Thai style volley ball or Takraw

An immensely popular sport native to Southeast Asia is Takraw resembling
volleyball, except that a rattan ball and the technique only allows players
to use their feet, knee, chest and head to touch the ball. It is a popular
sport in Thailand where it is known as "Takraw", in Malaysia, ("Sepak
Raga"), Indonesia ("Sepak Takraw"), Laos ("Kator"), Philippines and ("Sipa")
Myanmar ("Chinlone").

The game evolved over several hundred years. In Bangkok,
murals at Wat Phra Kaew 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 of Ayutthaya. The game remained in
its circle form for hundreds of years and the modern version of "Sepak
Takraw" began taking shape in Thailand sometime during early 1740s. In 1866
the Siam Sports Association drafted the first rules for Takraw competition.
The game became so imbedded in local Thai culture that an exhibition game
was staged to celebrate the kingdom's first constitution in 1933. By the
1940s, the net version of the game had spread throughout Southeast Asia and
formal rules were introduced. International play is now governed by ISTAF,
the International Sepak Takraw Federation. The King's Cup World
Championships are held every year in Thailand.

While there are certain basic rules to Takraw, the game
varies according to the type of Takraw being played as well as the place
where it is played. In Thailand games are played almost everywhere and in
every available space including in the courtyards of Wats, and at
fairgrounds.

Competitive Takraw pits teams of players versus each other
across a volleyball-type net. There are three players to a team, one to
serve, one to gather the ball, and one to deliver the ball at high speed
across the net; the killer (like the 'spiker' in volleyball.) Modern
contests play to 21 points. In village games there is often no referee and
no score is kept, the winning player is simply the one who puts on the best
show and gets the loudest applause from the crowd. The intricacy and speed
with which it is played are astonishing and if you think your reflexes are
better than average, consider these methods of sending the ball aloft; the
sole kick (using the arch or sole of the foot), the instep kick, knee kick,
shin kick, shoulder kick, or head kick. Want to try the cross-legged jump
kick? That consists of crossing your left leg over your right and leaping up
to kick the ball with the instep of the left foot. Another version is the
cross-legged knee kick. In this one the player crosses his left leg over his
right above the right knee, and then leaps, into the air kicking the ball
with his right knee.

There are several different forms of Takraw played
throughout Asia but in Thailand "Takraw Lawd Huang" (Hoop Takraw) is the
most popular. In this impressive version, players make a hoop of their arms
behind their backs and kick the ball with their heels through the hoop in
such a way that it also passes through a hoop suspended in the air over the
centre. A team usually consists of seven players (there can be no less than
six) who stand at the perimeter of a circle and players cooperate with each
other to earn a high score. Players can use elbows, shoulders and even their
backsides!. The more complicated and impressive the feats, the better the
score or the better the spectators reaction. A new variation of Hoop Takraw
was approved during the International Sepak Takraw Federation (ISTAF)
Biennial Congress held in November 1996. Known as 'Circle Takraw' or 'Circle
Event', the game is played with 5 players who stand in a circle and receive
different levels of points for each passing kick. The more difficult the
passing kick, the more points are awarded to the team. The circle event was
included as a medal event in the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games

Another version, known as "Net Takraw", is akin to
badminton, in that it requires a net and a court. Lots are drawn beforehand
to determine placement of the players and the first serve. Near the net, the
ball is then tossed to a teammate in the middle of the court, who kicks it
into the opposite camp. The game then proceeds at an incredible pace as the
ball is returned instantaneously sometimes to great heights. "Net Takraw" is
now played in the SEA Games and other international competitions.

Apart from "Net and Hoop Takraw", other variations popular
in Thailand include "Tossing-In Takraw", which has far less rules to abide
by, the point is simply to see how many times the ball can be hit aloft by
the player. Another version of the sport involves the use of bamboo scoops
to both toss and catch a ball in a simple game of "catch."

In Chiangmai, Takraw is played in the evenings at Municipal
Stadium (Sanam Gila Tessaban) and in the Chiang Mai University near the
physical education department.

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