Sorry volleyball players, but Sepak Takraw players think believe using your hands is way too easy and they've invented a game where you can't use your hands. Actually Sepak Takraw has been around since the 15th century so generations of people in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Phillipines have made this one of the most popular sports in Southeast Asia. Let's check it out...
Sepak of Sultans
Sepak Takraw means "Kick Ball" in Malaysian. The sport was originally like a game of hackysack. The players worked with each other to keep the ball from hitting the ground. The oldest story says that a couple of Sultans were playing Sepak Takraw and one Sultan kicked the ball hard and hit the other sultan and embarrassed him in front of the spectators. After that, there was a big fight!
Popular at the PlaygroundCourtesy of commons.wikimedia.org
Sepak Takraw has become competitive much like the game of volleyball. But because this game evolved from the fun of just trying to keep the ball from hitting the ground, there is a lot more style. The players don't just try to keep the ball up and smash it down on the other team, they try to look cool while they do it!
Rattan Ball Rules
Soccer Bicycle KicksCourtesy of www.sepaktakraw-berlin.de
Competive Sepak Takraw is played with 2 or 3 players on each team. The court is the same size as a badminton court. The ball was originally made out of a material called rattan and it looked really weird (balls are also made out of rubber). The games are played with rules just like volleyball except you can't use your hands. Matches are scored best-out-of-5 sets up to 15 points.
Olympic Objective
Sponsorship StarsCourtesy of web.singnet.com.sg
Don't be surprised if Sepak Takraw becomes an Olympic sport. Canada and the USA both have National teams to go along with over 100 other countries that play Internationally. So if one of your dreams is to win a Gold medal at the Olympics and you're really good at hacky sack, then you might want to give this a try!
Have your say...
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