How many time-outs does a side get in sepak takraw?
A · Advanced · Stoppages and discipline · 3 of 5Each regu may take one time-out of up to one minute in each set, called by the team manager or coach when the ball is not in play. For an injury the referee may stop play for up to five minutes in total for a regu. When the referee cannot decide a point, or play is interfered with, the point is replayed.
How it works
- Time-out: one for each regu in each set, of no more than one minute.
- Who calls it: only the team manager or the coach, and only when the ball is not in play.
- At the baseline: only two people, dressed differently from the players, may join the regu during a time-out or a break.
- Injury: the referee may suspend play when a player needs immediate medical attention.
- Injury limit: up to five minutes, and no more than five minutes in total for a regu.
- After five minutes: a player who cannot continue is substituted. If both substitutions have been used, the set goes to the opponent.
- Let: a call by the referee that the point or service is replayed.
- When: the referee cannot decide which side should get the point, or has to stop play because of interference.
- Bigger disruptions: only the official referee may suspend the match, after consulting the tournament committee.
The glossary has the time-out, the injury time, the let, the suspension of play, the substitution and the match officials.
Tricky cases
Can the captain call a time-out from the court?
No. Only the team manager or the coach may call it.
A regu did not use its time-out in the first set. Does it have two in the second?
No. The entitlement is one time-out in each set. The law gives no carry-over.
A player needs treatment twice in a match, three minutes each time. Is the second stoppage allowed in full?
No. Injury time is capped at five minutes in total for a regu, so two minutes remain. The law does not say whether the total runs over a set or the match.
A stray ball from the next court rolls on during a rally. What happens?
The referee may stop play for the interference and call a let. The point is replayed.
Why the rule exists
One short time-out a set lets a coach break a run of points without turning the match into a stop-start affair. The injury limit protects a hurt player and stops an injury from being used as a long rest. The replay exists because some rallies are too close, or too disturbed, to be called fairly.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Time-out | One a set for each regu; up to one minute | ISTAF Law 13.1 |
| Break between sets | Two minutes | ISTAF Law 12.4 |
| Injury | Up to five minutes in total for a regu | ISTAF Law 14.1; 14.2 |
| Let | Point or service replayed | ISTAF Law 14.5 |
| Suspending the match | The official referee, with the tournament committee | ISTAF Law 14.3 |
From the rule book
International Sepaktakraw Federation, Law of the Game 2024 (regu event, 1 January 2024), Laws 12.4, 13 and 14. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the federation's Law of the Game (regu).