sepak takraw rules

7/29/2019 Sepak Takraw Rules

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COMPLETE OFFICIAL INTERNATIONAL

SEPAK TAKRAW RULES

(Rewritten to be clearer, using consistent terminology

and more grammatically correct than original version)

1. THE COURT

1.1. The Court The court is an area of 13.4 m X 6.1 m,or 44 ft X 20 ft, free from all obstacles up to the height of8 m, or 26.25 ft, measured from the floor surface, andfree of all obstacles on the floor or ground up to adistance of at least 3.0 m, or about 10 feet, from the

edges of the court all the way around.

1.2. Sidelines & Baselines The width of the sidelines(two sides) and baselines (two back ends) bounding thecourt should not be more than 0.04 m, or 1 inches,measured and drawn inward from the outer edge of thecourt measurements.

1.3. The Center Line A Center Line of 0.02 m, or inch, should be drawn across the centre of the court,from side to side, to divide the court into two equalhalves.

1.4. The Quarter Circle At the front corners of eachhalf of the court, at the center line, a Quarter Circle shallbe drawn from the sideline to the center line with aradius of 0.9 m, or 3 ft, measured and drawn outwardfrom the outer edge of the radius.

1.5. The Service Circle A Service Circle of 0.3 m, or 1ft, radius shall be drawn on each half of the court, thecenter of which is 2.45 m, or 8 ft, in from the baseline ofthe court and 3.05 m, or 10 ft, in from the sidelines. The0.04 m, or 1 -inch, line shall be measured and drawnoutward from the outer edge of the radius.

2. THE POSTS

2.1. The posts shall be 1.55 m, or 5 ft 1 inch (1.45 m, or4 ft 9 inches, for women) in height from the floor andshall be sufficiently firm to maintain high net tension.They should be made from strong materials and shall notbe more 0.04 m, or 1 inches, in radius.

2.2. Position of Posts The posts shall be erected orplaced firmly 0.3 m, or 1 ft, outside the sideline

boundary and directly in line with the center line.

3. THE NET

3.1. The net shall be made of fine ordinary cord or nylonwith 0.06 m to 0.08 m, or 2 to 3-inch, mesh.

3.2. The net shall be 0.7m, or 2 ft 4 inches, in height (topto bottom) and not shorter than 6.10 m, or 20 ft, in width(side to side).

3.3. The net shall be edged on both sides along thesideline edges from top to bottom with 0.05 m, or 2-inch,tape, and shall be called Boundary Tape.

3.4. The net shall also be edged with at least 0.05 m, or2-inch, tape on both sides along the top and bottom, andshall be supported by a fine ordinary cord or nylon cordthat runs through the tape and is tightened at the posts.

3.5. The top of the net shall be 1.52 m, or 5 ft, in heightfrom the floor at center court for men (1.42 m, or 4 ft 8inches, for women) and 1.55 m, or 5 ft 1 inch, at theposts for men (1.45 m, or 4 ft 9 inches, for women).

4. THE SEPAK TAKRAW BALL

4.1. The Sepak Takraw ball shall be spherical, made upof one woven layer of synthetic fiber, or any otherISTAF approved materials, having 12 holes and 20intersections.

4.2. For men, the ball circumference shall not be lessthan 41 cm, or 16.14 in., and not more than 43 cm, or16.93 in. For women, the ball circumference shall not beless than 42 cm, or 16.54 in., and not more than 44 cm,or 17.32 in.

4.3. For men, the weight of the ball before play shall notbe less than 170 g, or 6 oz., and not more than 180 g, or6.35 oz. For women, the ball weight before play shall notbe less than 150 g, or 5.3 oz., and not more than 160 g, or5.6 oz.

4.4. The ball can be a plain singular color, multi-colored,or made of luminous colors, but not of any color that willimpair the performance of the players.

4.5. All world, international, or regional competitionssanctioned by ISTAF, including but not limited to, the

Olympic Games, World Games, Commonwealth Games,Asian Games, and South East Asian Games must beplayed with ISTAF approved Sepak Takraw balls.

5. THE PLAYERS

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5.1. A match is played by two Regus, each consistingof three players.

5.2. One of the three players shall be near the back of thecourt and he/she is called a Tekong (Server).

5.3. The other two players shall be in front, closer to the

net, one on the left side of the Tekong and the other onthe right side. The player on the left is called a LeftForward and the player on the right is called a RightForward.

5.4. Regu Event

5.4.1. Each Regu shall consist of a minimum of 3players and a maximum of 5 players (which is 1 Reguof 3 players plus 2 Reserve Players that may besubstituted in if necessary), all of whom must beregistered prior to a Regu Event Match.

5.4.2. Prior to the commencement of a Regu EventMatch, each Regu must have a minimum of 3registered players present on the playing court.

5.4.3. Any Regu having less than 3 players will not beallowed to play the Match and will be considered ashaving lost the Match in two straight Sets, with eachsets score being 0-21.

5.5. Team Event

5.5.1. Each Team shall consist of a minimum of 9players (3 Regus of 3 players per Regu) and amaximum of 15 players, which allows for 2 ReservePlayers per Regu to be included, BUT ONLY 12PLAYERS MAY BE REGISTERED PRIOR TO ATEAM EVENT GAME (in other words, a coach mustdecide which of the two reserve players on each Reguwould be most ready to be substituted in if necessary).

5.5.2. Prior to the commencement of a Team EventGame, each Team must have a minimum of 9registered players present on the playing court.

5.5.3. Any Team having less than 9 players will not be

allowed to play the Game and will be considered ashaving lost in two straight matches, and each matchbeing recorded as lost in two straight sets with each setsscore being recorded as 0-21.

6. PLAYERS ATTIRE

6.1. All equipment used by players must be appropriatefor Sepak Takraw. Safety and fairness are the priorities.Any equipment that increases or reduces the speed of theball or increases the height of the player so as to give an

unfair advantage and/or endanger the safety ofhimself/herself or other players shall not be allowed.

6.2. To avoid unnecessary conflicts or confusion, twoopposing Regus or Teams must wear different colorjerseys.

6.3. Regus/Teams must have a minimum of two sets ofJerseys/T-shirts, one light and the other dark in color. If

both regus/teams arrive at a match/game dressed injerseys of the same color, the home regu/team mustchange. On a neutral site, the regu/team listed first on thematch/game program shall change.

6.4. A players attire shall consist of jerseys/T-shirts,shorts, socks and sports shoes with rubber souls withoutheels. The entire apparel of a player is regarded as part ofhis/her body, so to avoid Net Fouls, if jerseys or T-shirts are baggy or loose, and not snug-fitting, it isRECOMMENDED that they be tucked into the shorts. Incase of cold weather, players are permitted to weartracksuits. Optional attire may also include a cloth headband or bandana.

6.5. All jerseys/T-shirts are to be numbered at the back.A player must be assigned with one permanent numberthroughout a tournament. Each participating Regu orTeam is allowed to use only numbers 1 to 15. The size ofthe number shall not be less than 19 cm, or 7 inches, inheight.

6.6. The Captain of each Regu shall wear an armbandof a different color from the Jersey/T-shirt on the leftarm.

6.7. Any other apparel not specifically mentioned inthese rules must first receive approval of the ISTAFTechnical Commission before use.

7. SUBSTITUTION

7.1. There shall be no repeat of the same player in anyTeam Event competition involving more than oneregu.

7.2. Substitution of a player is allowed at any time onrequest made by the Team Manager or Coach to theOfficial Referee when the ball is not in play.

7.3. Each Regu may nominate none to maximum oftwo reserve players, BUT CAN MAKE ONLY ONESUBSTITUTION IN A MATCH.

7.4. Each Regu will be allowed to make a substitutionfor an injured player on the court provided a substitutionhad not been made earlier in the match. If substitutionhad already been made, the Regu will not be allowed tocontinue and will be considered as having lost the match,and the injured Regus last recorded points being theirfinal score while the winning Regu automatically recordsa score of 21 (first two sets) or 17 (tie break set).

7.5. The only time that two players will be allowed tocontinue a match is if, after a Regu has already made asubstitution, one of the 3 players on the court gets sent

off by the Referee with a Red Card.

8. THE COIN TOSS AND WARM-UP

8.1. Before commencing the game, the Court Refereewill toss a coin or disc in front of the captains and theregu winning the toss shall have the option of Choosing

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Service or Choosing Side. The regu that loses the tosswill abide by the decision.

8.2. The regu being awarded with the Service shallwarm-up first for 2 minutes followed by the otherregu. Only 5 persons are allowed to move freely on thecourt during the warm up.

9. POSITION OF PLAYERS DURING SERVICE

9.1. At the start of play, the players of both regus must bein their respective courts in a ready position.

9.2. The Tekong shall be standing with one of his/herfeet inside the serving circle.

9.3. Both of the Forward players of the serving sidemust be standing in their respective quarter circles.

9.4. The opponent or receiving regu is free to beanywhere within its court.

10. THE START OF PLAY AND SERVICE

10.1. The Regu that serves first (according to the tossdecision) shall start the first set. The side that wins thefirst set shall begin serving in the second set.

10.2. The throw or pitch of the Takraw ball fromForward player to the Tekong must be executed assoon as the Referee calls the score. If a Forward playerthrows the ball to the Tekong to serve before the Refereecalls the score, it must be re-thrown and a warning willbe given to the Regu. A repetition of this act will beconsidered a Fault.

10.3. During the service, as soon as the Tekong kicks theball, all players are allowed to move around freely intheir respective courts.

10.4. The service is valid if the ball passes over the net,whether it touches the net or not, and inside the boundaryof the two net tapes and boundary lines of the opponentscourt as long as even the shadow of the ball (very outeredge) is directly over the boundary line or tape, it isconsidered in bounds.

10.5. In a Team Event Game during a Knock-out StyleTournament, if a winner is already decided at the end ofthe first two Matches, the losing Regu is not obligated toplay a third Match with their third Regu.

10.6. In a Team Event Game during a Round Robin Style

Tournament or League Schedule, if a winner is alreadydecided at the end of the first two Matches, the losingRegu is MUST PLAY a third Match with their thirdRegu. Teams without a third Regu will be considered tohave lost the third Match by default in two straight sets,0-21 and 0-21.

11. FAULTS

11.1. The Serving Side During Service

11.1.1. The Forward player who is making servicethrows, plays around with the ball (throwing the ball up,bumping it, giving it to the other Forward player, etc.)after the score has been announced by the Referee.

11.1.2. The Forward player lifts his/her feet or stepson/over the line or touches/crosses over the net whilethrowing the ball to the Tekong during the serve.

11.1.3. The Tekongs support foot leaves the ground orsteps on/over the serving circle before the kicking footcontacts the ball during the serve.

11.1.4. The Tekong does not KICK the ball on theservice throw.

11.1.5. The ball touches the Tekongs own player beforecrossing over to the opponents court.

11.1.6. The ball goes over the net but falls outside thecourt.

11.1.7. The ball does not cross over the net to theopponents side.

11.1.8. A Tekong uses his/her hand(s) or arm(s) tofacilitate the execution of a kick, even if the hand(s) orarm(s) do not touch the ball but touch other objects orsurfaces.

11.1.9. For the second time during the same Match, theForward player of the Serving Regu throws the ball tohis/her Tekong to execute the serve before the Refereeannounces the score.

11.2. Serving and Receiving Side During Service

11.2.1. Creating distracting mannerisms or noise orshouting at their opponents.

11.3. For Both Sides During The Game

11.3.1. Stepping ON the Centre Line (under the net, thatdivides the two courts in half), except during a followthrough after an execution of a spike or a block.

11.3.2. Any player who touches the ball on theopponents side.

11.3.3. Any part of player's body CROSSES OVER intoopponent's court, whether above or under the net, exceptduring the follow-through after striking the ball fromones own side.

11.3.4. Contacting the ball more than 3 times in

succession.

11.3.5. The ball touches the arm or hand (except forduring the service throw).

11.3.6. the ball STOPS or STALLS on any part of aplayers body.

11.3.7. Any part of a players body or a player's attire,e.g. shoes, jersey, head band etc., touches the net, post,

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Referees chair, or any object outside the court, or fallsonto the opponent's side.

11.3.8. The ball touches the floor, wall, ceiling or anyobjects outside the court during play.

11.3.9. Any player who uses the aid of any external

object or aid as a form of support to facilitate theexecution of a kick.

11.3.10. The ball does not cross over the net to theopponents side within 3 hits during play.

11.3.11. The ball goes over the net within 3 hits but fallsoutside the opponents court during play.

11.3.12. Any player who intentionally delays the gameunnecessarily.

12. SCORING SYSTEM

12.1. When either serving side or receiving side commitsa fault, a point and the next service is awarded to theopposing side.

12.2. The winning point for a set is 21 points, unless thepoints are tied at 20-20, then the set shall be decided on adifference of two points, up to a ceiling of 25 points.When the score is tied at 20-20, the Referee announcesSetting up to 25 points.

12.3. A Match is played in two OR three sets with a 2-minute rest in between each set.

12.4. If each regu wins one set of the first two sets, thematch shall be decided by a third set called a "Tiebreak"with the winning points being 15 points, unless thepoints are tied at 14-14, then the Tiebreak Set shall bedecided on a difference of two points, up to a ceiling of17 points. When the score is tied at 14-14, the Refereeannounces Setting up to 17 points.

12.5. Before a Tiebreak Set takes place, the Referee shall

toss a disc or coin, and the Regu winning the toss shallserve first. The change of sides takes place when oneregu reaches 8 points.

13. TIME-OUT

13.1. An automatic 1-minute Time-out will be given toeach Regu in the first two sets when one Regu reaches 11points. During the Tiebreak Set an automatic 1-minuteTime-out will be given to each Regu when one Regu

reaches 8 points. During the time-out, players must gooutside the court, behind the baseline. Only 5 persons areallowed behind the base line during a time-out.

13.2. The 5 persons should consist of the 3 players whowere just playing the game and two other persons, suchas coach and manager, who are dressed differently thanthe players.

14. TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF PLAY

14.1. The Referee can suspend play temporarily in theevent of obstructions, disturbances or any injury to aplayer who needs immediate treatment, for not more than5 minutes for each Regu in a Match.

14.2. An injured player is allowed up to 5 minutes ofInjury Time-out. If after 5 minutes, the player is unableto continue, a substitution must be made. If the injuredplayer's Regu has already made a substitution, the matchwill be declared a forfeit in favor of the opposing Regu,and the injured Regus last recorded points being theirfinal score while the winning Regu automatically recordsa score of 21 (first two sets) or 17 (tie break set).

14.3. In the event of obstructions, disturbances or anyother matters, only the Official Referee can suspend playupon concurrence with the Tournament Committee.

14.4. In the course of such suspension of play, all playersare not allowed to leave the court to receive drinks or anyother form of assistance.

15. DISCIPLINE

15.1. Every player must abide by the rules of the game.

15.2. Only the Captain of a Regu is allowed to approachthe Referee during a match, when the ball is not in play,for matters either relating to the position or condition ofthe player in the Regu, or to ask for a reasonableexplanation of a decision made by the Refereeconcerning the match, for which the Referee must accedeto the request made by the Captain.

15.3. However, Coaches, Team Managers, Players and/orTeam Officials are not allowed to dispute the Refereesdecision during the match or to act in any way that willjeopardize the continuity of the match, for which suchact shall be regarded as a serious Disciplinary Offence.

16. PENALTY

Fouls and misconduct are penalized as follows:

16.1. Cautionable Offences A player is shown theYellow Card and Cautioned if he/she commits anyof the following six offences:

16.1.1. Is guilty of unsporting behavior, whereby thedisplay of such behavior can be reasonably regarded aseither a mitigated or unmitigated violation of the normsof sporting ethics and can be considered as having, orwill have, a detrimental effect on the proper conduct ofthe Match as a whole;

16.1.2. Shows dissent by word or action;

16.1.3. Persistently infringes the Laws of the Game;

16.1.4. Delays the restart of play;

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16.1.5. Enters or re-enters the court without the referee'spermission (except during regular play);

16.1.6. Deliberately leaves the court without the referee'spermission (except during regular play).

16.2. Sending-off Offences A player is shown the Red

Card and Sent Off (immediately sent out of theMatch) if he/she commits any of the following fiveoffences:

16.2.1. Is guilty of serious foul play;

16.2.2. Is guilty of violent conduct, including an actexecuted with deliberate intent to cause injury to his/heropponent;

16.2.3. Spits at an opponent or any other person;

16.2.4. Uses offensive or insulting or abusive language

and/or gestures;

16.2.5. Receives a second caution (Yellow Card) in thesame match.

16.3. Any player who commits a Cautionable Offence,either on or off the court, whether directed towards anopponent, team-mate, Referee, Assistant Referee, or anyother person, for which a Yellow Card is given foreach offence committed is disciplined as follows:

16.3.1. Offence: FIRST Yellow Card

Penalty: Normal Caution

16.3.2. Offence: The same player receives a SECONDYellow Card in different Matches but in the sametournament.Penalty: One Match Suspension.

16.3.3. Offence: The same player receives a THIRDYellow Card, after a Match suspension has been servedfor the first two Yellow Cards received, in the sametournament.Penalty: Two-match Suspension, plus a US $100 Finethat must be paid by the club or any other body the

player represents in the competition.

16.3.4. Offence: The same player receives a FOURTHYellow Card, after having served a two-matchsuspension for the earlier third Yellow Card, in the sametournament.Penalty: Immediate suspension from playing in the nextand all subsequent matches in any tournament sanctionedby the relevant Sepak Takraw controlling authority untila Disciplinary Committee has convened to reach a finaldecision on the matter.

16.3.5. Offence: The same player receives TWO Yellow

Cards WITHIN THE SAME MATCH.Penalty: Two-match Suspension, plus a US $100 Finethat must be paid by the club or any other body theplayer represents in the competition. A Red Card will begiven for a third disciplinary offence committed in anyother subsequent match in the same tournament.

16.4. A player who commits a Sending-off Offence,either on or off the court, whether directed towards anopponent, team-mate, Referee, Assistant Referee, or any

other person, for which a Red Card is given for eachoffence committed is disciplined as follows:

16.4.1. Offence: Red CardPenalty: Sent OUT of the Match and immediatesuspension from playing in any tournament sanctionedby the relevant Sepak Takraw controlling authority untila Disciplinary Committee has convened to reach a finaldecision on the matter.

17. MISCONDUCT OF TEAM OFFICIALS

17.1. Disciplinary action will be taken against TeamOfficials or his/her regu/team for any misconduct ordisturbances committed by the official or regu/teamduring a tournament, whether in or outside the court.

17.2. Any Team Official who commits misconduct or

disturbances will be immediately escorted out of thearena by the tournament officials and the OfficialReferee and will also be immediately suspended frombeing a Team Official by the relevant Sepak Takrawcontrolling authority, until a Disciplinary Committee hasconvened to reach a final decision on the matter.

18. GENERAL

18.1. In the event of any question or any matter arisingout of any point, which is not expressly provided for inany of the rules of the game, the decision of the OfficialReferee shall be final.

CURRENT RULES WITH AMENDMENTSAPPROVED BY ISTAF IN BANGKOK, THAILAND,JULY 2, 2007

Sepak Takraw Glossary

There's a whole bundle of words out there that you

won't understand if you're new to that game or sport,

if you want :) The pages on my site are written in

such way, as I suppose you know what they mean. If

you don't, here are some specific words together with

the explaination of what they mean.

ASTAF: The acronym for the Asian

Sepaktakraw Federation

Block: Blocking is a defensive skill used to

counter a spike coming from close to the net. Ablock is usually made by jumping in the air andraising a leg and/or back to divert the ball backinto the opponent's court. A block counts as onecontact.

Centre 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

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control. Eg: The dig by Thailand came at acrucial 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

service by the opposing team.

Formations: Order of play is decided by the

toss of a coin. The ceremony involvesthereferee and the two team captains. Thewinning captain chooses either the right to servefirst, or the choice of court ("Serve or Side").

ISTAF: The acronym for the International

Sepaktakraw Federation

Killer: A common usage to describe the Spiker

or a successful spike ball.

Quarter Circle: Place on court where the

serving team's forwards (left and right insideplayers) should remain during the service untilthe ball has been kicked by the Server.

Regu: A Malaysian word meaning a team. A

team comprises four players (three starters andone reserve) is known as a Regu, and a squad ofthree Regus is known as a Team.

Roll Spike: A spike in which the player jumps

with his back to the net, rotates in the air andkicks the ball over the opposite shoulder fromthe kicking foot with a flip like motion. Themost dramatic and popular move in the game.

Sepaktakraw: The name of the game from the

words Sepak, a term used in Malaysia,Singapore and Indonesia which translates into"kick", and Takraw, a term used in Thailandwhich means "woven ball".

Service Over: When the serving team fails to

return the ball over the net or commits a fault.The opposing team becomes the serving teambut a point is not awarded.

Serving Circle: A circle located in both halves

of the court where the Server is required to bepositioned during the service.

Set: A period of play which is concluded when

one team reaches 15 points. A match consists ofthe best of three sets. The third set is played in asix-point tiebreak.

Set or Setting: A high pass by one player to a

teammate or to self to enable a spike on the nextmove.

Service: The act of putting the ball into play by

the Server.

Service Toss: A hand throw of the ball by one

of the forwards to the Server.

Spike: A powerfully hit shot directed into the

opponent's court using either the foot or head.

Sunback Spike: A spike in which the player

jumps with his back to the net and kicks the ballover the same shoulder as the kicking foot. Insoccer this is known as a "bicycle kick".

Takraw Ball: Traditionally, the ball is made by

weaving bamboo or rattan into a sphericalshape. In 1982, Marathon Intertrade Co., Ltd.revolutionisedthe sport by introducing wovensynthetic (plastic) balls. Today, almost allplayers around the world are using synthetictakraw balls.

To Begin Play: The game is initiated when one

of the forwards tosses the ball to the back player- the "Server" who must keep one foot insidethe the serving circle and the other foot outside.The ball must be kicked with the foot outsidethe circle in one attempt over the net.Note: A ball hitting the net on the serve is"good".

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sepak takraw rules

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