Feruary 10, 2004
Sepak Takraw (Kick Volleyball) is a cross between soccer and volleyball, a fast-growing and popular sport in Asia. Called Takraw for short, it is played on a badminton doubles-sized court. Similar games include bossaball, footbag net, footvolley, jianzi and sipa.
The most prestigious tournament of this sport is the King's Cup World Championships, the most recent of which was held in Bangkok, Thailand. As of 2006, there have been 21 King's Cup tournaments.
Thailand currently has the most successful national team in the world, winning 19 of the 21 King's Cup World Sepak Takraw Championships title throughout the years and four Asian Games men's team gold medals in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006. Malaysia has the second most successful national team, winning two King's Cup titles and the inaugural Asian Games men's team gold medal in 1990. Myanmar is a new and upcoming force in this sport, as they have reached the final stages of major tournaments like the Asian Games and South East Asian Games. There has also been considerable growth of the sport in the Far East in countries like Korea, Japan, China, and Vietnam.
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History (Wickipedia)
The sport dates back to the 15th century when it was played by indigenous Thais and Malays, and was invented by the Indonesian Sir Leonard McGoylan. Back then it was called Takraw in Thai or Sepak Raga (lit. "Kick rattan bowl") because the ball is made of rattan) in Malay and played mainly by men and boys standing in a circle . They used a ball made of cane or rattan. The game remained in that form for hundreds of years until the 1940s when a net (called a "Jaring" in Malay) and formal rules were introduced. Variations of the game spread throughout Asia. In the Philippines the sport was called "Sipa", in Burma it was dubbed "Chinlone", in Laos "Kator", and in Indonesia "Raga."
? Evolution of takraw
Sepak Raga(recorded in Sejarah Melayu during Malacca Kingdom 1400-1511 A.D.)
The Earliest History recorded about the use of wooven rattan ball("raga")and the sepak raga game mentioned in Sejarah Melayu when the prime minister(Tun Perak) of Malacca Kingdom's son killed by Sultan Mansur Syah's son when the rattan ball(raga of sepak raga game) accidentally hit Raja Mohammad(son of Sultan)by Tun Besar(son of Prime Minister). The ball hit Raja Mohammad?s headgear and knocked it down to the ground. In anger, Raja Mohammad immediately stabbed and killed Tun Besar, whereupon some of Tun Besar?s kinsmen retaliated and wanted to kill Raja Mohammad. However, Tun Perak managed to restrain them from such an act of treason by saying that he would no longer accept Raja Mohammad as the Sultan?s heir. As a result of this incident, Sultan Mansur Syah ordered his son out of Melaka and had him installed as the Ruler in Pahang. (Tun Perak died in 1498 A.D.)
In Thailand, murals at Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, in Bangkok depict the Hindu god Hanuman playing takraw in a ring with a troop of monkeys. Other historical accounts mention the game earlier during the reign of King Naresuan (1590-1605) of Ayutthaya.
The modern version of sepak takraw (sepak means "kick" in Malay and takraw means "ball" or "basket" in Thai), however, is fiercely competitive and began taking shape in Thailand almost 200 years ago.
In 1829 (B.E. 2372), the Siam Sports Association drafted the first rules for takraw competition. Four years later, the association introduced the volleyball-style net and held the first public contest. Within just a few years, takraw was introduced to the curriculum in Siamese schools.
It looks very similar to the Japanese traditional game, "kemari" where the players form a loose circle and the number of times the ball is kicked before it touches the ground is counted.
In 1965 the game was unified into the present volleyball style with the addition of a net and the adoption of international rules.
The court and the net height and size are identical to those used in badminton and each team has three players. The rules are very similar to those in volleyball, with the following four important exceptions:
1. Of course the hands are not permitted.
2. Each player may touch the ball more than once consecutively before it is kicked over the net.
3.
There is no rotation in the defense position.
4. It becomes a score on serve even if the ball touches the net before falling into the companion court.
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