights reserved

KneeThigh kick

The knee and thigh is used when the ball comes fast towards the area between your knees and your waist This skill is used to bump or deflect the ball up enough to use an inside kick to control the ball It is also used when kicking consecutive kicks or in a circle and the ball gets to close to your body The motion is like a high step marching motion Simply raise the leg with your hip allowing your knee to bendTry to contact the ball on the thigh where possible instead of the knee as it provides better control Make sure the ball hits the fleshy part of the thigh to bump the ball up and out a bit Try a few back up to your hands Once you feel comfortable try to link with one inside kick then catch the ball Do this over and over until it comes naturally Once you get this combination and doing it naturally without thinking you will be aware of your improvement in skill

Header

The header is probably the second most important skill to have especially in the net game The header is used to pop up a ball that comes higher than the waist The best way to learn the header is like the inside kick The contact point should be just above the forehead at he hairline not too much on the forehead and not too much on the top of the head right in between Toss the ball to yourself hit it with your head and then catch it Do this several times until you feel comfortable with this skill When doing the

header remember to bend your knees and get low beneath the ball Like the other kicks you dont need to focus on power but on accuracy and placement The next step in this skill drill is to toss the ball higher and again control it with your head before catching the ball It hurts a bit at first but youll get use to it The graduating step is to a header from a high inside kick or from a header to a controlling inside kick Try both combinations as you will be using both of them as you begin to play more

Front kickToe kick

The toe kick is a defensive kick great for saving a ball that has gotten out in front of you It is not however a good control kick Those who play soccer may disagree but in sepaktakraw the inside is the right way Learn the toe kick for savesthe inside for control The toe kick is achieved by placing the foot out for the ball and depending on the height of the either lifting the foot with your hip or just letting the ball bounce off You dont need much power because the ball tends to fly off uncontrollably Do it slow and take it easy Like the other kicks do the same toss and catch drill Then try with different combinations Do the same progression

REFERENCES

1 uarr 10 11 12 Shawn Kelley Takraw A Traditional Southeast Asian (mostly in Malaysia ) Sport Archived from the original on July 10 2007 httpwebarchiveorgweb20070710234948httpwwwtatnewsorgemagazine2813asp Retrieved July 30 2007

2 uarr J A Mangan Fan Hong (2002) Sport in Asian society past and present Frank Cass Publishers pp 220 ISBN 978-0714683300

3 uarr Dunsmore Susi (1983) Sepak Raga University of Michigan p 24 uarr Brown Charles Cuthbert (1970) Sejarah Melayu or Malay annals an

annotated translation [from the Malay] Oxford University Press p 895 uarr Permainan MarragaAkraga (Bugis) Melayuonline

httpmelayuonlinecomindculturedig1224permainan-marraga-akraga Retrieved 2010-08-04

6 uarr Hackworth M (2006) Sepak Takraw Sierra Star Journal644 858-1017 uarr Sepak Takraw By Fred Varcoe Metropolis Magazine February 4 2010

httpmetropoliscojpartssportsepak-takraw Retrieved 2010-02-048 uarr The Log Northrop University Student Newspaper November 5 1987 Vol 35

No 39 uarr Northrop University Magazine December 1987 Vol 3 No 410uarr Video CNN August 8 1994

httpsportsillustratedcnncomvaultarticlemagazineMAG1005482indexhtm11uarr KalishJ (2004) Talking Takraw[Electronic Version] Journal of Mens Fitness

Vol 20 Issue 10

12uarr 120 121 Sportsmatchmaker (2005) Sepak TakrawRetrieved March 23 2009 from the sportsmatchmaker website httpwwwsportsmatchmakercomruless-sportssepak_takrawcfm

13uarr 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) (2004) Sepaktakraw Laws of the Game (PDF) httpwwwsepaktakraworgpdflawofthegamepdf Retrieved July 29 2007

TERMINOLOGY

Block Blocking is a defensive skill used to counter a spike coming from close to the net Block is usually made by jumping in the air and raising a leg andor back to divert the ball back into the opponents court A block counts as one contact Center Line Divides the length of the playing court into two equal halves Dig The act of fielding hard hit ball successfully usually a spike or block to regain control ie The Dig by Thailand came at crucial point in the game Dink A soft hit ball -usually either a dink serve or a dink spike Fault A violation of one of the rules of the game Feeder Person who sets the ball to the spiker First Ball Term used to describe receiving the serve by the opposing team Killer Same as Spiker Common in international terminology Quarter Circle Place on court where the serving teams forwards (left inside and right inside players) must remain until the ball has been kicked by the server or back player Regu Malaysian word for team In takraw a team of 4 players (3 starters plus 1 reserve) is known as a Regu and a squad of 3 Regus is known as a Team Roll Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net rotates in the air and kicks the ball over the opposite shoulder from the kicking foot with a flip like motion Th most dramatic and famous move in the game Service Over When the serving team fails to return the ball over the net or commits a fault or foul The opposing team becomes the serving team but a point is not awarded to either team USA also uses the same term as volleyball - Side Out Serving Circle Circle of 1 foot radius located in both halves of the court The server is required to have one foot touching the ground inside the serving circle during a serve Set (1) A period of play which is concluded when one team reaches 15 points Matches

consists of the best of three sets Set (2) A high pass by one player to a team-mate or to self to enable a spike Service The act of putting the ball into play by the back player

Service (Hand) Toss A hand throw of the ball by one of the forward inside players to the back who must kick the ball into play in one try Spike A powerfully hit shot directed into the opponents half of the court by the foot or head Sunback Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net and kicks the ball over the same shoulder as the kicking foot In soccer this is known as a bicycle kick or

bike for short

STRATEGIES

The strategies in Sepak Takraw are very similar to those in volleyball The receiving team will attempt to playthe takraw ball towards the front of the net making the best use of their 3 hits to set and spike the ballTHE GOALThe goal in any form of takraw is to keep the hand-woven ball off the ground for as long as possible usingany part of the body except hands and armsTakraw challenges an individuals assumptions of what they are and are not capable of doing As you gaincontrol of the takraw ball you will find it very rewarding when you can easily whiz through a string ofconsecutive kicks or place an accurate pass to another player While amazing yourself and your friendsyou will also be having fun greatly increasing your eye-foot coordination and overall ball control (super forenhancing and refining soccer skills) strengthening your legs and really increasing your flexibility

GETTING STARTEDTry the FIVE BASIC KICKSHITS shown here These kicks may seem awkward at first but be patientand practice each kick individually What was impossible yesterday can be achieved today Once thebasics are learned try the free style kicks (and make up some of your own) then you can play a wholeseries of games including the ones below

1 INSIDE KICKThere are 5 basic kickshits that any goodTakraw player will have mastered The mostimportant of these is the inside kick for itprovides maximum ball control Use this kick tofield a ball dropping in front of youWith your planted leg flexed at the knee lift upyour other leg and swing the foot and lowerpart of the leg in and up sideways like apendulum in front of you turning the ankle sothat you hit the ball with the flat surface of theinside of your foot The inside kick is commonlyused for passing and setting the ball up highfor a spike2 THE OUTSIDE KICKThe Outside Kick is used when the Takraw balldrops outside your shoulders and slightly behindyou It is similar to the Inside Kick in that your legswings like a pendulum but out and upward (ratherthan in and upward) Shift weight to ball of supportfoot as you lift kicking leg up away from body Turnyour ankle so that toes are pointing out (not down)which enables you to kick the ball up with the flatoutside surface of your foot Avoid swinging orkicking your leg forward (only lift it upward)3 FRONT FOOT KICKThis kick is primarily used to save a lowdropping ball in front of you To propel the ballupwards most consistently the front of yourfoot must be flicked up in a quick smoothmotion as the ball is contacted (remaining looseat the ankle not stiff)

4 THE KNEE BUMPThe Knee Bump is usually used to deflect upwards alow angle pass or a fast serve to the mid-body Liftyour knee up very quickly with the foot followingunderneath (not kicking out) The ball is contacted atabout waist level with the front of your thigh justbehind the knee for maximum upward thrust andheight Contact with ball in mid-thigh area will servethe same purpose but ball will not be thrust up ashighNote both the Front Foot Kick and Knee Bump are used for added control when making a save orcontrolling a pass They do not always provide consistent control

5 THE HEADERThe fifth basic hit is the Header and it is usedfrequently in games to deflect upwards a highangle pass or fast serve to the upper bodyWith legs flexed at the knees put the top ofyour forehead in front of the ball lifting up yourchin and spring up from the legs as the ballstrikes the forehead so as to deflect it up highin your own courtGeneral Helpful Hints- aIways be in a ready stance with feet pointing ahead and shoulder width apart knees slightlybent weight low and slightly forward- with the basic kickshits usually you should face the direction that you want to direct the ball to asyou contact it- approach contact with the ball in a slow easy and relaxed fashion it is more important to firstdevelop good timing (knowing when and how to contact the ball) than it is to kick the ball hard- the support leg provides your balance so should maintain a low profile and be flexed at the kneeas your other foot executes the kick- ambidexterity is key to being a more versatile player when ball approaches your right side kick itwith your right foot - left side left footFREE STYLEThis is your chance to expand on your basic kicks and come up with some more challenging moves of yourown Here are a couple to get you startedFLYING CLIPPERLeap off the same foot that youll use to kick theball Cross your kicking foot behind and underyour other leg Lift your kicking foot turning yourankle and making contact with the ball with the flaysurface on the inside of your footHAND LOOPThis move can be done with a number of kicks Positionyour arms to form a loop The idea is to have the ball firstfall through the hand loop then kick it back upwardthrough the loopDifferent GamesSOLO PLAYThe object of play is to keep the takraw ball in the air as long as possible without using hands or armsanything else goes

CIRCLE GAMEThe object of the traditional ldquoCircle Gamerdquo is the same as ldquoSoIo Playrdquo except with a group of playersstanding in a circleThis activity was played as far back as the 14th century in India Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Burma) thePhilippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was woven out of a rattan material available in abundancethereSEPAK TAKRAW - THE NET GAMEldquoSepakrdquo is Malay for ldquokickrdquo and ldquoTakrawrdquo is Thai for the ldquohand-woven ballrdquo that is used In 1945enthusiasts added a court and net with the same dimensions as in doubles badminton and a set of rulessimilar to volleyball (without using hands or arms) to form a fantastic spectator sport with worldchampionship tournaments held in both Malaysia and ThailandIn western countries it has been mostly Laotian immigrants who have first introduced Takraw to othersNow ASEC INTERNATIONAL is also happy to help introduce promote and organize this fun and excitingrecreational activitysportPLAYERS POSITIONS1 The serving teams forwards must remain in their quarter circles while the back player must haveonly one foot in the serving circle until the ball is contacted by the servers foot2 The receiving teams players may stand anywhere in their side of the court but usually the backplayer stands just in front of the serving circle with the forwards on either side of him3 Players are allowed to move freely on each half of the court once the ball is has been servedTO BEGIN PLAYThe game begins by one of the forwards tossing the takraw ball to the backplayer The back player must then kick the ball with the foot that is outside the serving circle into theopponents court in one try (usually with an extended version of the inside kick) The serve is still good ifthe ball hits the net as it goes into the other half of the courtSCORING1 Only the serving team can make a point2 A fault by the team possessing the ball constitutes a loss of serve3 A set is won by scoring 21 points unless the points are tied 20 -20 then the set shall be decidedon a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 25 points4 A match is won by winning two out of three sets

5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

• Court

Penaltyb) Two (2) Matches Suspensionc) A Fine of US$100 (One Hundred Dollars is to be paid bythe club or any other body the player represent in thematchd) A Red Card will be given for a third disciplinary offencecommitted in any other matches in the tournament195 A player who commits a sending-off offence either on or off the courtwhether directed towards opponent team-mate the referee anassistant referee or any other person for which a red card is awardedfor each of the offence committed is disciplined according to thenature of the offence committed is disciplined as follows

Offence1951 A Red CardPenaltySend-Off from the game and immediate suspension fromplaying in any tournament sanctioned by the relevantcontrolling authority for Sepaktakraw until a DisciplinaryCommittee is convened and a decision has been reached onthe matter

20 MISCONDUCT OF TEAM OFFICIALS201 Disciplinary action will be taken against Team Officials or his team forany misconduct or disturbances committed by the official or teamduring a tournament whether in or outside the court202 Any team official who commits a misconduct or disturbances will beimmediately escorted out from the arena by the tournament officialsand the official referee and will also be immediately suspended frombeing a team official until a Disciplinary Committee is convened and adecision has been reached on the matter21 GENERAL211 In the event of any question or any matter arising out of any pointwhich is not expressly provided for in any of the rules of the game thedecision of the Official Referee shall be final

BASIC AND FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS

Inside Kick

Arguably it is the most important skill This is the kick you will use the most Watch any top class players in action and youll see that this is the control kick of choice This move sets up all the killer spikes While doing an inside kick you should stand in a good athletic stance Feet shoulder width apart Remember to bend your support leg at the knee And it is important always keep an eye on the ball The kicking motion is easy and dont swing at the ball too hard The ball is bouncy and you need to just hit it in the right spot on your foot as well as with the proper motion Try a few times of simply tossing the ball to yourself Focus on the ball and pop it back up to your hands Catch the ball and then try again Do this until the ball is consistently coming back up with ease and pop it back up to your hands Once you have gained consistency in this drill you can begin to try to link some kicks together Try dropping to your strong foot popping the ball up and then kicking with your weak foot before catching the ball Try to link three kicks together on alternating feet You should be able to see your progression All rights reserved Spiker Dek is owned by Sport Action International in the promotion of sepaktakraw in the Takraw Thailand League All rights reserved

KneeThigh kick

The knee and thigh is used when the ball comes fast towards the area between your knees and your waist This skill is used to bump or deflect the ball up enough to use an inside kick to control the ball It is also used when kicking consecutive kicks or in a circle and the ball gets to close to your body The motion is like a high step marching motion Simply raise the leg with your hip allowing your knee to bendTry to contact the ball on the thigh where possible instead of the knee as it provides better control Make sure the ball hits the fleshy part of the thigh to bump the ball up and out a bit Try a few back up to your hands Once you feel comfortable try to link with one inside kick then catch the ball Do this over and over until it comes naturally Once you get this combination and doing it naturally without thinking you will be aware of your improvement in skill

Header

The header is probably the second most important skill to have especially in the net game The header is used to pop up a ball that comes higher than the waist The best way to learn the header is like the inside kick The contact point should be just above the forehead at he hairline not too much on the forehead and not too much on the top of the head right in between Toss the ball to yourself hit it with your head and then catch it Do this several times until you feel comfortable with this skill When doing the

header remember to bend your knees and get low beneath the ball Like the other kicks you dont need to focus on power but on accuracy and placement The next step in this skill drill is to toss the ball higher and again control it with your head before catching the ball It hurts a bit at first but youll get use to it The graduating step is to a header from a high inside kick or from a header to a controlling inside kick Try both combinations as you will be using both of them as you begin to play more

Front kickToe kick

The toe kick is a defensive kick great for saving a ball that has gotten out in front of you It is not however a good control kick Those who play soccer may disagree but in sepaktakraw the inside is the right way Learn the toe kick for savesthe inside for control The toe kick is achieved by placing the foot out for the ball and depending on the height of the either lifting the foot with your hip or just letting the ball bounce off You dont need much power because the ball tends to fly off uncontrollably Do it slow and take it easy Like the other kicks do the same toss and catch drill Then try with different combinations Do the same progression

REFERENCES

1 uarr 10 11 12 Shawn Kelley Takraw A Traditional Southeast Asian (mostly in Malaysia ) Sport Archived from the original on July 10 2007 httpwebarchiveorgweb20070710234948httpwwwtatnewsorgemagazine2813asp Retrieved July 30 2007

2 uarr J A Mangan Fan Hong (2002) Sport in Asian society past and present Frank Cass Publishers pp 220 ISBN 978-0714683300

3 uarr Dunsmore Susi (1983) Sepak Raga University of Michigan p 24 uarr Brown Charles Cuthbert (1970) Sejarah Melayu or Malay annals an

annotated translation [from the Malay] Oxford University Press p 895 uarr Permainan MarragaAkraga (Bugis) Melayuonline

httpmelayuonlinecomindculturedig1224permainan-marraga-akraga Retrieved 2010-08-04

6 uarr Hackworth M (2006) Sepak Takraw Sierra Star Journal644 858-1017 uarr Sepak Takraw By Fred Varcoe Metropolis Magazine February 4 2010

httpmetropoliscojpartssportsepak-takraw Retrieved 2010-02-048 uarr The Log Northrop University Student Newspaper November 5 1987 Vol 35

No 39 uarr Northrop University Magazine December 1987 Vol 3 No 410uarr Video CNN August 8 1994

httpsportsillustratedcnncomvaultarticlemagazineMAG1005482indexhtm11uarr KalishJ (2004) Talking Takraw[Electronic Version] Journal of Mens Fitness

Vol 20 Issue 10

12uarr 120 121 Sportsmatchmaker (2005) Sepak TakrawRetrieved March 23 2009 from the sportsmatchmaker website httpwwwsportsmatchmakercomruless-sportssepak_takrawcfm

13uarr 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) (2004) Sepaktakraw Laws of the Game (PDF) httpwwwsepaktakraworgpdflawofthegamepdf Retrieved July 29 2007

TERMINOLOGY

Block Blocking is a defensive skill used to counter a spike coming from close to the net Block is usually made by jumping in the air and raising a leg andor back to divert the ball back into the opponents court A block counts as one contact Center Line Divides the length of the playing court into two equal halves Dig The act of fielding hard hit ball successfully usually a spike or block to regain control ie The Dig by Thailand came at crucial point in the game Dink A soft hit ball -usually either a dink serve or a dink spike Fault A violation of one of the rules of the game Feeder Person who sets the ball to the spiker First Ball Term used to describe receiving the serve by the opposing team Killer Same as Spiker Common in international terminology Quarter Circle Place on court where the serving teams forwards (left inside and right inside players) must remain until the ball has been kicked by the server or back player Regu Malaysian word for team In takraw a team of 4 players (3 starters plus 1 reserve) is known as a Regu and a squad of 3 Regus is known as a Team Roll Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net rotates in the air and kicks the ball over the opposite shoulder from the kicking foot with a flip like motion Th most dramatic and famous move in the game Service Over When the serving team fails to return the ball over the net or commits a fault or foul The opposing team becomes the serving team but a point is not awarded to either team USA also uses the same term as volleyball - Side Out Serving Circle Circle of 1 foot radius located in both halves of the court The server is required to have one foot touching the ground inside the serving circle during a serve Set (1) A period of play which is concluded when one team reaches 15 points Matches

consists of the best of three sets Set (2) A high pass by one player to a team-mate or to self to enable a spike Service The act of putting the ball into play by the back player

Service (Hand) Toss A hand throw of the ball by one of the forward inside players to the back who must kick the ball into play in one try Spike A powerfully hit shot directed into the opponents half of the court by the foot or head Sunback Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net and kicks the ball over the same shoulder as the kicking foot In soccer this is known as a bicycle kick or

bike for short

STRATEGIES

The strategies in Sepak Takraw are very similar to those in volleyball The receiving team will attempt to playthe takraw ball towards the front of the net making the best use of their 3 hits to set and spike the ballTHE GOALThe goal in any form of takraw is to keep the hand-woven ball off the ground for as long as possible usingany part of the body except hands and armsTakraw challenges an individuals assumptions of what they are and are not capable of doing As you gaincontrol of the takraw ball you will find it very rewarding when you can easily whiz through a string ofconsecutive kicks or place an accurate pass to another player While amazing yourself and your friendsyou will also be having fun greatly increasing your eye-foot coordination and overall ball control (super forenhancing and refining soccer skills) strengthening your legs and really increasing your flexibility

GETTING STARTEDTry the FIVE BASIC KICKSHITS shown here These kicks may seem awkward at first but be patientand practice each kick individually What was impossible yesterday can be achieved today Once thebasics are learned try the free style kicks (and make up some of your own) then you can play a wholeseries of games including the ones below

1 INSIDE KICKThere are 5 basic kickshits that any goodTakraw player will have mastered The mostimportant of these is the inside kick for itprovides maximum ball control Use this kick tofield a ball dropping in front of youWith your planted leg flexed at the knee lift upyour other leg and swing the foot and lowerpart of the leg in and up sideways like apendulum in front of you turning the ankle sothat you hit the ball with the flat surface of theinside of your foot The inside kick is commonlyused for passing and setting the ball up highfor a spike2 THE OUTSIDE KICKThe Outside Kick is used when the Takraw balldrops outside your shoulders and slightly behindyou It is similar to the Inside Kick in that your legswings like a pendulum but out and upward (ratherthan in and upward) Shift weight to ball of supportfoot as you lift kicking leg up away from body Turnyour ankle so that toes are pointing out (not down)which enables you to kick the ball up with the flatoutside surface of your foot Avoid swinging orkicking your leg forward (only lift it upward)3 FRONT FOOT KICKThis kick is primarily used to save a lowdropping ball in front of you To propel the ballupwards most consistently the front of yourfoot must be flicked up in a quick smoothmotion as the ball is contacted (remaining looseat the ankle not stiff)

4 THE KNEE BUMPThe Knee Bump is usually used to deflect upwards alow angle pass or a fast serve to the mid-body Liftyour knee up very quickly with the foot followingunderneath (not kicking out) The ball is contacted atabout waist level with the front of your thigh justbehind the knee for maximum upward thrust andheight Contact with ball in mid-thigh area will servethe same purpose but ball will not be thrust up ashighNote both the Front Foot Kick and Knee Bump are used for added control when making a save orcontrolling a pass They do not always provide consistent control

5 THE HEADERThe fifth basic hit is the Header and it is usedfrequently in games to deflect upwards a highangle pass or fast serve to the upper bodyWith legs flexed at the knees put the top ofyour forehead in front of the ball lifting up yourchin and spring up from the legs as the ballstrikes the forehead so as to deflect it up highin your own courtGeneral Helpful Hints- aIways be in a ready stance with feet pointing ahead and shoulder width apart knees slightlybent weight low and slightly forward- with the basic kickshits usually you should face the direction that you want to direct the ball to asyou contact it- approach contact with the ball in a slow easy and relaxed fashion it is more important to firstdevelop good timing (knowing when and how to contact the ball) than it is to kick the ball hard- the support leg provides your balance so should maintain a low profile and be flexed at the kneeas your other foot executes the kick- ambidexterity is key to being a more versatile player when ball approaches your right side kick itwith your right foot - left side left footFREE STYLEThis is your chance to expand on your basic kicks and come up with some more challenging moves of yourown Here are a couple to get you startedFLYING CLIPPERLeap off the same foot that youll use to kick theball Cross your kicking foot behind and underyour other leg Lift your kicking foot turning yourankle and making contact with the ball with the flaysurface on the inside of your footHAND LOOPThis move can be done with a number of kicks Positionyour arms to form a loop The idea is to have the ball firstfall through the hand loop then kick it back upwardthrough the loopDifferent GamesSOLO PLAYThe object of play is to keep the takraw ball in the air as long as possible without using hands or armsanything else goes

CIRCLE GAMEThe object of the traditional ldquoCircle Gamerdquo is the same as ldquoSoIo Playrdquo except with a group of playersstanding in a circleThis activity was played as far back as the 14th century in India Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Burma) thePhilippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was woven out of a rattan material available in abundancethereSEPAK TAKRAW - THE NET GAMEldquoSepakrdquo is Malay for ldquokickrdquo and ldquoTakrawrdquo is Thai for the ldquohand-woven ballrdquo that is used In 1945enthusiasts added a court and net with the same dimensions as in doubles badminton and a set of rulessimilar to volleyball (without using hands or arms) to form a fantastic spectator sport with worldchampionship tournaments held in both Malaysia and ThailandIn western countries it has been mostly Laotian immigrants who have first introduced Takraw to othersNow ASEC INTERNATIONAL is also happy to help introduce promote and organize this fun and excitingrecreational activitysportPLAYERS POSITIONS1 The serving teams forwards must remain in their quarter circles while the back player must haveonly one foot in the serving circle until the ball is contacted by the servers foot2 The receiving teams players may stand anywhere in their side of the court but usually the backplayer stands just in front of the serving circle with the forwards on either side of him3 Players are allowed to move freely on each half of the court once the ball is has been servedTO BEGIN PLAYThe game begins by one of the forwards tossing the takraw ball to the backplayer The back player must then kick the ball with the foot that is outside the serving circle into theopponents court in one try (usually with an extended version of the inside kick) The serve is still good ifthe ball hits the net as it goes into the other half of the courtSCORING1 Only the serving team can make a point2 A fault by the team possessing the ball constitutes a loss of serve3 A set is won by scoring 21 points unless the points are tied 20 -20 then the set shall be decidedon a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 25 points4 A match is won by winning two out of three sets

5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

• Court

BASIC AND FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS

Inside Kick

Arguably it is the most important skill This is the kick you will use the most Watch any top class players in action and youll see that this is the control kick of choice This move sets up all the killer spikes While doing an inside kick you should stand in a good athletic stance Feet shoulder width apart Remember to bend your support leg at the knee And it is important always keep an eye on the ball The kicking motion is easy and dont swing at the ball too hard The ball is bouncy and you need to just hit it in the right spot on your foot as well as with the proper motion Try a few times of simply tossing the ball to yourself Focus on the ball and pop it back up to your hands Catch the ball and then try again Do this until the ball is consistently coming back up with ease and pop it back up to your hands Once you have gained consistency in this drill you can begin to try to link some kicks together Try dropping to your strong foot popping the ball up and then kicking with your weak foot before catching the ball Try to link three kicks together on alternating feet You should be able to see your progression All rights reserved Spiker Dek is owned by Sport Action International in the promotion of sepaktakraw in the Takraw Thailand League All rights reserved

KneeThigh kick

The knee and thigh is used when the ball comes fast towards the area between your knees and your waist This skill is used to bump or deflect the ball up enough to use an inside kick to control the ball It is also used when kicking consecutive kicks or in a circle and the ball gets to close to your body The motion is like a high step marching motion Simply raise the leg with your hip allowing your knee to bendTry to contact the ball on the thigh where possible instead of the knee as it provides better control Make sure the ball hits the fleshy part of the thigh to bump the ball up and out a bit Try a few back up to your hands Once you feel comfortable try to link with one inside kick then catch the ball Do this over and over until it comes naturally Once you get this combination and doing it naturally without thinking you will be aware of your improvement in skill

Header

The header is probably the second most important skill to have especially in the net game The header is used to pop up a ball that comes higher than the waist The best way to learn the header is like the inside kick The contact point should be just above the forehead at he hairline not too much on the forehead and not too much on the top of the head right in between Toss the ball to yourself hit it with your head and then catch it Do this several times until you feel comfortable with this skill When doing the

header remember to bend your knees and get low beneath the ball Like the other kicks you dont need to focus on power but on accuracy and placement The next step in this skill drill is to toss the ball higher and again control it with your head before catching the ball It hurts a bit at first but youll get use to it The graduating step is to a header from a high inside kick or from a header to a controlling inside kick Try both combinations as you will be using both of them as you begin to play more

Front kickToe kick

The toe kick is a defensive kick great for saving a ball that has gotten out in front of you It is not however a good control kick Those who play soccer may disagree but in sepaktakraw the inside is the right way Learn the toe kick for savesthe inside for control The toe kick is achieved by placing the foot out for the ball and depending on the height of the either lifting the foot with your hip or just letting the ball bounce off You dont need much power because the ball tends to fly off uncontrollably Do it slow and take it easy Like the other kicks do the same toss and catch drill Then try with different combinations Do the same progression

REFERENCES

1 uarr 10 11 12 Shawn Kelley Takraw A Traditional Southeast Asian (mostly in Malaysia ) Sport Archived from the original on July 10 2007 httpwebarchiveorgweb20070710234948httpwwwtatnewsorgemagazine2813asp Retrieved July 30 2007

2 uarr J A Mangan Fan Hong (2002) Sport in Asian society past and present Frank Cass Publishers pp 220 ISBN 978-0714683300

3 uarr Dunsmore Susi (1983) Sepak Raga University of Michigan p 24 uarr Brown Charles Cuthbert (1970) Sejarah Melayu or Malay annals an

annotated translation [from the Malay] Oxford University Press p 895 uarr Permainan MarragaAkraga (Bugis) Melayuonline

httpmelayuonlinecomindculturedig1224permainan-marraga-akraga Retrieved 2010-08-04

6 uarr Hackworth M (2006) Sepak Takraw Sierra Star Journal644 858-1017 uarr Sepak Takraw By Fred Varcoe Metropolis Magazine February 4 2010

httpmetropoliscojpartssportsepak-takraw Retrieved 2010-02-048 uarr The Log Northrop University Student Newspaper November 5 1987 Vol 35

No 39 uarr Northrop University Magazine December 1987 Vol 3 No 410uarr Video CNN August 8 1994

httpsportsillustratedcnncomvaultarticlemagazineMAG1005482indexhtm11uarr KalishJ (2004) Talking Takraw[Electronic Version] Journal of Mens Fitness

Vol 20 Issue 10

12uarr 120 121 Sportsmatchmaker (2005) Sepak TakrawRetrieved March 23 2009 from the sportsmatchmaker website httpwwwsportsmatchmakercomruless-sportssepak_takrawcfm

13uarr 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) (2004) Sepaktakraw Laws of the Game (PDF) httpwwwsepaktakraworgpdflawofthegamepdf Retrieved July 29 2007

TERMINOLOGY

Block Blocking is a defensive skill used to counter a spike coming from close to the net Block is usually made by jumping in the air and raising a leg andor back to divert the ball back into the opponents court A block counts as one contact Center Line Divides the length of the playing court into two equal halves Dig The act of fielding hard hit ball successfully usually a spike or block to regain control ie The Dig by Thailand came at crucial point in the game Dink A soft hit ball -usually either a dink serve or a dink spike Fault A violation of one of the rules of the game Feeder Person who sets the ball to the spiker First Ball Term used to describe receiving the serve by the opposing team Killer Same as Spiker Common in international terminology Quarter Circle Place on court where the serving teams forwards (left inside and right inside players) must remain until the ball has been kicked by the server or back player Regu Malaysian word for team In takraw a team of 4 players (3 starters plus 1 reserve) is known as a Regu and a squad of 3 Regus is known as a Team Roll Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net rotates in the air and kicks the ball over the opposite shoulder from the kicking foot with a flip like motion Th most dramatic and famous move in the game Service Over When the serving team fails to return the ball over the net or commits a fault or foul The opposing team becomes the serving team but a point is not awarded to either team USA also uses the same term as volleyball - Side Out Serving Circle Circle of 1 foot radius located in both halves of the court The server is required to have one foot touching the ground inside the serving circle during a serve Set (1) A period of play which is concluded when one team reaches 15 points Matches

consists of the best of three sets Set (2) A high pass by one player to a team-mate or to self to enable a spike Service The act of putting the ball into play by the back player

Service (Hand) Toss A hand throw of the ball by one of the forward inside players to the back who must kick the ball into play in one try Spike A powerfully hit shot directed into the opponents half of the court by the foot or head Sunback Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net and kicks the ball over the same shoulder as the kicking foot In soccer this is known as a bicycle kick or

bike for short

STRATEGIES

The strategies in Sepak Takraw are very similar to those in volleyball The receiving team will attempt to playthe takraw ball towards the front of the net making the best use of their 3 hits to set and spike the ballTHE GOALThe goal in any form of takraw is to keep the hand-woven ball off the ground for as long as possible usingany part of the body except hands and armsTakraw challenges an individuals assumptions of what they are and are not capable of doing As you gaincontrol of the takraw ball you will find it very rewarding when you can easily whiz through a string ofconsecutive kicks or place an accurate pass to another player While amazing yourself and your friendsyou will also be having fun greatly increasing your eye-foot coordination and overall ball control (super forenhancing and refining soccer skills) strengthening your legs and really increasing your flexibility

GETTING STARTEDTry the FIVE BASIC KICKSHITS shown here These kicks may seem awkward at first but be patientand practice each kick individually What was impossible yesterday can be achieved today Once thebasics are learned try the free style kicks (and make up some of your own) then you can play a wholeseries of games including the ones below

1 INSIDE KICKThere are 5 basic kickshits that any goodTakraw player will have mastered The mostimportant of these is the inside kick for itprovides maximum ball control Use this kick tofield a ball dropping in front of youWith your planted leg flexed at the knee lift upyour other leg and swing the foot and lowerpart of the leg in and up sideways like apendulum in front of you turning the ankle sothat you hit the ball with the flat surface of theinside of your foot The inside kick is commonlyused for passing and setting the ball up highfor a spike2 THE OUTSIDE KICKThe Outside Kick is used when the Takraw balldrops outside your shoulders and slightly behindyou It is similar to the Inside Kick in that your legswings like a pendulum but out and upward (ratherthan in and upward) Shift weight to ball of supportfoot as you lift kicking leg up away from body Turnyour ankle so that toes are pointing out (not down)which enables you to kick the ball up with the flatoutside surface of your foot Avoid swinging orkicking your leg forward (only lift it upward)3 FRONT FOOT KICKThis kick is primarily used to save a lowdropping ball in front of you To propel the ballupwards most consistently the front of yourfoot must be flicked up in a quick smoothmotion as the ball is contacted (remaining looseat the ankle not stiff)

4 THE KNEE BUMPThe Knee Bump is usually used to deflect upwards alow angle pass or a fast serve to the mid-body Liftyour knee up very quickly with the foot followingunderneath (not kicking out) The ball is contacted atabout waist level with the front of your thigh justbehind the knee for maximum upward thrust andheight Contact with ball in mid-thigh area will servethe same purpose but ball will not be thrust up ashighNote both the Front Foot Kick and Knee Bump are used for added control when making a save orcontrolling a pass They do not always provide consistent control

5 THE HEADERThe fifth basic hit is the Header and it is usedfrequently in games to deflect upwards a highangle pass or fast serve to the upper bodyWith legs flexed at the knees put the top ofyour forehead in front of the ball lifting up yourchin and spring up from the legs as the ballstrikes the forehead so as to deflect it up highin your own courtGeneral Helpful Hints- aIways be in a ready stance with feet pointing ahead and shoulder width apart knees slightlybent weight low and slightly forward- with the basic kickshits usually you should face the direction that you want to direct the ball to asyou contact it- approach contact with the ball in a slow easy and relaxed fashion it is more important to firstdevelop good timing (knowing when and how to contact the ball) than it is to kick the ball hard- the support leg provides your balance so should maintain a low profile and be flexed at the kneeas your other foot executes the kick- ambidexterity is key to being a more versatile player when ball approaches your right side kick itwith your right foot - left side left footFREE STYLEThis is your chance to expand on your basic kicks and come up with some more challenging moves of yourown Here are a couple to get you startedFLYING CLIPPERLeap off the same foot that youll use to kick theball Cross your kicking foot behind and underyour other leg Lift your kicking foot turning yourankle and making contact with the ball with the flaysurface on the inside of your footHAND LOOPThis move can be done with a number of kicks Positionyour arms to form a loop The idea is to have the ball firstfall through the hand loop then kick it back upwardthrough the loopDifferent GamesSOLO PLAYThe object of play is to keep the takraw ball in the air as long as possible without using hands or armsanything else goes

CIRCLE GAMEThe object of the traditional ldquoCircle Gamerdquo is the same as ldquoSoIo Playrdquo except with a group of playersstanding in a circleThis activity was played as far back as the 14th century in India Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Burma) thePhilippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was woven out of a rattan material available in abundancethereSEPAK TAKRAW - THE NET GAMEldquoSepakrdquo is Malay for ldquokickrdquo and ldquoTakrawrdquo is Thai for the ldquohand-woven ballrdquo that is used In 1945enthusiasts added a court and net with the same dimensions as in doubles badminton and a set of rulessimilar to volleyball (without using hands or arms) to form a fantastic spectator sport with worldchampionship tournaments held in both Malaysia and ThailandIn western countries it has been mostly Laotian immigrants who have first introduced Takraw to othersNow ASEC INTERNATIONAL is also happy to help introduce promote and organize this fun and excitingrecreational activitysportPLAYERS POSITIONS1 The serving teams forwards must remain in their quarter circles while the back player must haveonly one foot in the serving circle until the ball is contacted by the servers foot2 The receiving teams players may stand anywhere in their side of the court but usually the backplayer stands just in front of the serving circle with the forwards on either side of him3 Players are allowed to move freely on each half of the court once the ball is has been servedTO BEGIN PLAYThe game begins by one of the forwards tossing the takraw ball to the backplayer The back player must then kick the ball with the foot that is outside the serving circle into theopponents court in one try (usually with an extended version of the inside kick) The serve is still good ifthe ball hits the net as it goes into the other half of the courtSCORING1 Only the serving team can make a point2 A fault by the team possessing the ball constitutes a loss of serve3 A set is won by scoring 21 points unless the points are tied 20 -20 then the set shall be decidedon a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 25 points4 A match is won by winning two out of three sets

5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

• Court

header remember to bend your knees and get low beneath the ball Like the other kicks you dont need to focus on power but on accuracy and placement The next step in this skill drill is to toss the ball higher and again control it with your head before catching the ball It hurts a bit at first but youll get use to it The graduating step is to a header from a high inside kick or from a header to a controlling inside kick Try both combinations as you will be using both of them as you begin to play more

Front kickToe kick

The toe kick is a defensive kick great for saving a ball that has gotten out in front of you It is not however a good control kick Those who play soccer may disagree but in sepaktakraw the inside is the right way Learn the toe kick for savesthe inside for control The toe kick is achieved by placing the foot out for the ball and depending on the height of the either lifting the foot with your hip or just letting the ball bounce off You dont need much power because the ball tends to fly off uncontrollably Do it slow and take it easy Like the other kicks do the same toss and catch drill Then try with different combinations Do the same progression

REFERENCES

1 uarr 10 11 12 Shawn Kelley Takraw A Traditional Southeast Asian (mostly in Malaysia ) Sport Archived from the original on July 10 2007 httpwebarchiveorgweb20070710234948httpwwwtatnewsorgemagazine2813asp Retrieved July 30 2007

2 uarr J A Mangan Fan Hong (2002) Sport in Asian society past and present Frank Cass Publishers pp 220 ISBN 978-0714683300

3 uarr Dunsmore Susi (1983) Sepak Raga University of Michigan p 24 uarr Brown Charles Cuthbert (1970) Sejarah Melayu or Malay annals an

annotated translation [from the Malay] Oxford University Press p 895 uarr Permainan MarragaAkraga (Bugis) Melayuonline

httpmelayuonlinecomindculturedig1224permainan-marraga-akraga Retrieved 2010-08-04

6 uarr Hackworth M (2006) Sepak Takraw Sierra Star Journal644 858-1017 uarr Sepak Takraw By Fred Varcoe Metropolis Magazine February 4 2010

httpmetropoliscojpartssportsepak-takraw Retrieved 2010-02-048 uarr The Log Northrop University Student Newspaper November 5 1987 Vol 35

No 39 uarr Northrop University Magazine December 1987 Vol 3 No 410uarr Video CNN August 8 1994

httpsportsillustratedcnncomvaultarticlemagazineMAG1005482indexhtm11uarr KalishJ (2004) Talking Takraw[Electronic Version] Journal of Mens Fitness

Vol 20 Issue 10

12uarr 120 121 Sportsmatchmaker (2005) Sepak TakrawRetrieved March 23 2009 from the sportsmatchmaker website httpwwwsportsmatchmakercomruless-sportssepak_takrawcfm

13uarr 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) (2004) Sepaktakraw Laws of the Game (PDF) httpwwwsepaktakraworgpdflawofthegamepdf Retrieved July 29 2007

TERMINOLOGY

Block Blocking is a defensive skill used to counter a spike coming from close to the net Block is usually made by jumping in the air and raising a leg andor back to divert the ball back into the opponents court A block counts as one contact Center Line Divides the length of the playing court into two equal halves Dig The act of fielding hard hit ball successfully usually a spike or block to regain control ie The Dig by Thailand came at crucial point in the game Dink A soft hit ball -usually either a dink serve or a dink spike Fault A violation of one of the rules of the game Feeder Person who sets the ball to the spiker First Ball Term used to describe receiving the serve by the opposing team Killer Same as Spiker Common in international terminology Quarter Circle Place on court where the serving teams forwards (left inside and right inside players) must remain until the ball has been kicked by the server or back player Regu Malaysian word for team In takraw a team of 4 players (3 starters plus 1 reserve) is known as a Regu and a squad of 3 Regus is known as a Team Roll Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net rotates in the air and kicks the ball over the opposite shoulder from the kicking foot with a flip like motion Th most dramatic and famous move in the game Service Over When the serving team fails to return the ball over the net or commits a fault or foul The opposing team becomes the serving team but a point is not awarded to either team USA also uses the same term as volleyball - Side Out Serving Circle Circle of 1 foot radius located in both halves of the court The server is required to have one foot touching the ground inside the serving circle during a serve Set (1) A period of play which is concluded when one team reaches 15 points Matches

consists of the best of three sets Set (2) A high pass by one player to a team-mate or to self to enable a spike Service The act of putting the ball into play by the back player

Service (Hand) Toss A hand throw of the ball by one of the forward inside players to the back who must kick the ball into play in one try Spike A powerfully hit shot directed into the opponents half of the court by the foot or head Sunback Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net and kicks the ball over the same shoulder as the kicking foot In soccer this is known as a bicycle kick or

bike for short

STRATEGIES

The strategies in Sepak Takraw are very similar to those in volleyball The receiving team will attempt to playthe takraw ball towards the front of the net making the best use of their 3 hits to set and spike the ballTHE GOALThe goal in any form of takraw is to keep the hand-woven ball off the ground for as long as possible usingany part of the body except hands and armsTakraw challenges an individuals assumptions of what they are and are not capable of doing As you gaincontrol of the takraw ball you will find it very rewarding when you can easily whiz through a string ofconsecutive kicks or place an accurate pass to another player While amazing yourself and your friendsyou will also be having fun greatly increasing your eye-foot coordination and overall ball control (super forenhancing and refining soccer skills) strengthening your legs and really increasing your flexibility

GETTING STARTEDTry the FIVE BASIC KICKSHITS shown here These kicks may seem awkward at first but be patientand practice each kick individually What was impossible yesterday can be achieved today Once thebasics are learned try the free style kicks (and make up some of your own) then you can play a wholeseries of games including the ones below

1 INSIDE KICKThere are 5 basic kickshits that any goodTakraw player will have mastered The mostimportant of these is the inside kick for itprovides maximum ball control Use this kick tofield a ball dropping in front of youWith your planted leg flexed at the knee lift upyour other leg and swing the foot and lowerpart of the leg in and up sideways like apendulum in front of you turning the ankle sothat you hit the ball with the flat surface of theinside of your foot The inside kick is commonlyused for passing and setting the ball up highfor a spike2 THE OUTSIDE KICKThe Outside Kick is used when the Takraw balldrops outside your shoulders and slightly behindyou It is similar to the Inside Kick in that your legswings like a pendulum but out and upward (ratherthan in and upward) Shift weight to ball of supportfoot as you lift kicking leg up away from body Turnyour ankle so that toes are pointing out (not down)which enables you to kick the ball up with the flatoutside surface of your foot Avoid swinging orkicking your leg forward (only lift it upward)3 FRONT FOOT KICKThis kick is primarily used to save a lowdropping ball in front of you To propel the ballupwards most consistently the front of yourfoot must be flicked up in a quick smoothmotion as the ball is contacted (remaining looseat the ankle not stiff)

4 THE KNEE BUMPThe Knee Bump is usually used to deflect upwards alow angle pass or a fast serve to the mid-body Liftyour knee up very quickly with the foot followingunderneath (not kicking out) The ball is contacted atabout waist level with the front of your thigh justbehind the knee for maximum upward thrust andheight Contact with ball in mid-thigh area will servethe same purpose but ball will not be thrust up ashighNote both the Front Foot Kick and Knee Bump are used for added control when making a save orcontrolling a pass They do not always provide consistent control

5 THE HEADERThe fifth basic hit is the Header and it is usedfrequently in games to deflect upwards a highangle pass or fast serve to the upper bodyWith legs flexed at the knees put the top ofyour forehead in front of the ball lifting up yourchin and spring up from the legs as the ballstrikes the forehead so as to deflect it up highin your own courtGeneral Helpful Hints- aIways be in a ready stance with feet pointing ahead and shoulder width apart knees slightlybent weight low and slightly forward- with the basic kickshits usually you should face the direction that you want to direct the ball to asyou contact it- approach contact with the ball in a slow easy and relaxed fashion it is more important to firstdevelop good timing (knowing when and how to contact the ball) than it is to kick the ball hard- the support leg provides your balance so should maintain a low profile and be flexed at the kneeas your other foot executes the kick- ambidexterity is key to being a more versatile player when ball approaches your right side kick itwith your right foot - left side left footFREE STYLEThis is your chance to expand on your basic kicks and come up with some more challenging moves of yourown Here are a couple to get you startedFLYING CLIPPERLeap off the same foot that youll use to kick theball Cross your kicking foot behind and underyour other leg Lift your kicking foot turning yourankle and making contact with the ball with the flaysurface on the inside of your footHAND LOOPThis move can be done with a number of kicks Positionyour arms to form a loop The idea is to have the ball firstfall through the hand loop then kick it back upwardthrough the loopDifferent GamesSOLO PLAYThe object of play is to keep the takraw ball in the air as long as possible without using hands or armsanything else goes

CIRCLE GAMEThe object of the traditional ldquoCircle Gamerdquo is the same as ldquoSoIo Playrdquo except with a group of playersstanding in a circleThis activity was played as far back as the 14th century in India Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Burma) thePhilippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was woven out of a rattan material available in abundancethereSEPAK TAKRAW - THE NET GAMEldquoSepakrdquo is Malay for ldquokickrdquo and ldquoTakrawrdquo is Thai for the ldquohand-woven ballrdquo that is used In 1945enthusiasts added a court and net with the same dimensions as in doubles badminton and a set of rulessimilar to volleyball (without using hands or arms) to form a fantastic spectator sport with worldchampionship tournaments held in both Malaysia and ThailandIn western countries it has been mostly Laotian immigrants who have first introduced Takraw to othersNow ASEC INTERNATIONAL is also happy to help introduce promote and organize this fun and excitingrecreational activitysportPLAYERS POSITIONS1 The serving teams forwards must remain in their quarter circles while the back player must haveonly one foot in the serving circle until the ball is contacted by the servers foot2 The receiving teams players may stand anywhere in their side of the court but usually the backplayer stands just in front of the serving circle with the forwards on either side of him3 Players are allowed to move freely on each half of the court once the ball is has been servedTO BEGIN PLAYThe game begins by one of the forwards tossing the takraw ball to the backplayer The back player must then kick the ball with the foot that is outside the serving circle into theopponents court in one try (usually with an extended version of the inside kick) The serve is still good ifthe ball hits the net as it goes into the other half of the courtSCORING1 Only the serving team can make a point2 A fault by the team possessing the ball constitutes a loss of serve3 A set is won by scoring 21 points unless the points are tied 20 -20 then the set shall be decidedon a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 25 points4 A match is won by winning two out of three sets

5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

• Court

12uarr 120 121 Sportsmatchmaker (2005) Sepak TakrawRetrieved March 23 2009 from the sportsmatchmaker website httpwwwsportsmatchmakercomruless-sportssepak_takrawcfm

13uarr 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) (2004) Sepaktakraw Laws of the Game (PDF) httpwwwsepaktakraworgpdflawofthegamepdf Retrieved July 29 2007

TERMINOLOGY

Block Blocking is a defensive skill used to counter a spike coming from close to the net Block is usually made by jumping in the air and raising a leg andor back to divert the ball back into the opponents court A block counts as one contact Center Line Divides the length of the playing court into two equal halves Dig The act of fielding hard hit ball successfully usually a spike or block to regain control ie The Dig by Thailand came at crucial point in the game Dink A soft hit ball -usually either a dink serve or a dink spike Fault A violation of one of the rules of the game Feeder Person who sets the ball to the spiker First Ball Term used to describe receiving the serve by the opposing team Killer Same as Spiker Common in international terminology Quarter Circle Place on court where the serving teams forwards (left inside and right inside players) must remain until the ball has been kicked by the server or back player Regu Malaysian word for team In takraw a team of 4 players (3 starters plus 1 reserve) is known as a Regu and a squad of 3 Regus is known as a Team Roll Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net rotates in the air and kicks the ball over the opposite shoulder from the kicking foot with a flip like motion Th most dramatic and famous move in the game Service Over When the serving team fails to return the ball over the net or commits a fault or foul The opposing team becomes the serving team but a point is not awarded to either team USA also uses the same term as volleyball - Side Out Serving Circle Circle of 1 foot radius located in both halves of the court The server is required to have one foot touching the ground inside the serving circle during a serve Set (1) A period of play which is concluded when one team reaches 15 points Matches

consists of the best of three sets Set (2) A high pass by one player to a team-mate or to self to enable a spike Service The act of putting the ball into play by the back player

Service (Hand) Toss A hand throw of the ball by one of the forward inside players to the back who must kick the ball into play in one try Spike A powerfully hit shot directed into the opponents half of the court by the foot or head Sunback Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net and kicks the ball over the same shoulder as the kicking foot In soccer this is known as a bicycle kick or

bike for short

STRATEGIES

The strategies in Sepak Takraw are very similar to those in volleyball The receiving team will attempt to playthe takraw ball towards the front of the net making the best use of their 3 hits to set and spike the ballTHE GOALThe goal in any form of takraw is to keep the hand-woven ball off the ground for as long as possible usingany part of the body except hands and armsTakraw challenges an individuals assumptions of what they are and are not capable of doing As you gaincontrol of the takraw ball you will find it very rewarding when you can easily whiz through a string ofconsecutive kicks or place an accurate pass to another player While amazing yourself and your friendsyou will also be having fun greatly increasing your eye-foot coordination and overall ball control (super forenhancing and refining soccer skills) strengthening your legs and really increasing your flexibility

GETTING STARTEDTry the FIVE BASIC KICKSHITS shown here These kicks may seem awkward at first but be patientand practice each kick individually What was impossible yesterday can be achieved today Once thebasics are learned try the free style kicks (and make up some of your own) then you can play a wholeseries of games including the ones below

1 INSIDE KICKThere are 5 basic kickshits that any goodTakraw player will have mastered The mostimportant of these is the inside kick for itprovides maximum ball control Use this kick tofield a ball dropping in front of youWith your planted leg flexed at the knee lift upyour other leg and swing the foot and lowerpart of the leg in and up sideways like apendulum in front of you turning the ankle sothat you hit the ball with the flat surface of theinside of your foot The inside kick is commonlyused for passing and setting the ball up highfor a spike2 THE OUTSIDE KICKThe Outside Kick is used when the Takraw balldrops outside your shoulders and slightly behindyou It is similar to the Inside Kick in that your legswings like a pendulum but out and upward (ratherthan in and upward) Shift weight to ball of supportfoot as you lift kicking leg up away from body Turnyour ankle so that toes are pointing out (not down)which enables you to kick the ball up with the flatoutside surface of your foot Avoid swinging orkicking your leg forward (only lift it upward)3 FRONT FOOT KICKThis kick is primarily used to save a lowdropping ball in front of you To propel the ballupwards most consistently the front of yourfoot must be flicked up in a quick smoothmotion as the ball is contacted (remaining looseat the ankle not stiff)

4 THE KNEE BUMPThe Knee Bump is usually used to deflect upwards alow angle pass or a fast serve to the mid-body Liftyour knee up very quickly with the foot followingunderneath (not kicking out) The ball is contacted atabout waist level with the front of your thigh justbehind the knee for maximum upward thrust andheight Contact with ball in mid-thigh area will servethe same purpose but ball will not be thrust up ashighNote both the Front Foot Kick and Knee Bump are used for added control when making a save orcontrolling a pass They do not always provide consistent control

5 THE HEADERThe fifth basic hit is the Header and it is usedfrequently in games to deflect upwards a highangle pass or fast serve to the upper bodyWith legs flexed at the knees put the top ofyour forehead in front of the ball lifting up yourchin and spring up from the legs as the ballstrikes the forehead so as to deflect it up highin your own courtGeneral Helpful Hints- aIways be in a ready stance with feet pointing ahead and shoulder width apart knees slightlybent weight low and slightly forward- with the basic kickshits usually you should face the direction that you want to direct the ball to asyou contact it- approach contact with the ball in a slow easy and relaxed fashion it is more important to firstdevelop good timing (knowing when and how to contact the ball) than it is to kick the ball hard- the support leg provides your balance so should maintain a low profile and be flexed at the kneeas your other foot executes the kick- ambidexterity is key to being a more versatile player when ball approaches your right side kick itwith your right foot - left side left footFREE STYLEThis is your chance to expand on your basic kicks and come up with some more challenging moves of yourown Here are a couple to get you startedFLYING CLIPPERLeap off the same foot that youll use to kick theball Cross your kicking foot behind and underyour other leg Lift your kicking foot turning yourankle and making contact with the ball with the flaysurface on the inside of your footHAND LOOPThis move can be done with a number of kicks Positionyour arms to form a loop The idea is to have the ball firstfall through the hand loop then kick it back upwardthrough the loopDifferent GamesSOLO PLAYThe object of play is to keep the takraw ball in the air as long as possible without using hands or armsanything else goes

CIRCLE GAMEThe object of the traditional ldquoCircle Gamerdquo is the same as ldquoSoIo Playrdquo except with a group of playersstanding in a circleThis activity was played as far back as the 14th century in India Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Burma) thePhilippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was woven out of a rattan material available in abundancethereSEPAK TAKRAW - THE NET GAMEldquoSepakrdquo is Malay for ldquokickrdquo and ldquoTakrawrdquo is Thai for the ldquohand-woven ballrdquo that is used In 1945enthusiasts added a court and net with the same dimensions as in doubles badminton and a set of rulessimilar to volleyball (without using hands or arms) to form a fantastic spectator sport with worldchampionship tournaments held in both Malaysia and ThailandIn western countries it has been mostly Laotian immigrants who have first introduced Takraw to othersNow ASEC INTERNATIONAL is also happy to help introduce promote and organize this fun and excitingrecreational activitysportPLAYERS POSITIONS1 The serving teams forwards must remain in their quarter circles while the back player must haveonly one foot in the serving circle until the ball is contacted by the servers foot2 The receiving teams players may stand anywhere in their side of the court but usually the backplayer stands just in front of the serving circle with the forwards on either side of him3 Players are allowed to move freely on each half of the court once the ball is has been servedTO BEGIN PLAYThe game begins by one of the forwards tossing the takraw ball to the backplayer The back player must then kick the ball with the foot that is outside the serving circle into theopponents court in one try (usually with an extended version of the inside kick) The serve is still good ifthe ball hits the net as it goes into the other half of the courtSCORING1 Only the serving team can make a point2 A fault by the team possessing the ball constitutes a loss of serve3 A set is won by scoring 21 points unless the points are tied 20 -20 then the set shall be decidedon a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 25 points4 A match is won by winning two out of three sets

5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

• Court

Service (Hand) Toss A hand throw of the ball by one of the forward inside players to the back who must kick the ball into play in one try Spike A powerfully hit shot directed into the opponents half of the court by the foot or head Sunback Spike Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net and kicks the ball over the same shoulder as the kicking foot In soccer this is known as a bicycle kick or

bike for short

STRATEGIES

The strategies in Sepak Takraw are very similar to those in volleyball The receiving team will attempt to playthe takraw ball towards the front of the net making the best use of their 3 hits to set and spike the ballTHE GOALThe goal in any form of takraw is to keep the hand-woven ball off the ground for as long as possible usingany part of the body except hands and armsTakraw challenges an individuals assumptions of what they are and are not capable of doing As you gaincontrol of the takraw ball you will find it very rewarding when you can easily whiz through a string ofconsecutive kicks or place an accurate pass to another player While amazing yourself and your friendsyou will also be having fun greatly increasing your eye-foot coordination and overall ball control (super forenhancing and refining soccer skills) strengthening your legs and really increasing your flexibility

GETTING STARTEDTry the FIVE BASIC KICKSHITS shown here These kicks may seem awkward at first but be patientand practice each kick individually What was impossible yesterday can be achieved today Once thebasics are learned try the free style kicks (and make up some of your own) then you can play a wholeseries of games including the ones below

1 INSIDE KICKThere are 5 basic kickshits that any goodTakraw player will have mastered The mostimportant of these is the inside kick for itprovides maximum ball control Use this kick tofield a ball dropping in front of youWith your planted leg flexed at the knee lift upyour other leg and swing the foot and lowerpart of the leg in and up sideways like apendulum in front of you turning the ankle sothat you hit the ball with the flat surface of theinside of your foot The inside kick is commonlyused for passing and setting the ball up highfor a spike2 THE OUTSIDE KICKThe Outside Kick is used when the Takraw balldrops outside your shoulders and slightly behindyou It is similar to the Inside Kick in that your legswings like a pendulum but out and upward (ratherthan in and upward) Shift weight to ball of supportfoot as you lift kicking leg up away from body Turnyour ankle so that toes are pointing out (not down)which enables you to kick the ball up with the flatoutside surface of your foot Avoid swinging orkicking your leg forward (only lift it upward)3 FRONT FOOT KICKThis kick is primarily used to save a lowdropping ball in front of you To propel the ballupwards most consistently the front of yourfoot must be flicked up in a quick smoothmotion as the ball is contacted (remaining looseat the ankle not stiff)

4 THE KNEE BUMPThe Knee Bump is usually used to deflect upwards alow angle pass or a fast serve to the mid-body Liftyour knee up very quickly with the foot followingunderneath (not kicking out) The ball is contacted atabout waist level with the front of your thigh justbehind the knee for maximum upward thrust andheight Contact with ball in mid-thigh area will servethe same purpose but ball will not be thrust up ashighNote both the Front Foot Kick and Knee Bump are used for added control when making a save orcontrolling a pass They do not always provide consistent control

5 THE HEADERThe fifth basic hit is the Header and it is usedfrequently in games to deflect upwards a highangle pass or fast serve to the upper bodyWith legs flexed at the knees put the top ofyour forehead in front of the ball lifting up yourchin and spring up from the legs as the ballstrikes the forehead so as to deflect it up highin your own courtGeneral Helpful Hints- aIways be in a ready stance with feet pointing ahead and shoulder width apart knees slightlybent weight low and slightly forward- with the basic kickshits usually you should face the direction that you want to direct the ball to asyou contact it- approach contact with the ball in a slow easy and relaxed fashion it is more important to firstdevelop good timing (knowing when and how to contact the ball) than it is to kick the ball hard- the support leg provides your balance so should maintain a low profile and be flexed at the kneeas your other foot executes the kick- ambidexterity is key to being a more versatile player when ball approaches your right side kick itwith your right foot - left side left footFREE STYLEThis is your chance to expand on your basic kicks and come up with some more challenging moves of yourown Here are a couple to get you startedFLYING CLIPPERLeap off the same foot that youll use to kick theball Cross your kicking foot behind and underyour other leg Lift your kicking foot turning yourankle and making contact with the ball with the flaysurface on the inside of your footHAND LOOPThis move can be done with a number of kicks Positionyour arms to form a loop The idea is to have the ball firstfall through the hand loop then kick it back upwardthrough the loopDifferent GamesSOLO PLAYThe object of play is to keep the takraw ball in the air as long as possible without using hands or armsanything else goes

CIRCLE GAMEThe object of the traditional ldquoCircle Gamerdquo is the same as ldquoSoIo Playrdquo except with a group of playersstanding in a circleThis activity was played as far back as the 14th century in India Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Burma) thePhilippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was woven out of a rattan material available in abundancethereSEPAK TAKRAW - THE NET GAMEldquoSepakrdquo is Malay for ldquokickrdquo and ldquoTakrawrdquo is Thai for the ldquohand-woven ballrdquo that is used In 1945enthusiasts added a court and net with the same dimensions as in doubles badminton and a set of rulessimilar to volleyball (without using hands or arms) to form a fantastic spectator sport with worldchampionship tournaments held in both Malaysia and ThailandIn western countries it has been mostly Laotian immigrants who have first introduced Takraw to othersNow ASEC INTERNATIONAL is also happy to help introduce promote and organize this fun and excitingrecreational activitysportPLAYERS POSITIONS1 The serving teams forwards must remain in their quarter circles while the back player must haveonly one foot in the serving circle until the ball is contacted by the servers foot2 The receiving teams players may stand anywhere in their side of the court but usually the backplayer stands just in front of the serving circle with the forwards on either side of him3 Players are allowed to move freely on each half of the court once the ball is has been servedTO BEGIN PLAYThe game begins by one of the forwards tossing the takraw ball to the backplayer The back player must then kick the ball with the foot that is outside the serving circle into theopponents court in one try (usually with an extended version of the inside kick) The serve is still good ifthe ball hits the net as it goes into the other half of the courtSCORING1 Only the serving team can make a point2 A fault by the team possessing the ball constitutes a loss of serve3 A set is won by scoring 21 points unless the points are tied 20 -20 then the set shall be decidedon a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 25 points4 A match is won by winning two out of three sets

5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

• Court

1 INSIDE KICKThere are 5 basic kickshits that any goodTakraw player will have mastered The mostimportant of these is the inside kick for itprovides maximum ball control Use this kick tofield a ball dropping in front of youWith your planted leg flexed at the knee lift upyour other leg and swing the foot and lowerpart of the leg in and up sideways like apendulum in front of you turning the ankle sothat you hit the ball with the flat surface of theinside of your foot The inside kick is commonlyused for passing and setting the ball up highfor a spike2 THE OUTSIDE KICKThe Outside Kick is used when the Takraw balldrops outside your shoulders and slightly behindyou It is similar to the Inside Kick in that your legswings like a pendulum but out and upward (ratherthan in and upward) Shift weight to ball of supportfoot as you lift kicking leg up away from body Turnyour ankle so that toes are pointing out (not down)which enables you to kick the ball up with the flatoutside surface of your foot Avoid swinging orkicking your leg forward (only lift it upward)3 FRONT FOOT KICKThis kick is primarily used to save a lowdropping ball in front of you To propel the ballupwards most consistently the front of yourfoot must be flicked up in a quick smoothmotion as the ball is contacted (remaining looseat the ankle not stiff)

4 THE KNEE BUMPThe Knee Bump is usually used to deflect upwards alow angle pass or a fast serve to the mid-body Liftyour knee up very quickly with the foot followingunderneath (not kicking out) The ball is contacted atabout waist level with the front of your thigh justbehind the knee for maximum upward thrust andheight Contact with ball in mid-thigh area will servethe same purpose but ball will not be thrust up ashighNote both the Front Foot Kick and Knee Bump are used for added control when making a save orcontrolling a pass They do not always provide consistent control

5 THE HEADERThe fifth basic hit is the Header and it is usedfrequently in games to deflect upwards a highangle pass or fast serve to the upper bodyWith legs flexed at the knees put the top ofyour forehead in front of the ball lifting up yourchin and spring up from the legs as the ballstrikes the forehead so as to deflect it up highin your own courtGeneral Helpful Hints- aIways be in a ready stance with feet pointing ahead and shoulder width apart knees slightlybent weight low and slightly forward- with the basic kickshits usually you should face the direction that you want to direct the ball to asyou contact it- approach contact with the ball in a slow easy and relaxed fashion it is more important to firstdevelop good timing (knowing when and how to contact the ball) than it is to kick the ball hard- the support leg provides your balance so should maintain a low profile and be flexed at the kneeas your other foot executes the kick- ambidexterity is key to being a more versatile player when ball approaches your right side kick itwith your right foot - left side left footFREE STYLEThis is your chance to expand on your basic kicks and come up with some more challenging moves of yourown Here are a couple to get you startedFLYING CLIPPERLeap off the same foot that youll use to kick theball Cross your kicking foot behind and underyour other leg Lift your kicking foot turning yourankle and making contact with the ball with the flaysurface on the inside of your footHAND LOOPThis move can be done with a number of kicks Positionyour arms to form a loop The idea is to have the ball firstfall through the hand loop then kick it back upwardthrough the loopDifferent GamesSOLO PLAYThe object of play is to keep the takraw ball in the air as long as possible without using hands or armsanything else goes

CIRCLE GAMEThe object of the traditional ldquoCircle Gamerdquo is the same as ldquoSoIo Playrdquo except with a group of playersstanding in a circleThis activity was played as far back as the 14th century in India Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Burma) thePhilippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was woven out of a rattan material available in abundancethereSEPAK TAKRAW - THE NET GAMEldquoSepakrdquo is Malay for ldquokickrdquo and ldquoTakrawrdquo is Thai for the ldquohand-woven ballrdquo that is used In 1945enthusiasts added a court and net with the same dimensions as in doubles badminton and a set of rulessimilar to volleyball (without using hands or arms) to form a fantastic spectator sport with worldchampionship tournaments held in both Malaysia and ThailandIn western countries it has been mostly Laotian immigrants who have first introduced Takraw to othersNow ASEC INTERNATIONAL is also happy to help introduce promote and organize this fun and excitingrecreational activitysportPLAYERS POSITIONS1 The serving teams forwards must remain in their quarter circles while the back player must haveonly one foot in the serving circle until the ball is contacted by the servers foot2 The receiving teams players may stand anywhere in their side of the court but usually the backplayer stands just in front of the serving circle with the forwards on either side of him3 Players are allowed to move freely on each half of the court once the ball is has been servedTO BEGIN PLAYThe game begins by one of the forwards tossing the takraw ball to the backplayer The back player must then kick the ball with the foot that is outside the serving circle into theopponents court in one try (usually with an extended version of the inside kick) The serve is still good ifthe ball hits the net as it goes into the other half of the courtSCORING1 Only the serving team can make a point2 A fault by the team possessing the ball constitutes a loss of serve3 A set is won by scoring 21 points unless the points are tied 20 -20 then the set shall be decidedon a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 25 points4 A match is won by winning two out of three sets

5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

• Court

5 THE HEADERThe fifth basic hit is the Header and it is usedfrequently in games to deflect upwards a highangle pass or fast serve to the upper bodyWith legs flexed at the knees put the top ofyour forehead in front of the ball lifting up yourchin and spring up from the legs as the ballstrikes the forehead so as to deflect it up highin your own courtGeneral Helpful Hints- aIways be in a ready stance with feet pointing ahead and shoulder width apart knees slightlybent weight low and slightly forward- with the basic kickshits usually you should face the direction that you want to direct the ball to asyou contact it- approach contact with the ball in a slow easy and relaxed fashion it is more important to firstdevelop good timing (knowing when and how to contact the ball) than it is to kick the ball hard- the support leg provides your balance so should maintain a low profile and be flexed at the kneeas your other foot executes the kick- ambidexterity is key to being a more versatile player when ball approaches your right side kick itwith your right foot - left side left footFREE STYLEThis is your chance to expand on your basic kicks and come up with some more challenging moves of yourown Here are a couple to get you startedFLYING CLIPPERLeap off the same foot that youll use to kick theball Cross your kicking foot behind and underyour other leg Lift your kicking foot turning yourankle and making contact with the ball with the flaysurface on the inside of your footHAND LOOPThis move can be done with a number of kicks Positionyour arms to form a loop The idea is to have the ball firstfall through the hand loop then kick it back upwardthrough the loopDifferent GamesSOLO PLAYThe object of play is to keep the takraw ball in the air as long as possible without using hands or armsanything else goes

CIRCLE GAMEThe object of the traditional ldquoCircle Gamerdquo is the same as ldquoSoIo Playrdquo except with a group of playersstanding in a circleThis activity was played as far back as the 14th century in India Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Burma) thePhilippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was woven out of a rattan material available in abundancethereSEPAK TAKRAW - THE NET GAMEldquoSepakrdquo is Malay for ldquokickrdquo and ldquoTakrawrdquo is Thai for the ldquohand-woven ballrdquo that is used In 1945enthusiasts added a court and net with the same dimensions as in doubles badminton and a set of rulessimilar to volleyball (without using hands or arms) to form a fantastic spectator sport with worldchampionship tournaments held in both Malaysia and ThailandIn western countries it has been mostly Laotian immigrants who have first introduced Takraw to othersNow ASEC INTERNATIONAL is also happy to help introduce promote and organize this fun and excitingrecreational activitysportPLAYERS POSITIONS1 The serving teams forwards must remain in their quarter circles while the back player must haveonly one foot in the serving circle until the ball is contacted by the servers foot2 The receiving teams players may stand anywhere in their side of the court but usually the backplayer stands just in front of the serving circle with the forwards on either side of him3 Players are allowed to move freely on each half of the court once the ball is has been servedTO BEGIN PLAYThe game begins by one of the forwards tossing the takraw ball to the backplayer The back player must then kick the ball with the foot that is outside the serving circle into theopponents court in one try (usually with an extended version of the inside kick) The serve is still good ifthe ball hits the net as it goes into the other half of the courtSCORING1 Only the serving team can make a point2 A fault by the team possessing the ball constitutes a loss of serve3 A set is won by scoring 21 points unless the points are tied 20 -20 then the set shall be decidedon a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 25 points4 A match is won by winning two out of three sets

5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

• Court

CIRCLE GAMEThe object of the traditional ldquoCircle Gamerdquo is the same as ldquoSoIo Playrdquo except with a group of playersstanding in a circleThis activity was played as far back as the 14th century in India Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Burma) thePhilippines and Thailand using a similar ball that was woven out of a rattan material available in abundancethereSEPAK TAKRAW - THE NET GAMEldquoSepakrdquo is Malay for ldquokickrdquo and ldquoTakrawrdquo is Thai for the ldquohand-woven ballrdquo that is used In 1945enthusiasts added a court and net with the same dimensions as in doubles badminton and a set of rulessimilar to volleyball (without using hands or arms) to form a fantastic spectator sport with worldchampionship tournaments held in both Malaysia and ThailandIn western countries it has been mostly Laotian immigrants who have first introduced Takraw to othersNow ASEC INTERNATIONAL is also happy to help introduce promote and organize this fun and excitingrecreational activitysportPLAYERS POSITIONS1 The serving teams forwards must remain in their quarter circles while the back player must haveonly one foot in the serving circle until the ball is contacted by the servers foot2 The receiving teams players may stand anywhere in their side of the court but usually the backplayer stands just in front of the serving circle with the forwards on either side of him3 Players are allowed to move freely on each half of the court once the ball is has been servedTO BEGIN PLAYThe game begins by one of the forwards tossing the takraw ball to the backplayer The back player must then kick the ball with the foot that is outside the serving circle into theopponents court in one try (usually with an extended version of the inside kick) The serve is still good ifthe ball hits the net as it goes into the other half of the courtSCORING1 Only the serving team can make a point2 A fault by the team possessing the ball constitutes a loss of serve3 A set is won by scoring 21 points unless the points are tied 20 -20 then the set shall be decidedon a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 25 points4 A match is won by winning two out of three sets

5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

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5 If each team wins one set the tie breaker set only goes to 15 pointsunless the points are tied 14 -14 then the set shall be decided on a difference of two points up to a ceiling of 17 pointsFAULTS1 The back player does not kick the ball over the net on the service toss2 The ball falls to the ground inside or outside of the court3 The ball is hit more than three times in succession by one side4 The ball hits the net but does not go over it5 The ball hits the hand or arm of a player6 Any part of the body touches crosses the plane or goes under the net7 The ball rolls on the body or is stalledNote One player may hit the ball twice or even three times consecutively The ball may be hit up to6 feet outside courts perimeterCONTROLWhen receiving a serve stay low and deflect the oncoming ball upwards (head and thigh shots are highlyeffective for this purpose)SETTINGSetting is a skill which is executed by propelling the ball high above the net to enable the same oranother player to smash the ball into the opponents court Usually the player with the best ball control issetterSPIKINGAfter the ball has been set it can be spiked down into the opponents court by the spikers head or footThis is the most effective and dramatic move in the sport Usually one of the forward players is designatedas spiker during the game so that no confusion will arise as to who will spike the ball

BLOCKINGA block is a defensive skill used mainly for the purpose of preventing a spiked ballthat is coming fromabove and close to the net from flying into the defending side A block is usually made by jumping andraising the side of ones foot and leg above the net or by turning and jumping up with the back to the net

OFFICIALS

a Member of Referees Committee

b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

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b Referee

c Assist Referee

d Reserve Referee

e Standby Referee

f Teams Manager

g Teams Coach

h Players

i Spectators

Referees shall avoid getting themselves involved in dispute members of the public the press Sepak Takraw officials or players on matters pertaining to refereeing An unpleasant incident encountered must promptly be reported to Chairman Referee

Referees must at all times uphold the Laws of the Game The Rules and Regulations

Referees must at times observe the 3Fs - Firm Fair and Fit The level of physical fitness must always be maintained to ensure consistency with the requirements of good refereeing

Referees must behave as professionals and conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honour to themselves and the country

Referees detailed to officiate in a sepak takraw tournament must report at the venue at least 30 minutes earlier for local games and 1 hour earlier for International Games

Official Referees must ensure that all referees stay behind until all games have ended before giving a short briefing and officially release the referees to go home

Official Referee is responsible to record down the names of referees who leave the tournament venue before the tournament ended and submit the report to chairman Referees and Secretary Referees

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