by: Ian Curtis, section editor 

Take the sport of volleyball, and shrink everything in it: the ball, the dimensions of the court, the net—everything. Then add in more bicycle kicks than a World Cup highlight reel and enough acrobatics to make P.T. Barnum jealous.

That’s sepak takraw, and it is glorious. 

The game is also known as foot volleyball, and you can start to grasp the rules from that description alone. Players must keep a small rattan ball airborne solely using their feet, knees, chest, and head. Much like in regular volleyball, scoring occurs whenever the ball is sent over the net and hits the ground on the opponent’s side of the court. 

It’s a simple concept, but one that is incredibly entertaining to watch. And before I bore you anymore than I already have, do just that. Watch some highlights:

Now that we’ve established that takraw is officially and undeniably awesome, it’s time to dig a little deeper into where the sport came from and what its future may look like.

Sepak takraw is believed to have originated in Thailand, or Malaysia, or Indonesia, or nearly any other Southeast Asian nation–it all depends on who you choose to believe. For what it’s worth, the game’s earliest mention comes from the Malay Annals, a 15th-16th century Malay historical work of what I’m going to assume is of great importance. In it, a crown prince has his headwear knocked off after an official’s son shanked his takraw shot. In a show of brilliant decision making that was not affected by rage whatsoever, the crown prince kills said takraw player. 

Although variations of the game have existed for centuries, it took until the 20th century for the rules of takraw to become standardized and a uniform version of the game to emerge. But once it did, it spread like wildfire. The first set of official regulations came about sometime in the 1920s-1930s. By the 60s, sepak takraw had a presence in the majority of schools in Southeast Asia.

In recent times, the game has solidified its presence as a major sport in that corner of the globe. It has all the acronyms a major sport needs: an international governing body (the International Sepak Takraw Federation or ISTAF), a professional league (the aptly named Sepak Takraw League or STL) and even a world championship (the ISTAF World Cup)! Most prominently, since 1990 the sport has been a fixture at the Asian Games, the second-largest multi sport event in the world. Second-largest may not seem impressive, but the largest is the Olympics, which certainly puts things into perspective.

But if this sport is so exciting and clearly popular, why hadn’t I heard of it until I plummeted down a procrastination-fueled, late-night rabbit hole a few weeks ago?

Indonesian and Malaysian players scramble for the ball during a match at the Asian Games. Photo credit Jakarta Post.

There is a simple explanation. Sepak takraw is wildly popular in Southeast Asia……and nowhere else. While a few tournaments have sprung up among various European countries and in the United States in recent years, the sport is just beginning to expand to new horizons. 

To illustrate, let’s take a look at the USA Takraw Association (USAST), the governing body of the sport in the United States. According to their website, they “only have 15-20 members who are serious about Takraw, but we know there are far more Takraw players than that in the U.S.”  

Not exactly NBA level popularity. 

For further context, their website appears as if it had been designed when Tom Brady was just a young backup and Nick Saban was building an SEC dynasty for the ages–at LSU. If it weren’t for a banner proclaiming “Celebrating our 20th anniversary 1996-2016,” I would have assumed the site hadn’t been updated since 2003. 

Clearly, sepak takraw is not high on the totem pole in terms of American sports, and I think that’s a shame. It’s got the excitement to succeed; if golf can draw millions of fans, surely takraw has a chance

The South Korean Women’s National Team practices in anticipation of an upcoming tournament. Photo credit Korea JoongAng Daily

I could sit here and list all of the reasons why it’s not popular in the United States, but that’s not important. What is important is that sepak takraw has a chance to get on people’s radar in the next few years. It’s not going to be the next soccer, or hockey, or baseball, but the room for growth is there. 

It’s not going to happen with big leagues, or TV deals, or million dollar contracts. If sepak takraw wants to spread, it has to first accomplish the little things. Stuff like pickup games, local tournaments, and yes, an updated website design for USA Takraw. Before you can be someone’s favorite sport, they have to know you exist in the first place. 

In my ideal fantasyland, sepak takraw has a grassroots expansion across the country, with local and regional tournaments being the centerpieces of an actively engaged takraw community. I am in no way qualified to determine whether or not this is feasible or even possible, but you’ve got to let a sports fan dream. And if this dream does come to pass, maybe– just maybe– sepak takraw will make it big-time in the US. If that happens, you can be sure I’ll be the first one in line to buy tickets.

Have another sport you’d like to see in the next edition of Sports Spotlight? Contact Ian at: ian.curtis.the.roar@gmail.com