Sepak Takraw is a very popular sport all trough Southeast Asia, is also known by many names such as Sepak Raga in Malay. Cau May Lin in Vietnam. Sipa in Philippines. Ka-Taw in Lao. It is also referred as Kick Volleyball but is slightly different from that.
Sepak Takraw is played since the beginning of the 15th century and is believed to have been originated by the Malacca Sultanate.
The sport is played by two teams who are called regus with three members each side where one olayer is located at the back and is known as tekong. The game can be played indoors as well as outdoors. The tekong serves the ball and after the ball is served; the players are then permitted to move freely. The use of hands is not approved and each player can touch the ball just once before it is hit over the net. The ball can be returned over the net by the player using any body part except the part from the shoulder to the finger. Sepak Tekraw usually has three sets of 21 points per set. The side that wins two sets is declared as the winner.
The Sepak Tekraw sport seems to me a wonderful mix of Ballet, Acrobatics, and Kung-Fu. This gallery are images taken on two consecutive days in the Thai town of Sonkhlaburi, a small town located about 5 hours Nortwest of Bangkok, in the province of Kanchanaburi, bordering Myanmar, so approximately half of its population is of Burmese origin, mixing with the other half Thai, and hosting memorable Sepak Tekraw matches on the small playing field at outdoor.