One of the features of Sepaktakraw, and reason for its growing popularity, is its simplicity. It is a team game involving three players per side and the object is to volley the woven ball over the net into the opponents court using any part of the body except the hands or arms. Each team is allowed three contacts with the ball to get it over the net. Unlike the similar game concept of volleyball, in takraw on player may take more than one contact consecutively.Points are scored by the serving team, and points are gained if the opposing side fails to return the ball over the net, or a winning shot is played whereby the ball lands in the opponents court.  

    The length of the game varies - there is no time limit. Matches are won by winning 2 out of 3 sets. To win a set, one team must reach 15 points. In 1996, ISTAF changed the rule so that no extra margin or extra points are played - the set is played straight and the first team to reach 15 points wins the set. The third set, if necessary is played to only 6 points and is referred to as a "tie-breaker".  

Regu (single team) 
A Regu consists of 4 players, but only three may be on the court at one time. Each "Regu" must have an appointed captain.  

Team 
A Team consits of 3 Regu's for a total of 12 players.  

Formations: 
Order of play is decided by the toss of a coin. The ceremony involves the referee and the    two team captains. The winning captain chooses either the right to serve first, or the choice of court ("Serve or Side").  

To Begin Play 
The game is initiated when one of the forwards tosses the ball to the back player (the    server). The back must keep one foot inside the serving circle and one outside. The ball  must be kicked with the foot outside the circle in one attempt over the net.  

Note: A serve hitting the net on the serve is "good".  

Official Rules and Regulations 
The official ISTAF rules of sepaktakraw are detailed in a separate location. You can go    there by clicking here.  

EQUIPMENT 

Before we take you into the rules of sepak takraw, it is important that you learn about the 
equipment needed to play the competitive game and the terminology you will encounter as 
you come to understand the sport.  

    Takraw Balls:  

    Takraw Balls were originally woven from rattan. In 1982 a Thai engineer revolutionized the 
    sport by introducing woven synthetic (plastic) balls. Today, almost all players around the 
    world are using synthetic takraw balls.  

    How to Select a Takraw Ball for Players:  

    Weight: Takraw balls range in weight from 140 grams to 200 grams. Normally younger    
    and beginner players begin with lighter balls and move up in weight. For advanced 
    players the optimal weight for advanced Sepak Takraw balls is 175 grams. Some people 
    use heavier balls for additional spring or when playing outdoors in order to minimize the 
    effect of the wind.  

    The Weave: The tightness of the weave of takraw balls determine the spring, bounce and 
    speed. A "soft" ball has less bounce. A "hard" ball will have maximum bounce.  

    Official Takraw Balls:  

    The official ISTAF Sepak Takraw ball for Tournament play is the:  

Marathon MT201

    In takraw, the most important piece of equipment other than the ball itself is the athletes 
    footwear. Most players prefer to kick in court shoes. They are popular mainly because of 
    their support and flat surface at the instep, unlike the flared sole of a running shoe. 

    Popular 
    makes/models include:  

         Nan Yang  
         Adidas - "Stan Smith"  
         Converse "All Stars"  

    In general, any lightweight athletic footwear with a flat instep will work efficiently. Players 
    often must develop a feel for their desired footwear by trial and error.  

    The Sepak Takraw Court  

                                                              

    All Sepaktakraw courts are standard in size and are about equal in size to badminton 
    court. Takraw may be played indoors or out, although most major tournaments outside of 
    the USA are played indoors.  

    The playing surface must be flat, horizontal and uniform. The width of the lines bounding 
    the court should be 0.04m measured and drawn inwards from the edge of the court 
    measurements. Court boarders should be at least 10.0 feet (3.0m) away from all 
    obstacles.  

    Center Line: The Center line of 1 PI inches should be drawn equally dividing the right and 
    left court.  

    Quarter Circles: A corner of each center line, a quarter circle shall be drawn from the 
    side line to the center line with a radius of 3.0 feet measured and drawn outwards from  
    the edge of the 3.0 foot radius.  

    The Service Circle: The service circle of 1 foot radius shall be drawn on the left and right 
    court, the center of which is 8 feet from the back line of the court and 10 feet from the 
    side boundary. The Service Circle is measured and drawn outward from the edge of the 
    center of the 1 foot radius.  

    Height of the Net: 5 feet, 1 inch at the center.  

    Height of the Posts: ISTAF regulations call for the posts to be 5'4". You can use the 
    portable volleyball posts and secure the net to the desired 5"1" height.  

    Free Area: An area of 6 feet outside the court boundaries should be free of obstacles.  
 
TERMINOLOGY                                           

Block: Blocking is a defensive skill used to counter a spike coming from close to the net.     Block is usually made by jumping in the air and raising a leg and/or back to divert the ball     back into the opponents court. A block counts as one contact.  

Center Line: Divides the length of the playing court into two equal halves.  

Dig: The act of fielding hard hit ball successfully, usually a spike or block, to regain control. 
i.e. The Dig by Thailand came at crucial point in the game..  

Dink: A soft hit ball -usually either a "dink serve" or a "dink spike" Fault: A violation of one of the rules of the game.  

Feeder: Person who "sets" the ball to the "spiker".  

First Ball: Term used to describe receiving the serve by the opposing team.  

Killer: Same as Spiker. Common in international terminology.  

Quarter Circle: Place on court where the serving team's forwards (left inside and right inside 
players) must remain until the ball has been kicked by the server or back player.  

Regu: Malaysian word for team. In takraw, a team of 4 players (3 starters plus 1 reserve) is 
known as a "Regu" and a squad of 3 "Regu's is known as a "Team".  

Roll Spike: Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net, rotates in the air and 
kicks the ball over the opposite shoulder from the kicking foot with a flip like motion. Th most dramatic and famous move in the game!  

Service Over: When the serving team fails to return the ball over the net or commits a fault 
or foul. The opposing team becomes the serving team but a point is not awarded to either 
team. USA also uses the same term as volleyball - "Side Out".  

Serving Circle: Circle of 1 foot radius located in both halves of the court. The server is 
required to have one foot touching the ground inside the serving circle during a serve.  

Set (1): A period of play which is concluded when one team reaches 15 points. Matches 
consists of the best of three sets.  

Set (2): A high pass by one player to a team-mate or to self to enable a spike.  

Service: The act of putting the ball into play by the back player.  

Service (Hand) Toss: A hand throw of the ball by one of the forward "inside" players to the 
"back" who must kick the ball into play in one try.  

Spike: A powerfully hit shot directed into the opponents half of the court by the foot or head.  

Sunback Spike: Spike in which the player jumps with his back to the net and kicks the ball 
over the same shoulder as the kicking foot. In soccer this is known as a "bicycle kick" or 
"bike" for short.