Takraw

Takraw - think of it as a kind of volleyball where you can't use your hands. Think of a volleyball as "spherical of one woven layer having 12 holes, 20 intersections. ...made of synthetic fiber or natural rattan. If it is made of rattan, it ...consist(s) of 9-11 strains. The circumference ...not ...less than 0.42 m and not more than 0.44 m (0.43 m to 0.45 m for women). The weight before play...not ...less than 170 gm and not more than 180 gm (150 gm to 160 gm for women)." Think of a team as a 'Regu', each consisting of three players...One of the three players ...at the back and ...called a 'Server (Tekong)'....The other two players ...in front, one on the left and the other on the right. The player on the left ...called a "Left Inside" and the player on the right ...called a 'Right Inside'" And the net is lower and the court smaller. And in addition to the referee there are two umpires and 6 "linesmen." Otherwise, it's pretty much identical to volleyball.

Takraw is not a new game, in origin or spirit. According to the official site, "It is recorded in the cultures of South-East Asia nations as early as in the 11th century that the game was played extensively - Takraw in Thailand, Sipa in the Philippines, Sepakraga in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, Ching Loong in Myanmar, Rago in Indonesia & Kator in Laos. It is even said that in one of his many trips, the merchant Marco Polo brought back to Europe a game from China, which was kicking an implement into the air and counting the number of kicks, a style resembling today's sepaktakraw game."

Today, Takraw is an international sport, played in Puerto Rico, Singapore, Argentina, Brazil, India, Japan, Switzerland, and even here in the US. It is an important sport in that it affords players the opportunity to rise to rare moments of skill and grace. It is one of only a few sports involving eye-foot coordination: soccer, the hacky sack (officially referred to as a "footbag" and a moment or two of football. But all of these sports seem mere prelude to the refinement and spectacle of eye-foot accomplishment afforded to the Takraw player.