Sepak takraw or kick volleyball, is a sport native to Southeast Asia.

Sepak takraw differs from the similar

sport of footvolley in its use of a rattan ball and only allowing players to use their feet, knee, chest and
head to touch the ball. In the Philippines, the related native sport is known as sipà, while the
international version is known by the borrowed terms sipà tákraw or sepak takraw.

HISTORY
In the Philippines the sport was called "sipà" (or "sipà salama" among Muslim Filipinos) and along with
traditional martial arts survived the three century Spanish colonisation.[10] It is a popular sport played
by children in Philippines. It was the Philippine national sport until it was replaced by arnis in 2009.
Sepak Takraw is included in Philippine's elementary and highschool curriculum. In Myanmar, or Burma, it
was dubbed "chinlone", in Laos "kator", "cầu mây" in Vietnam and in Indonesia "raga" or "sepak takraw".

Some believed that many variations of the game evolved from cuju, an ancient Chinese military exercise,
where soldiers would try to keep a feathered shuttlecock airborne by kicking it back and forth between
two people. As the sport developed, the animal hide and chicken feathers were eventually replaced by
balls made of woven strips of rattan.

The first versions of sepak takraw were not so much of a competition, but rather cooperative displays of
skill designed to exercise the body, improve dexterity and loosen the limbs after long periods of sitting,
standing or working.[citation needed]

By the 1940s, the net version of the game had spread throughout Southeast Asia, and formal rules were
introduced. This sport became officially known as "sepak takraw".

OBJECTIVE OF THE GAME

The object of the game is for one team to score more points than their opposition by causing their
opponents to commit a fault, resulting in a score being awarded. However, in a slightly different version
of the game called 'Chin Lone' played in Myanmar (Burma), teams actually play together, the game being
considered more of an art in which the aim is not to beat any opposition, but to keep the ball aloft in
increasingly interesting and graceful ways.

PLAYERS & EQUIPMENT

Each of the two teams in Sepak Takraw consists of three players, each playing a specific position. These
are the ‘Teukgong’ which is the player who stands furthest back on the court and an Inside Left Inside
and a Right Inside who play closer to the net on each side of the court.

The ball used in games are made of a number of synthetic materials and all balls must be approved by
ISTAF if being used in competition. Balls are ‘woven’, and must consist of 12 holes and 20 intersections
and be with the regulation size and weight

Games are to be played on a court that is similar to a double sized badminton court with dimensions of
13.4 x 6.1 metres with a net stretched across the centre at a height of 1.5m for men and 1.42m for
women.

SCORING
Scoring in Sepak Takraw is relatively simple with a side receiving a point every time their opponents
fault. Faults (which result in a point for the opposition) include:

The Tekong jumping off the ground to make the service

The Tekong not licking the ball when making service

An Inside player touches the net whilst throwing the ball

The ball fails to cross to the opposition's half

The ball goes over the net but lands outside of the court boundaries

Playing the ball more than 3 times in a row

Touching the ball on the opposing side

The ball touches the arm

Holding or grabbing the ball

The ball touching the ceiling or any other object

WINNING THE GAME
A game of Sepak Takraw is won by the first side to win two sets. Each set is is won by the team that is
first to reach 21 points. If a set is tied 21-21, then a tie breaker shall be played in which the first team to
open up a two point lead or reaches 25 points is declared the winner. Because of the fast and athletic
nature of the game, it takes a good degree of physical fitness, flexibility as well as teamwork for a team
to be successful in winning a match.

RULES OF SEPAK TAKRAW

Games of Sepak Takraw shall be played by two teams of three players.

Games should be played on a court that fits the regulation size and markings as set out by ITSAF, with an
official Sepak Takraw ball.

The team to serve first is decided by a coin toss before the match commences.

Play begins when the server is thrown the ball by a teammate and must then kick the ball over the net
whilst keeping one foot in the service circle.

Players may only touch the ball with their feet, head, knees and chest. Touching the ball with the hand or
any other part of the body can result in a fault and a point for the opposition.

Each team is allowed a maximum of three touches of the ball to return it back over the net without
letting it touch the ground.

Failure to return the ball over the net before it hits the ground results in a point to the opposition.

Points are always scored in Sepak Takraw by the opposition faulting, and they can do this in a number of
ways (see above).

The first team to reach 21 points wins a set. The first team to win two sets is declared the winner.

References
Shawn Kelley. "Takraw: A Traditional Southeast Asian Sport". Archived from the original on 10 July 2007.
Retrieved 30 July 2007.

J. A. Mangan, Fan Hong (2002). Sport in Asian society: past and present. Frank Cass Publishers. p. 220.
ISBN 978-0-7146-8330-0.

sepak takraw | Definition of sepak takraw in US English by Oxford Dictionaries". Oxford Dictionaries |
English. Retrieved 18 September 2018.

Dunsmore, Susi (1983). Sepak Raga. University of Michigan. p. 2.

Brown, Charles Cuthbert (1970). Sejarah Melayu; or, Malay annals: an annotated translation [from the
Malay]. Oxford University Press. p. 89.

Sportsmatchmaker. (2005). Sepak Takraw.Retrieved 23 March 2009, from the sportsmatchmaker

website: http://www.sportsmatchmaker.com/rules/s-sports/sepak_takraw.cfm

Arnis, also known as Kali or Eskrima, is the national sport and martial art of the Philippines.[2] The
three are roughly interchangeable umbrella terms for the traditional martial arts of the Philippines
("Filipino Martial Arts", or FMA), which emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives, bladed
weapons, and various improvised weapons, as well as "open hand" or techniques without weapons. It is
also known as Estoque (Spanish for rapier), Estocada (Spanish for thrust or stab) and Garrote (Spanish for
club). In Luzon it may go by the name of Arnis de Mano

The indigenous martial art that the Spanish encountered in 1610 was not yet called "Eskrima" at that
time. During those times, this martial art was known as Paccalicali-t (pronounced as pakkali-kalî) to the
Ibanags,[3] Didya (later changed to Kabaroan) to the Ilokanos, Sitbatan or Kalirongan to Pangasinenses,
Sinawali ("to weave") to the Kapampangans, Calis or Pananandata ("use of weapons") to the Tagalogs,
Pagaradman to the Ilonggos and Kaliradman to the Cebuanos. Kuntaw and Silat are separate martial arts
that are also practised in the Philippine Archipelago.

There have been campaigns for arnis to be nominated in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists,
along with other Philippine martial arts. As of 2018, UNESCO has inscribed 9 martial-arts–related
intangible heritage.

General Rules
Competitors are required to bring their own stick.

There Is No Age Limit for Arnis Stick Fighting Competitors.

If there are less than 2 competitors in an age group, the judges reserve the right to combine age groups.

Mandatory Safety Equipments: helmet with face protector, gloves, chest padding, and groin protector for
men.

Divisions: Male division and Female division; not categorized by weight.

If there are less than 2 competitors in an age group, the judges reserve the right to combine age groups.

Competitor who is disarmed or drops his/her stick 3 times in one round automatically loses.

Competitors have 5 seconds to execute a disarm. A competitor who is disarmed loses one point
automatically.

No punching, kicking, or takedowns permitted. No contact to the back.

The format of arnis stick fighting is continuous. Referee stops and restarts the fight if one or both
competitors fall on the ground, one or both weapons fall on the ground, or one competitor grabs the
handle and takes away the opponent’s weapon.

Duration of Bout
Each bout is 3 rounds; each round is 1 minute with 30 seconds rest in between each round. A competitor
winning the first 2 rounds wins the bout, without going into the third round.

The Winner of the Bout is Determined By

Both competitors’ effectiveness in executing their techniques during attacks and defenses.

Warning
If the competitor disregards the orders and instructions of the referee and the judges.

Disrespecting the referee, judges, or the opponent.

Attacking with excessive force.

Using violent actions.

Using the techniques of kicking, punching, and takedowns.

If the competitor continues to attack his/her opponent after the opponent’s weapon falls down on the
ground.

Using performance-enhancing drugs prior or during the bout.

The referee has the right to disqualify a competitor from the bout or competition if:

The competitor receives 3 or more warnings from the referee.

The competitor engages in unsportsmanlike conducts.

The competitor injures his/her opponent using prohibited techniques or attacks to the no contact area,
depending on the seriousness of the injury.

The referee has the right to stop the contest if:

There is a big gap in the skill level between the 2 competitors. The competitor with the skill advantage
wins the bout.

A competitor is injured as a result of a legal maneuver, depending on the seriousness of the injury. The
opponent wins the bout.

Courtesy Rule: Salute to the judges first and then competitors salute to each other before the bout
begins. After the bout finishes, salute to the judges again and then competitors salute to each other.

Reference
Arnis Stick Fighting: U.S. Open Martial Arts Championship. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.wfmaf.org/en/championship/competition-rules/arnis-stick-fighting/.