Takraw Defying gravity in the streets of Bangkok

Takraw has been played in South East Asia in various forms for close to 500 years. Traditionally the game was played in a circle and players would try to keep the woven rattan ball in the air as long as possible without using their hands or arms. The circle game had no set rules and required very little space. The most popular and spectacular version of Sepak Takraw, first appeared during the late 19th century when enthusiasts in Southeast Asia decided to add a net and a set of rules similar to volleyball to make the game more challenging and competitive. During the 1960s official rules were written and the sport was officially named “Sepak Takraw” (“Sepak” is Malay for “kick” and “Takraw” is Thai for “woven ball”.) More Text | Back to Features