Sepak takraw words · Beginner
The words you will hear in your first match, grouped the way you meet them.
B · Beginner · 32 words · Step 1 of 2Basic setup terms
Team
In the team event, a team is three regus, with at least nine and at most twelve registered players, of whom no more than three are reserve pool players who may only be used as substitutes. Each player may play for only one regu in a team match. A team with fewer than nine players present is disqualified.
Also called: regu
See also: Regu
Court
13.4 m by 6.1 m, the size of a badminton doubles court, free of obstacles to a height of 8 m, with a free zone of at least 3 m around it. Border lines are at most 4 cm wide. The centre line divides the court into two sides, and each side has two quarter circles and a service circle.
See also: Centre line, Service circle, Free zone
Net
0.7 m wide and at least 6.1 m long, of fine nylon cord with a 6 to 8 cm mesh, set over the centre line. It is 1.52 m high at the centre and 1.55 m at the posts for men, and 1.42 m and 1.45 m for women, edged with 5 cm tape and with a 5 cm side band above each sideline.
See also: Centre line
Ball
A sphere of synthetic fibre with one woven layer, 12 holes and 20 intersections, 41 to 43 cm round and 170 to 180 g for men, 42 to 44 cm round and 150 to 160 g for women. It may have a soft synthetic rubber covering if ISTAF approves it, and international and regional events use ISTAF-approved balls.
Also called: takraw
Set
Won by the first regu to reach 15 points. At 14-14 the referee announces 'setting up to seventeen' and the first to 17 wins. A point is awarded to the opponent whenever either side commits a fault.
Also called: game
See also: Team, Regu, Fault, Setting up to seventeen
Match
Best of three sets, with two-minute breaks between sets. The regu that wins two sets first wins the match.
Regu
A group of three players, the side in a match. In a team event the regus are called the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Regu, and the winner of the team match is decided by regus won.
See also: Team
Centre line
The 2 cm line drawn at the centre of the court, below the net, that divides it into right and left sides.
Quarter circle
A quarter circle of 0.9 m radius drawn from the sideline at each end of the centre line. During service the two inside players of the serving side stand in them.
See also: Centre line, Inside players
Service circle
A circle of 0.3 m radius on each side of the court, with its centre 2.45 m from the back line and 3.05 m from the sidelines, in which the tekong places the non-kicking foot.
See also: Tekong
Core rule terms
No-hands rule
The ball touching a player's arm is a fault, as is using a hand or arm to support a kick or holding the ball under the arm or between the legs. The Laws do not list the permitted body parts; the arm touch rules out the hands.
See also: Fault
Serve
Starts each point after the referee calls the score. An inside player throws the ball and the tekong kicks it over the net. It is valid if it passes over the net, touching it or not, and lands inside the opponent's boundary lines and net tapes. Service alternates every point.
See also: Tekong
Three touches rule
A team may play the ball no more than three times in succession; a fourth is a fault. A ball that touches the body below the neck and rolls to another allowed part of the body unintentionally counts as one touch.
See also: Fault
Fault
A rule breach that gives the opponent the point, whichever regu was serving. The Laws list serving-side faults (such as the tekong's foot leaving the circle, the thrower touching the ball early, the ball landing out or failing to cross), faults for either side during service, and faults for both sides during play.
See also: Team, Regu, Tekong, Serving-side faults
Positions
Tekong
The player stationed at the back, also called the server. The tekong must have the non-kicking foot inside the service circle before the referee calls the score, and the foot must stay on the floor until the kick.
See also: Service circle
Feeder
The inside player who sets the ball for the attacker, like a volleyball setter. The Laws call both front players inside players and do not name roles.
Also called: set-upper
See also: Inside players
Striker
The inside player who attacks the ball into the opponents' court. The Laws call both front players inside players and do not name roles.
Also called: killer
See also: Roll spike
Inside players
The two players at the front, one on the left (left inside) and one on the right (right inside). In service the left or right inside player throws the ball, and both must stand in their quarter circles.
Also called: left inside, right inside
Match and rule terms
Coin toss
The court referee tosses a coin or disc with the captains present. The captain who calls correctly chooses to serve first or to pick the starting side, and the loser makes the other choice.
Alternating service
After the first service, service changes after every point whichever side wins it, including after 14-14. The regu that received first in the previous set serves first in the next set.
Setting up to seventeen
The referee's announcement at 14-14. The set is then won by the first regu to reach 17 points.
Change of sides
Players change sides before each set, and in the third set when one regu reaches 8 points.
15-second rule
After the referee calls the point, the tekong has 15 seconds to be ready in the service circle, and sweat wiping and adjusting attire must be done in that time. A delay brings a warning and a repeat is a fault. The throw must wait for the score call: a throw before it is re-thrown with a warning, then a fault.
See also: Service circle, Fault, Tekong, Attire
Substitutions and time
Substitution
Allowed at any time when the ball is not in play, by showing the Substitution Card with the outgoing player's number to the referee. Each regu may make two substitutions a set, a substituted player may re-enter the same set, and a change in the players between sets counts as a substitution.
Discipline and officials
Yellow card
A caution for ungentlemanly conduct, dissent, repeated infringement, delaying the start of play or entering or leaving the court without permission. A second yellow in a different match of the same tournament means a one-match suspension. For two yellows in one match the Laws conflict: they list it as a sending-off offence (16.2.5) and also give a two-match suspension and a fine (16.3.5).
Red card
A sending-off for dangerous play, violent conduct, spitting, abusive language or gesture, or a second yellow in the same match. The player is sent off and suspended from tournaments until the Disciplinary Committee decides.
Playing terms and skills
Sepak sila
A controlled kick with the inside of the foot, used to receive or pass. The Laws do not name kicks.
Sepak mula
The serving kick that starts a point, made by the tekong. The Laws call it the service and do not use this name.
Also called: serve kick
See also: Tekong
Roll spike
An acrobatic attacking kick where the player flips upside down in the air and kicks the ball down with the foot. The Laws do not name attacks, but they cover the follow-through of an aerial kick across the net.
Also called: bicycle kick, sunback
See also: Follow-through
Header
Using the head to pass, receive or attack the ball. The Laws do not name it.
Block
Stopping an opponent's attack at the net with the body. A block can cross the net as a follow-through only after contact with the ball; a part of the body crossing above or under the net before contact is a fault.
See also: Fault, Follow-through