I was walking down this road today near a stream and some rice paddies, quite picturesque (see picture below). I ended up near a high school and discovered a sport completely new to me.
I would call it a cross between volleyball and soccer, because it's like volleyball but you can't use your hands. The players have to use their feet, thighs, chests, and heads to keep the ball in the air, though it can bounce once, and send it back to the other side of the net.
Some research tells me that this sport is called Sepak Takraw and originates in South East Asia. Traditionally, this ball is used:
These guys weren't the best to ever play the sport, each volley seemed to be at most two times over the net. I didn't watch for long, though, I felt like a voyeur because I was watching them and taking pictures from behind a tree outside of the field.
Some research tells me that this sport is called Sepak Takraw and originates in South East Asia. Traditionally, this ball is used:
So I'm guessing that the version I saw was a bit modernized. This sport looks super fun to me though because volleyball and soccer are two of my favorite sports to play, outside of baseball. I'm going to keep my eyes open for an opportunity to play.
Here's a video of some people playing that looks a lot like what I saw:
The sports is called 'Jokgu' ('Jok' means a foot, 'Gu' means a ball in Koreanized Chinese. By the way soccer is called 'Chookgu') and is more original Korean thing. It is very popular among soldiers and factory workers in theire 30's and 40's. Sepak Takraw is similar to Jokgu in the sense that it is kind of a mixture of volleyball and soccer, but it has a higher net, uses a different ball, the play is more acrobatic. Check this video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYb_9v6NQ6w
ReplyDeleteJust a bit more info on Korean "foot volleyball"--
ReplyDeleteThe net is 1 meter high. The ball can touch only the leg below the knee or the head above the shoulders. It can bounce one time between touches, but cannot bounce over the net. It also cannot be allowed to bounce out of bounds. Like volleyball, three touches on one side of the net are allowed.