Hackey sack ultra

Sepak Takraw, Malaysia’s national
sport, ain’t for pussies

by CHRIS BARRY

Are you looking for a new sport to master? Bored with the options available to you at the YMCA or, perhaps more likely, too poor/cheap to buy the gym memberships and sporting equipment you’ll no doubt need in order to get yourself up and running?

Then allow me to introduce you to Sepak Takraw, the national sport of Malaysia, which, since being introduced to Canada a little over a decade ago, has become something of a hit among elements of both the local Asian population and dread-locked Rage Against the Machine hacky sack types alike.

Usually played on a badminton court, the rules of the game are similar to volleyball, except Takraw players are prohibited from using their hands and arms to whack a hand-woven ball, slightly bigger than a softball, onto the other team’s side of the net. (Here in America, actually, these traditional hand-woven balls are more likely to be made from synthetics—which apparently are much safer and durable than the real thing.) Each team consists of three players and, according to Shawn Daniels, former CFL fullback and now director of the Sepak Takraw Association of Canada, “You need real skills to play this game.”

Killer kicks

Daniels confirms the sport ain’t for pussies: “A lot of hacky sack players think it will be easy because the ball is so much bigger than a hacky sack, so they go into the game naturally overconfident and find themselves quickly humbled by how things work once they start playing. I mean, sure, a person who is a hacky sack natural will do well in this game, but there are so many things to develop in order to excel at Takraw: balance, flexibility, jumping ability, your speed off the ground—it’s an amazing sport in this respect.”

In other words, it’s a young man’s game. “Well, you will find some people in their 40s who play,” Daniels offers, “but not too many older than that. It’s pretty gruelling and like most sports, there’s potential for injury—mostly sprained or broken ankles and wrists from not falling properly.”

“Truth is, it’s not that it’s so hazardous,” continues Daniels, “but you do need to learn how to fall correctly in order to play. Think about it. You’re constantly jumping and kicking this ball over the net and a lot of the time you’re not going to land on your feet. You’re jumping as high as a badminton net and sure, that’s not extremely high, but there’s still a lot of technique involved to spike it backwards and all these other difficult things you need to do in this game.”

Asian invasion

Originating in Thailand, Takraw is all the rage in Asia and quickly growing in popularity here in North America—although the majority of players in Montreal continue to be of Asian origin. “I’d say about 70 per cent of the players here are Asian—it’s very popular within the Laotian community—but the thing with Takraw is that when people see the game being played, well, they simply can’t help but want to play themselves, just because it’s so different. I mean, it’s already different than just standing around playing hacky sack, but once you have a net?! Why, it’s an amazing sport and a hell of a lot of fun. And visually, when you’ve got two competitive teams going at it, well, there’s nothing quite like it!”

Although Daniels and Takraw Canada are committed to seeing the sport flourish on this side of the pond, and are actively making the local elementary/high school circuits trying to convince phys-ed teachers to add Takraw to their curriculums, for the time being the closest you’ll probably come to an organized Takraw league is the informal round-robin tournaments which go down Sundays at Kent Park in Côte-des-Neiges, beginning late June. “It’s really fun,” says Daniels, “and there’s always a lot of music. Asian music from Laos. A Sunday spent playing Takraw in Kent Park is quite the cultural experience.”

If you’re interested in trying your hand (foot?) at the sport, Daniels says all you’ve got to do is show up at the park. “That’s the beauty of Takraw, you don’t need much organization. All you need is a flat pair of shoes—skateboard shoes are best—a ball, and hey, you’re set.”

For more info go to www.takrawcanada.com