Hoop takraw:
\nSilly or spicy?<\/p>\n
Clement Tan
\nANN\/The Straits Times\/Singapore<\/p>\n
The biennial Southeast Asia Games is becoming more and more
\nexotic in recent years.
\nMore and more oddball sports have come on board. Some are
\nserious. Some less so -- and others simply silly.<\/p>\n
The new additions act like spicy dressings to the Games salad.
\nThey are mostly added to boost the host country's medal tally.<\/p>\n
For instance, shuttlecock kicking made its SEA Games debut in
\nVietnam two years ago when the host country won all seven gold
\nmedals in the sport en route to finishing overall champion for
\nthe first time in its history.<\/p>\n
Come November in Manila, three sports will make their debut in
\nthe SEA Games -- hoop takraw and two martial arts events, Arnis
\nand Muay Thai.<\/p>\n
The big surprise is that hoop takraw originated in Thailand
\nand not the Philippines. It was first introduced to the region at
\nthe King's Cup in Thailand last December.<\/p>\n
Hoop takraw? What's that?<\/p>\n
Hoop takraw is so new in countries like Singapore that it is
\nbeing played only by the national sepak takraw squad.<\/p>\n
The reason is obvious. Both sports use the same rattan ball.<\/p>\n
But the rules are completely different.<\/p>\n
In hoop takraw, the object is to put the ball into a three-
\nsided hoop placed in the middle of a circle, and hung 4.75 metres
\nabove the ground for the men's competition and 4.5m for the
\nwomen's.<\/p>\n
The scoring is done in one of eight ways -- using the head,
\nshoulders or legs (inside kick, outside kick, knee kick, cross-
\njump kick, behind kick and front kick). The use of hands is not
\npermitted.<\/p>\n
It is played by five players on each side. They must try to
\nscore as many points as possible by putting the ball into the
\nhoop in 15 minutes.<\/p>\n
Each player can score only three times using any one of the
\neight methods and each basket is worth 10 points.<\/p>\n
The team with the highest total score is the winner. If the
\nscores are equal, the team who execute a higher number of
\ndifficult styles will be declared the winner.<\/p>\n
If all else are still equal, the match shall be decided by the
\ntoss of a coin.<\/p>\n
Said Khir Johari, the national sepak takraw team manager: \"It
\nis a game that anyone can pick up.\"<\/p>\n
Singapore national team member Khairul Ariffin feels that hoop
\ntakraw is all about individual ball skills.<\/p>\n
\"Training for hoop takraw is difficult, but it complements our
\nregular sepak takraw training,\" said Mat Rizal Osman, 22 and the
\nmost senior player in the preliminary 18-strong squad.<\/p>\n
The squad will be cut to 12 after the first phase of intensive
\ntraining and then pruned to nine for Manila.<\/p>\n
They will play in the team, doubles and hoop events.<\/p>\n
Said Khir: \"Other than the Thais, the other SEA countries are
\ngenerally on par when it comes to hoop takraw.\"<\/p>",
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