Kung Fu, Soccer and Volleyball combo: Sepak Takraw
July 31, 2011 5:22 PM   Subscribe

 
Very closely related but without the confrontational aspect of team vs team is Chinlone.
posted by MUD at 5:37 PM on July 31, 2011


Kung Fu soccer you say? Would that be Wing Chun or... SHAOLIN??
posted by cmoj at 5:57 PM on July 31, 2011 [5 favorites]


I've seen 70 year-old men play this in the city parks of Hanoi. Unreal. You can also watch them play a similar game, but with an object similar to a shuttlecock. It's larger and has more weight towards the end, but it flies nearly identically. Anyone got a name for that sport?
posted by secondhand pho at 6:09 PM on July 31, 2011


an object similar to a shuttlecock. It's larger and has more weight towards the end, but it flies nearly identically. Anyone got a name for that sport?

In Vietnam it's called Da Cau, or foot shuttlecock. In China, it's called Jianzi.
posted by nickyskye at 6:18 PM on July 31, 2011


Koreans play a similar game called Jokgu with a soccer ball, which adds a high bounce aspect that allows opponents to recover from hard "spikes".
posted by Roachbeard at 6:25 PM on July 31, 2011


Also, when you combine Brazilian Jiujitsu, tether ball, and downhill skiing you get an ungodly mess.
posted by "Elbows" O'Donoghue at 6:28 PM on July 31, 2011




My first thought was "competitive hacky sack."
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 6:34 PM on July 31, 2011


Wow. I'm gonna take this opportunity to salute the entire race. Just when I thought we couldn't play any harder, you go and prove me wrong.

*tips my hat*
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 7:31 PM on July 31, 2011


Wow...what incredible athletes!
posted by schyler523 at 7:45 PM on July 31, 2011


Sepak takraw is my favorite sport that ought to be popular in the U.S., but isn't. The fast pace and acrobatics would work really well on TV. There is a U.S. Team but almost nobody here knows that this sport exists (I've asked a lot of people).
posted by twoleftfeet at 7:47 PM on July 31, 2011


Oh, and sepak takraw balls are beautiful.
posted by twoleftfeet at 7:52 PM on July 31, 2011


Chinlon is a great variant, played with very evident joy by Burmese whenever they seem to have a spare moment. Very much like hacky sack, but the wicker balls have a much happier sound.
posted by UbuRoivas at 10:13 PM on July 31, 2011


Cool post. My son is on the sepak takraw team at his high school. It makes the stoner hackey-sack we used to play look even lamer than it already was.
posted by BinGregory at 10:21 PM on July 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


an object similar to a shuttlecock. It's larger and has more weight towards the end, but it flies nearly identically. Anyone got a name for that sport?

In Vietnam it's called Da Cau, or foot shuttlecock. In China, it's called Jianzi.


In Singapore, Malaysia (and probably Indonesia as well), its referred to as chatek.
posted by destrius at 10:29 PM on July 31, 2011


In Scotland we call this keepie uppie. If a leather 'football' isnt available, a tennis ball is used.
posted by the cuban at 2:10 AM on August 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


I've always loved this sport since I found it late-night on ESPN decades ago. If only it were on TV here.
posted by mrgrimm at 8:45 AM on August 1, 2011


I keep thinking that "sepak takraw" must spell something in reverse.
posted by DU at 10:54 AM on August 1, 2011


Sure. Warkat kapes. Warcat capes. Get it. Warcats wearing capes?
posted by Barry B. Palindromer at 12:15 PM on August 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


Love that Onion video, and sepak takraw looks like an amazing game to watch. When me and my buddies used to try to play a variant using a crocheted footbag and a tennis net, it invariably led to lots of frustration. These guys are getting the ball over a much higher net, with some amazing athleticism. The timing on some of those spikes is absolutely mindbending.
posted by Barry B. Palindromer at 12:18 PM on August 1, 2011


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