History of Takraw

Rules of the Game

Sepak Takraw is a game that is played between two teams that each consist of three players; the left inside (setter), right inside (spiker) and back (server). The court size is approximately 20 feet by 40 feet and the net is about 5 feet high. Today, Takraw balls are synthetic, but once were hand-woven from bamboo or rattan.

Basic rules and scoring are similar to volleyball. Each team is allowed a maximum of three touches of the ball to get it back over the net to the other side without letting it touch the ground, except for the fact that the ball can't be touched by the hands or arms. The first team to score either 15 or 21 points, depending on the rules in play, wins the set. The team that prevails in two sets wins the match.

Play starts when the server is tossed the grapefruit-sized ball by a teammate while keeping one foot in a small 'serving circle'. He then must kick the ball over the net with the other foot. Top Takraw players have to combine great foot-eye coordination with quickness, anticipation, power, flexibility, and acrobatic skills.

Overview

Please view the following YouTube videos (click link) for a brief history of Takraw.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15asVgf66KI&feature=related

Below are videos from the 1st Annual Takraw Tournament at the 2010 CelebrAsian Festival.