Sepak takraw

Sepak takraw (Malay: sepak raga; Jawi: سيڤق راڬا; Thai: ตะกร้อ, rtgs: takro, pronounced [tā.krɔ̂ː]; Khmer: សីដក់ Sei Dak; Lao: ກະຕໍ້ ka-taw; Filipino: sipa; Vietnamese: cầu mây), or kick volleyball, is a sport native to Southeast Asia. Sepaktakraw differs from the similar sport of volleyball in its use of a rattan ball and only allowing players to use their feet, knee, chest and head to touch the ball. It is a popular sport in Southeast Asia.

In Malaysia, the game is called sepak raga or takraw. It is also kataw (Lao: "twine" and "kick") while in Thailand it is called takraw. In Myanmar it is known as chin lone, and is considered more of an art as there is often no opposing team, and the point is to keep the ball aloft gracefully and interestingly. In the Philippines, besides "takraw" it is also known as sipa, meaning "kick".

Similar games include footbag net, footvolley, football tennis, bossaball, jianzi and sipa

Etymology

"Sepak" is the Malay word for kick and "takraw" is the Thai word for a woven ball, therefore sepak takraw quite literally means to kick ball. The choosing of this name for the sport was essentially a compromise between Malaysia and Thailand, the two powerhouse countries of the sport.

Kataw (Philippine mythology)

The Kataw is one of the merfolk in the Philippine Mythology. In Visayan, Kataw was believed to have higher rankings than other water and sea creatures as those of Sirena, Sireno and Siyokoy. It is believed that the Kataws are the reigning rulers of the kingdom Bantay Tubig.

Based on physical features, Kataws, along the Sirena and Sireno, were the Bantay Tubig-creatures that bear likeness to human while Siyokoy are those that resemble water-creatures. Unlike Sirena, they have feet instead of tails but they have gills on their bodies and fins in their arms. These marine creatures disguises into fishermen asking for help. When approached by mortals, the Kataws drown them into the abyss.

According to old folks, Kataws have the ability to manipulate and control water-type elements and related forces such as pressure, tides, waves, bubbles and the likes. Also, they can change water to ice .

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