Can you touch the net or reach over it in sepak takraw?
I · Intermediate · The service and the rally · 3 of 3A player may not touch the net, the posts or the referees' chairs. Nor may a player play the ball on the opponents' side. Crossing into the opponents' court, above or under the net, is a fault with one exception: the follow-through of an aerial kick or a block, after the ball has been contacted.
How it works
- No touching: any part of the body or kit touching the net, a post or a referee's chair is a fault.
- Kit that falls: a shoe or headband that falls into the opponents' side is a fault.
- The ball on the far side: touching the ball on the opponents' side is a fault.
- Crossing: any part of the body crossing into the opponents' court, above or under the net, is a fault.
- The exception: the follow-through after an aerial kick or a block.
- Before contact: crossing before the ball is touched is not a follow-through and is a fault.
- Other objects: the ball touching the roof, a wall or anything except the net is a fault.
The glossary has the net, the follow-through, the block, the centre line, the post and the faults during play.
Tricky cases
A spiker hits the ball on their own side and the foot carries over the net. Is that a fault?
No. That is a follow-through, a lawful action after an aerial kick, as long as the net is not touched.
A blocker's leg is already over the net before the spiker hits the ball. Is that allowed?
No. Crossing before contact with the ball is not a follow-through, and it is a fault.
A player's shirt brushes the net during a rally. Is that a fault?
Yes. The law covers any part of the body or of the player's outfit touching the net.
After a spike, a player lands with a foot under the net on the other side. Is that a fault?
It depends. Crossing under the net is covered by the same exception, so it is lawful only as the follow-through of that aerial kick or block. The law does not set a limit on how far the foot may land.
Why the rule exists
Spikes and blocks are made with the legs at head height, a few centimetres from an opponent doing the same. Keeping each side behind the net until the ball is struck is what stops those legs from meeting. The follow-through exception accepts that a swinging leg cannot stop dead.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Touching the net, post or chair | Fault, for body or kit | ISTAF Law 11.3.6 |
| Crossing above or under the net | Fault, except in the follow-through | ISTAF Law 11.3.2 |
| Follow-through | After contact with the ball only | ISTAF Glossary 21 |
| Ball on the opponents' side | May not be touched | ISTAF Law 11.3.1 |
| At the service | An inside player may not touch or cross the net while the ball is thrown | ISTAF Law 11.1.2 |
From the rule book
International Sepaktakraw Federation, Law of the Game 2024 (regu event, 1 January 2024), the Glossary (term 21) and Laws 11.1.2 and 11.3. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the federation's Law of the Game (regu).