Gemopedia
Traditional & Cultural Sports🇲🇾Malaysiamedieval

Sepak Takraw

Southeast Asia's answer to volleyball — three players per side vault into acrobatic scissor-kicks over a badminton-height net, using only their feet, knees, chest and head.

👥3 per team📐court⏱~45 min🌤both

What is Sepak Takraw?

Sepak Takraw ('sepak' = kick, 'takraw' = woven ball) fuses volleyball, football and gymnastics. Two teams of three face off across a low net (1.52 m men / 1.42 m women) on a court the size of a badminton doubles court. Players may touch the rattan ball with any part of the body except the arms and hands. The signature spike — a mid-air bicycle kick delivered with the sole of the foot — is one of the most spectacular strikes in any team sport. The sport's stronghold is Southeast Asia; Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia dominate international competition.

Quick facts

Category

Traditional & Cultural Sports

Type

Team sport

Players

3 per team

Duration

~45 min

Where played

both

Field / court

court

Country of origin

🇲🇾 Malaysia

Estimated origin

15th century (Malay sultanate courts)

Olympic

No

Popularity

regional

How it works

Objective

Land the ball in the opponent's court, or force them to hit it into the net or out of bounds — using only your feet, knees, chest, shoulders and head.

Match structure

The tekong serves from the service circle by kicking a ball tossed by a teammate. The receiving team may touch the ball up to 3 times (including a spike) before returning it — but a single player may touch it multiple times in succession.

Rules

Basic rules

  • No hands or arms

    The ball may not touch the arms or hands at any point. Everything else is legal.

  • Three touches

    Each side gets up to three touches before returning the ball — same as volleyball.

  • The serve

    The tekong stands in the service circle and kicks the ball tossed by a teammate. A foot outside the circle at contact = fault.

  • Rally scoring

    Every rally scores a point — win the rally, win the point, whether you served or not.

Advanced rules

  • Multi-touch by one player

    Unlike volleyball, one player CAN touch the ball multiple times in a row (up to the 3-touch team maximum).

  • Net contact

    Players may not touch the net or reach over into the opponent's court.

  • Set structure

    First to 21 points wins a set (two-point margin); best of 3 sets. Deciding set to 15.

Scoring

Rally scoring — every rally wins a point.

ActionPoints
Point on serve1 pt
Point on receipt1 pt

Win condition · First to 21 (with a 2-point margin) wins a set; best of 3 wins the match.

Playing area

Called

court

Dimensions

13.4 m × 6.1 m — split by a net 1.52 m high (men) or 1.42 m (women).

Rectangular court identical in size to a badminton doubles court. A service circle sits in each half; players outside the circle cannot make the serve.

A sepak takraw court

The same court size as badminton doubles. The tekong serves from inside the service circle; the two apits (feeders/strikers) roam the rest of the half.

NET 1.52 m (men) · 1.42 m (women)TAATAA6.1 m× 13.4 m
CourtService circleTekongApit

Equipment

  • Rattan (or synthetic) ball

    Hollow woven ball, ~42 cm circumference, 170–180 g.

  • Net

    0.7 m tall netting stretched at 1.52 m (men) / 1.42 m (women).

  • Shoes

    Optional; many players play barefoot on soft surfaces.

Positions & roles

  • Tekong

    ×1

    The server; stays at the back to receive and dig the opposition's spikes.

  • Apit kanan (right feeder)

    ×1

    The primary striker; typically the most acrobatic player.

  • Apit kiri (left feeder)

    ×1

    Secondary striker; also serves as feeder to the right feeder.

Officiating

The referee is on a raised chair beside the net; line judges call in-outs and net faults.

  • 1 referee
  • 1 assistant referee
  • 6 line judges
  • Score-keeper

Penalties & fouls

Fouls

  • Touching the net

    Immediate loss of the rally.

  • Foot outside service circle at contact

    Service fault.

  • Ball touching hand or arm

    Loss of the rally.

Terminology

Tekong
The server, positioned inside the service circle.
Apit
The two feeders / strikers who share attacking duties.
Rattan ball
The traditional woven ball still used in casual play; synthetic versions are standard in tournaments.

Major competitions

  • King's Cup

    annual · Thailand · since 1985

  • ISTAF World Cup

    biennial · worldwide · since 2011

  • Asian Games — Sepak Takraw

    quadrennial · Asia · since 1990

  • Southeast Asian Games

    biennial · Southeast Asia · since 1965

Where it is played

Governing bodies

  • International Sepak Takraw FederationISTAF

    Founded 1988 · Bangkok, Thailand

Famous names & records

Famous athletes

  • Suebsak Phunsueb
  • Rungruang Wandee
  • Norhaffizal Abd Aziz

Learn this sport

beginner

  1. 1
    What is sepak takraw?

    Three-a-side kick-only volleyball played across a badminton-height net.

  2. 2
    The court

    Same size as a badminton doubles court, split by a low net.

  3. 3
    Three touches, no hands

    Each team can touch the ball up to 3 times using anything but the arms.

  4. 4
    The serve & the spike

    The tekong kicks a tossed ball; strikers spike with a mid-air scissor kick.

Frequently asked

Is sepak takraw in the Olympics?+

Not yet, though the ISTAF has campaigned for inclusion for over a decade.

How do you serve?+

The tekong stands inside the service circle and kicks a ball tossed by a teammate — feet must stay inside the circle at contact.

Sources & provenance

  • ISTAF — Rules of the Game— International Sepak Takraw Federation
  • Olympic Council of Asia — Sepak Takraw at the Asian Games— OCA
Last verified 2026-08-20.verified