# Sepak Takraw: The Rattan-Ball Kicking Sport from the Malay World

> Sepak takraw is volleyball played with the feet, head, knees and chest — rooted in the sepak raga of the Malay world and often called Malaysia's national sport, even though its heritage is shared with Thailand and Indonesia.

- Category: sports
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-08-14
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/sports/sepak-takraw

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Picture volleyball, then take away every player's hands. What remains — the
head-high bicycle-kick spike, the chest pass, the serve tossed high into the air
and struck with the heel — is sepak takraw: one of the most acrobatic sports in
the world, and one of the most closely tied to the identity of the Malay world.

## Where does this rattan-ball kicking game come from?

Sepak takraw grew out of an old folk game known across the Malay world as
**sepak raga** — literally kicking a ball woven from rattan. Its original form
was not a competitive game across a net but a circle game: a group of players
stand in a ring and try to keep the ball in the air for as long as possible
using any part of the body except the hands.

Its exact origins are hazy and not the property of any single people. Similar
games developed across the Malay world and Southeast Asia, and the basic terms
for the game itself already come from two different languages:

| Name | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| sepak raga | kicking a ball with the body |
| sepak raga jaring | kicking a ball over a net with the body |
| sepak bola rotan | kicking a rattan ball |
| takraw (Thai) | rattan ball |

The word **"sepak"** means "kick" in Malay, while **"takraw"** derives from the
Thai term for a rattan ball. The combined name is itself already a regional
compromise — a reflection of the fact that no single country can claim it as
solely their own.

## How did a folk game become a competitive sport?

The turning point came in 1960. Delegations from Malaya, Singapore, Indonesia,
Laos and Thailand met in Kuala Lumpur to standardise the rules and formally
adopt the term **sepak takraw**, replacing various local names. From then on,
the traditional circle game developed into the volleyball-style net sport we
know today, complete with a court, points and sets.

The ball too has changed with the times. The traditional ball was hand-woven
from rattan — which is why it was once called "sepak bola rotan"; the approved
modern competition ball is made from synthetic material, with 12 holes and 20
intersections according to the specification for international use.

## How is sepak takraw played?

The core format is called **regu** — three players per team. A tekong stands at
the back and serves; two front players (left and right) stand closer to the net
to feed and spike. The aim is like volleyball: send the ball across the net so
that the opponent fails to return it legally.

| Element | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Team size | 3 players (one regu) — tekong + two front players |
| Body parts allowed | Feet, knees, chest and head — **hands not allowed** |
| Court dimensions | 13.4 m x 6.1 m |
| Net height | 1.52 m (men); 1.42 m (women) |
| Touches per side | Maximum three touches before returning the ball |
| Scoring | A set is won at 15 points with a lead of at least two points |
| Winning a match | Win two sets |
| Tie | If 14-14, play continues up to a maximum of 17 points |

Points are awarded when the opposing side commits a fault — touching the ball
with the hand, letting the ball drop onto its own court, or sending the ball out.
It is the combination of the ban on using the hands and the three-touch limit
that produces the sport's most iconic move: the **bicycle-kick spike**, in which
a player leaps, flips the body in mid-air, and kicks the ball downwards over the
net with the sole of the foot raised above head height.

## Who governs sepak takraw in Malaysia?

The sport's governing body in Malaysia is **PSM**. On 10 September 2025, the
Sports Commissioner of Malaysia approved an amendment changing its official name
from *Persatuan* (Association) Sepaktakraw Malaysia to *Persekutuan* (Federation)
Sepaktakraw Malaysia — a symbolic upgrade from "association" to "federation"
intended to strengthen the sport's administration and professionalism. The
acronym PSM and its logo were retained.

At the international level, the sport is governed by the **International
Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF)**, established through the joint efforts of
representatives from several Southeast Asian countries, with officials from
Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia playing important roles. PSM is one of its
founding members. ISTAF standardises the rules and expands the sport's global
reach. At the regional level, sepak takraw has been contested continuously as a
full medal sport since the 1965 SEAP Games in Kuala Lumpur — the SEAP Games were
later renamed the SEA Games in 1977. The sport also made its debut at the Asian
Games in 1990 (Beijing).

## What is Malaysia's record on the world stage?

This is where the story becomes complex. Although sepak takraw is deeply rooted
in the Malay world including Malaysia, Thailand has long dominated the elite
championships — especially the **King's Cup**, the most prestigious sepak takraw
championship in the world, held in Thailand.

Malaysia's last King's Cup team regu title win came in **1988**. By 2024, that
wait had stretched to about 36 years. On 8 September 2024 in Nakhon Ratchasima,
Malaysia once again lost 0-2 to hosts Thailand in the team regu event,
prolonging the title drought.

Yet 2024 was not an entirely bleak year. A few months earlier, Malaysia recorded
one of its biggest wins in decades, and at the King's Cup itself Malaysia still
took gold in the individual regu event:

| Event | Date & venue | Result |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sepaktakraw World Cup — regu final | 22 May 2024, Titiwangsa Stadium, KL | **Malaysia 2-0 Thailand** (15-8, 15-12) |
| Sepaktakraw World Cup — doubles | 22 May 2024, KL | Malaysia won 2-0 (17-16, 15-13) |
| King's Cup — regu event | 2 September 2024, Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) | Malaysia 2-0 India (gold) |
| King's Cup — team regu event (final) | 8 September 2024, Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) | Malaysia 0-2 Thailand |

That World Cup win at Titiwangsa Stadium — the line-up of Farhan Adam (feeder),
Mohammad Syahir Mohd Rosdi (tekong) and Mohamad Azlan Alias (spiker) beating
Thailand in front of home fans — ended Thailand's dominance as world champions
and avenged an earlier final defeat. It was also part of a "double success" on
the same day, as Malaysia also won the doubles event.

This pattern sums up the standing of Malaysian sepak takraw today: a country
whose heritage is rooted in the sport and which can beat anyone on a good day,
but which is still chasing the consistency that lets Thailand hold on to the
most coveted titles year after year.

## Next steps

If you want to see the sport live, the national Sepak Takraw League organised by
PSM is the easiest entry point, and sepak takraw events are among the liveliest
at the SEA Games. To understand why the sport's heritage is claimed by several
countries at once, start with its very name — the combination of "sepak" (Malay)
and "takraw" (Thai) is proof that the same game was raised by different cultures
across Southeast Asia.

## Sources

- International Sepaktakraw Federation — Who Are We — https://sepaktakraw.one/who-are-we-1 (International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF))
- Sepak Takraw — https://www.roots.gov.sg/ich-landing/ich/sepak-takraw (Roots — National Heritage Board Singapore)
- Sepak Takraw Rules: How To Play Sepak Takraw — https://www.rulesofsport.com/sports/sepak-takraw.html (Rules of Sport)
- ISTAF Law of the Game — Sepaktakraw (court 13.4x6.1, net 1.52/1.42, ball 12 holes/20 intersections) — http://www.takraw.com.br/abt/RULE_regu.pdf (International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF))
- ISTAF Letter to Member Countries Re Implementation of 15-Points Per Set Game (effective 1 Feb 2024) — https://www.scribd.com/document/698011564/Ver-1-0-ISTAF-Letter-to-Member-Countries-Re-Implementation-of-15-Points-Per-Set-Game (International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF))
- 1965 SEAP Games — sports program (lists Sepak takraw among 14 sports) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1965_SEAP_Games (Wikipedia)
- Sepaktakraw Association of Malaysia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepaktakraw_Association_of_Malaysia (Wikipedia)
- PSM tukar nama rasmi kepada Persekutuan Sepaktakraw Malaysia — https://berita.rtm.gov.my/arena/senarai-berita-arena/senarai-artikel/psm-tukar-nama-rasmi-kepada-persekutuan-sepaktakraw-malaysia/ (RTM)
- Sepaktakraw World Cup: Double Celebration As Malaysia Beat Thailand 2-0 To Win Regu Title — https://www.bernama.com/en/news.php?id=2300473 (Bernama)
- Malaysia's 36-Year Wait For King's Cup Title Continues After Defeat To Thailand — https://bernama.com/en/news.php?id=2338293 (Bernama)
- Thai King's Cup: Malaysia Maintains Winning Streak In Regu Event — https://www.bernama.com/en/news.php?id=2335811 (Bernama)

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