What is the Origin of Sepak Takraw and How is it Played?

Origin of Sepak Takraw

Origin of Sepak Takraw

The nativity of sepak takraw dawns on us when we dissect its etymology – ‘sepak’ translates to ‘kick’ in Malay, and ‘takraw’ is a term for rattan balls (also malocco balls, after their prime source of import), i.e. it literally means ‘to kick a rattan ball’. While the game is called ‘sepak tarkaw’ in Indonesia and Singapore, and to some extent in the Philippines, its name becomes ‘sepak raga’ when you get to Malaysia, pike kyaw chin in Burmese and takro in the Thai tongue.

Origin of Sepak Takraw

Because of this widespread currency and popularity spread across many nations and isles in South Asia, the exact point of origin for sepak takraw is not estimable – mostly because the strange nature of the game strongly implies its derivation from two or potentially more folk games and ancient traditional sports of various cultures revolving around South-Eastern Asia. The closest approximation can be identifying its earliest historical record, which is found in Malay archives. The source is a collective literary work that focused on chronicling the Malaccan maritime empire and the lives of its kings. The Malay Annals (Sejarah Melayu/Sulalatus Salatin), composed between the late 15th and early 16th centuries, detail glimpses of an early form of sepak tarkaw played between the sons of bendaharas (the then Malaccan gentry) and the royal children of the Sultanate. The record depicted the infamous incident where Raja Muhammad, hit by a rattan ball during the game, stabbed and killed Tun Besar in a fit of anger. The attempts of Tun Besar’s entourage and kinsmen to retaliate were then thwarted by the interference of the sultan himself, and Muhammad was exiled to Pahang from Malacca.

Also Read: Sepak Takraw History, Rules and How to Play this Game

The ‘sepak raga’ had spread to Malaysia as early as the 16th century through the Rias isles and Sumatra, and there are at least three historical texts, independent journals, and financial archive records that confirm its widespread popularity as something of a street sport in the early 17th century. Sepak raga’s spread had also simultaneously influenced the Thai peoples at least since the times of the Siamese Ayutthaya Kingdom. It was among the Siamese people that sepak tarkaw had really undergone its evolution to the modern stage, who had first adopted it as a means to exercise, as Francoin Henry Turpin’s researches conclude.

sepak_takraw

The Wat Phra Si Ratana Satsadaram, (a.k.a Wat Phra Kaeo) built in the last quarter of the eighteenth century, even has an elaborate mural that depicts the god Hanuman playing sepak takraw with his fellow monkey denizens. By the time the mural was painted, the Siam sepak takraw had already developed into how it is played today, complete with the net, and it was the Siamese people, again, to first organize it professionally in 1929. In doing this, they also laid down the first ground rules for the game. Eleven years after this, the game was officially recognized with the name ‘sepak takraw’ in all the South-East Asian countries, matterless of their local names.

According to this vein of spread, therefore, the 15th century Malaccan civilization seems to be the origin point of the modern Asian kick-volleyball, but that is until we factor in another strong contender: the ancient Chinese cuju, primarily played in the military regiments dating back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), whose improvement into the air-filled ball in the Tang Dynasty is also often cited as a predecessor of soccer.

The Rules of Sepak Takraw

Rules of Sepak Takraw

What differentiates Sepak Takraw from the Brazilian foot-volleyball is its use of rattan ball, but other than that Sepak Takraw has an independent set of its own rules and regulations as a game played almost exclusively in Asia. And it has quite a lot of competitive weight, having secured itself a permanent place on the Asian Games since 1990 – including this year’s Asian Games. The event was championed by the Thai team, becoming the gold medalists for the sixth time in a row since 1998.

Sepak Takraw is typically played between 2 teams, consisting of 3 members each. The traditionally assigned roles for the players are:

Serving team:

  • The server in the middle (service circle)
  • Striker (quarter circle)
  • Bowler (quarter circle)

Non-serving team:

  • Back (Tekong) in the middle (service circle)
  • Setter (quarter circle)
  • Striker (quarter circle)

The court is usually the same proportions and shape as a badminton court (usually 13m x 6m).

Like volleyball, the primary objective is to outscore the opponent. This is not done against a time limit but instead determined by which team gets to 21 points with at least a 2-point lead. If there is no 2-point lead at that moment, i.e. a score of 21-20 or 21-21, the game carries on until a team has a 2-point lead. A point is scored like it is in volleyball: one team has to strike the rattan ball over the net and have it land on the floor at the opponent’s side of the court (landing it on a line also counts). Scoring 21 or getting the 2-point lead earlier wins a team the set, and the game is decided by which team wins the most in three sets.

differentiates sepak takraw from volleyball

What differentiates sepak takraw from volleyball, obviously enough, is that the touching rules of soccer apply in the latter. Many of the general rules of volleyball also apply. To summarize the core set of rules,

  • A maximum of three touches on the ball is allowed before the ball is kicked into the opponent court. All three touches can come from a single player, unlike volleyball.
  • The following automatically loses a team a point:
  1. Kicking the ball outside the playing area.
  2. Hitting the net with the ball.
  3. Touching the net.
  4. Touching the ball with arms.
  5. Leaving the circle during service before the ball crosses the net.

Sepak Takraw Men

A block can be attempted during an imminent attack, as long as the blocking team does not touch the ball with their arms or hands. This is usually done with the same gestures as the defending players in a free-kick in a match of football. When the ball is kicked, the players attempt to block it by jumping in the air, turning their backs on the ball and intercepting its trajectory.

Also Read: Handball Game And Its History In India

Sepak Takraw lacks the complex dynamics of soccer, but it is a very athletic game nevertheless, demanding paramount flexibility and feats of aerobics from the player – a Zlatan Ibrahimovic signature bicycle kick would be a common sight in a standard game of sepak takraw in its spikes and the more difficult roll spike.

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