Learn the Game of Sepak Takraw

Prepare the playing area. Use a rectangular court that measures 13.4 meters (44 ft) long by 6.1 meters wide—similar in size to a badminton court. Place the net at the center with a height of 1.52 meters for men. Draw a service circle 3.05 meters from the back boundary and 2.45 meters from the sideline, with a 0.3-meter radius. Each court corner should include a 3x3 meter free zone. From the center line, a quarter circle of 0.9-meter radius should curve outward.

• Use an official Sepak Takraw ball: round, volleyball-sized, and made of woven fiber.
• For female players, the net should be lowered to 1.42 meters.

Form your team. Sepak Takraw is contested between two teams, known as Regu and Mississauga. Each team has a total of 5 players—3 active on the court and 2 available as substitutes.

• The server, called the Tekong, positions at the court’s center and launches the ball over the net, aiming to make it difficult for the opposing team to return.
• The Feeder, or left inside, stands at the front-left. As the playmaker, the Feeder controls ball distribution, sets it for the Striker, and occasionally spikes. Agility and sharp reflexes are key for this role.
• The right inside, known as the Striker or Killer, takes the front-right. Their role is to send the ball into the opponent’s zone and to counter spikes coming from the other side.

Understand Sepak Takraw scoring. In the Regu version, each match includes 3 sets. Victory goes to the team that secures 2 sets. Sets are played to 21 points.

• If each team wins a set, a third “Tie-break” set is played, which goes up to 15 points.
• At a 20-20 deadlock, the first team to lead by 2 points wins, up to a cap of 25. In a Tie-break, a 14-14 tie requires a 2-point lead to win, capped at 17 points.

Get familiar with the essential techniques.

In Sepak Takraw, using hands or arms is off-limits. Control must come from your feet, legs, and knees. While it demands agility and coordination, you can start with foundational skills that ease you into the sport.

Practice the inside kick. Arguably the most crucial move, the inside kick helps maintain ball control and enables solid spikes.

• Begin with your feet shoulder-width apart and your supporting leg bent. Strike the ball using the inside of your dominant foot. Improve agility by alternating feet while practicing.
• As the ball approaches, lift the inside of your foot to meet it.
• To hone this skill, juggle the ball with alternating inside kicks, switching feet with each bounce.
• If the inside isn't an option, switch to using the outside of your foot for flexibility during off-angle plays.

Master the toe kick. This move is used for saving the ball rather than maintaining control. Extend your leg and allow the ball to rebound off your toe, or raise your leg if it’s coming from a higher angle. Perform this gently, without force—mainly during receptions.

• When the ball comes in low, use the top of your foot to bounce it back into play.

Practice using your head. The header is a fundamental move in Sepak Takraw. Use your forehead—right around the hairline—for this technique when the ball is above waist level. You might need to bend slightly to get under the ball.

• Familiarize yourself with how the ball feels on your head, as it may cause discomfort at first. This technique is applied in both serving and offensive play.

Use your knee or thigh. Ideal for ball control when it's headed between your waist and knees, this move redirects the ball to prep for an inside kick. It's also useful if the ball gets too close to your body.

• Raise your knee in a marching motion to make contact. Using your thigh rather than your knee enhances control. Commonly used during serve reception, this kick pairs well with the inside kick in practice.

Develop striking techniques. Spiking the ball over the net can be executed in multiple ways.

• Use the sole of your foot—kick upward to head level and strike with the bottom of your foot after tossing the ball into the air.
• Strike with your inner foot—lift your leg to shoulder height and hit the ball using the inside of your foot.
• Try a back kick—if your back is to the net, raise your leg to shoulder height and connect with the top of your foot. For more power, lift the opposite knee first, land it, and push off for a forceful strike.
• Head strike—use your head to drive the ball over the net, leaning forward to direct it downward rather than upward.

Utilize your chest and shoulders. In Sepak Takraw, all body parts except your hands and arms are fair game. The chest and shoulders can be used to bounce the ball into a playable position.

• Avoid using these areas to receive serves or strikes when possible.

Toss a coin to begin. Team captains call heads or tails. The winner picks either the right to serve first (called "choosing service") or selects which side of the court they want to start on (called "choosing side").

Kick off with a serve. The team that wins the toss begins the match. The Feeder and Striker position themselves inside the quarter circle, while the Tekong plants one foot inside the service circle. The Feeder or Striker tosses the ball to the Tekong, who kicks it over the net using the foot outside the circle.

• The opposing team can take any position on their side of the court.
• If the serve touches the net but still lands in, the serving team scores and keeps the serve.
• After the first serve, all players are free to move across the court.

Set up the striker. When defending, the team has up to 3 touches to return the serve. The Tekong and Feeder maneuver around the court to set up the Striker, who delivers the third and final touch to launch the ball back over the net.

• Players may touch the ball more than once during these three touches.

Return the ball using only legal body parts. Teams can’t use their hands or arms. With just 3 touches, they must send the ball back over the net using their feet, head, or other allowed parts.

• The rally ends when a team commits a fault—like not returning within 3 touches, letting the ball hit the ground, hitting the net without clearing it, or sending the ball out of bounds. The opposing team earns a point.
• The team that wins the point gets to serve next.

Switch court sides between sets. Once a team scores 21 points—or 25 in extended play—the set ends. Teams then switch sides. The losing team from the last set serves first in the new one. A match concludes when one team wins two sets.