The Sport of Sepak Takraw

Lost in the shuffle of all the crazy plays that took place in the semifinals of the Asian Cup football competition this week was the continued dominance of Thailand’s men at the sport of sepak takraw. The Thai men won their 14th Asian Cup gold medal in 22 tries thanks to the stellar play of Suebsak Phunsueb, the man who some say is the best to ever play sepak takraw. If you aren’t familiar with the sport, and chances are you aren’t unless you live in pockets of Asia, it can best be described as a combination of volleyball, badminton and soccer.

From the Bangkok Post:

The sport developed from a game called sepak raga, which was played in the Malay states in the 15th century. That game was played by a group of players who stood in a circle and kept a raga in the air for as long as possible without using their hands.

The earliest recorded instance of a similar game being played dates back to the 11th century.

The name sepaktakraw comes from the Malayan word ’sepak’, which means kick and ‘takraw’, which means woven ball.

The game is played on a field similar to a badminton court and the net is shoulder high, allowing the players spectacular bicycle kicks which would not be amiss in an acrobatic show.

Three players are on the field at any given time (apart from the doubles event, when just two are on the field).

They can use any part of their body to play the ball excepting hands and arms. The game used to be played with a rattan ball, but since 1984, when a Thai inventor introduced a synthetic sepaktakraw ball, it has gained a much wider appeal.

The synthetic ball is apparently to Phunsueb’s liking. The dude has a horse kick serve that is faster than a speeding bullet and that has been measured at speeds in excess of 160 km/hr.

Involving a skill set that is familiar to footballers, it sure would be interesting to see how some of the top players in the world would fare at sepak takraw. Here’s a video sample of what the sport looks like in action.

	Soccer Forums	Team/International Results

Category: Asia

Tags: Alternative Games, Asia, odd games, Sepak Takraw, Suebsak Phunsueb, Thailand

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