Sepak Takraw

Have you ever wanted to be really good at a particular sport, but known in heart of hearts that you would eternally suck at it? Its the story of my life, and the sport in question is Sepak Takraw. The name literally means “kick the ball”. It may sound pointlessly obscure to most, but it is in fact a popular South-East Asian sport, widely played in countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Indonesia.

How does one play it? Simple. Its volleyball, but with your feet. Its played on a court roughly the size of a badminton court, in teams of three players each. The objective is to get the ball (pictured below) to the other side of the court, using only your legs, head or chest to touch the ball. It is not allowed to play the ball more than thrice on your side. The ball itself is extremely light weight and soft, and is made out of a material called rattan.

The ball used in Sepak Takraw

So what’s so cool about this sport? The control, finesse and sheer athleticism required make it one of the fastest non-mechanical sports in the world. Its one of those sports that is easy to understand but ridiculously hard to master. I will let the following video speak for itself…

Come on, be honest, don’t YOU want to be good at this sport?