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THE HISTORY OF TAEKWONDO

Before I get into the history of Taekwondo, I would like to define what it means. I read the definition from many books and the one that I like best comes from the book Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts (1) written by Donn F. Draeger and Robert W. Smith. "Taekwondo is an empty-hand combat form that entails the use of the whole body. Tae means "to Kick" or "Smash with the feet," Kwon implies "punching" or "destroying with the hand or fist," and Do means "way" or "method." Taekwondo thus, is the technique of unarmed combat for self defense that involves the skillful application of techniques that include punching, jumping kicks, blocks, dodges, parrying actions with hands and feet. It is more than a mere physical fighting skill, representing as it does a way of thinking and a pattern of life requiring strict discipline. It is a system of training both the mind and the body in which great emphasis is placed on the development of the trainee's moral character."

Taekwondo is a martial art that in "todays" form of self defense has evolved by combining many different styles of martial arts that existed in Korea over the last 2,000 years and some martial arts styles from countries that surround Korea. Taekwondo incorporates the abrupt linear movements of Karate and the flowing, circular patterns of Kung-fu with native kicking techniques. Over fifty typically Chinese circular hand movements can be identified in modern Taekwondo.(1) A few of the earlier martial arts styles that contributed to Taekwondo are: T'ang-su, Taek Kyon, also known as Subak, Tae Kwon, Kwonpup and Tae Kwonpup. There are also influences from Judo, Karate, and Kung-fu.

"The earliest records of Taekwondo practice date back to about 50 B.C. During this time, Korea was divided into three kingdoms: Silla, which was founded on the Kyongju plain in 57 B.C.; Koguryo, founded in the Yalu River Valley in 37 B.C.; and Paekche, founded in the southwestern area of the Korean peninsula in 18 B.C.."(2) Tae Kyon ( also called Subak) is considered the earliest known form of Taekwondo. Paintings from this time period have been found on the ceiling of the Muyong-chong, a royal tomb from the Koguryo dynasty. The paintings show unarmed people using techniques that are very similar to the ones used by Taekwondo today.

Although Taekwondo first appeared in the Koguryo kingdom, it is the Silla's Hwarang warriors that are credited with the growth and spread of Taekwondo throughout Korea. Silla was the smallest of the three kingdoms and was always under attack by Japanese Pirates. Silla got help from King Gwanggaeto and his soldiers from the Koguryo kingdom to drive out the pirates. During this time a few select Sillan warriors were given training in Taek Kyon by the early masters from Koguryo. The Taek Kyon trained warriors then became known as the Hwarang. The Hwarang set up a military academy for the sons of royalty in Silla called Hwarang-do, which means "The way of flowering manhood." The Hwarang studied Taek Kyon, history, Confucian Philosophy, ethics, Buddhist Morality, and military tactics. The guiding principles of the Hwarang warriors were loyalty, filial duty, trustworthiness, valor, and justice.(3) The makeup of the Hwarang-do education was based on the Five Codes of Human Conduct written by a Buddhist scholar, fundamental education, Taek Kyon and social skills. Taek Kyon was spread throughout Korea because the Hwarang traveled all around the peninsula to learn about the other regions and people.

Today, The original Five Codes of Human Conduct have been correlated into the so-called Eleven Commandments of modern day Taekwondo, which are:

Loyalty to your country
Respect your parents
Faithfulness to your spouse
Loyalty to your friends
Respect your brothers and sisters
Respect your elders
Respect your teachers
Never take life unjustly
Indomitable spirit
Loyalty to your school (2)
Finish what you begin



During the Silla dynasty (A.D. 668 to A.D. 935) Taek Kyon was mostly used as a sport and recreational activity. Taek Kyon's name was changed to Subak and the focus of the art was changed during the Koryo dynasty (A.D. 935 to A.D. 1392). When King Uijong was on the throne from 1147 through 1170, he changed Subak from a system that promotes fitness to primarily a fighting art.

The first widely distributed book on Taekwondo was during the Yi dynasty (1397 to 1907). This was the first time that Subak was intended to be taught to the general public, in previous years the knowledge was limited to the military. During the second half of the Yi dynasty, political conflicts and the choice to use debate instead of military action almost lead to the extinction of Subak. The emphasis of the art was changed back to that of recreational and physical fitness. The lack of interest caused Subak as an art, to become fragmented and scarcely practiced throughout the country.

In 1909 the Japanese invaded Korea and occupied the country for 36 years. To control Korea's patriotism, the Japanese banned the practice of all military arts, Korean language and even burned all books written in Korea. This ban was responsible for renewed interest in Subak. Many Koreans organized themselves into underground groups and practiced the martial arts in remote Buddhist temples. Other people left Korea to study the martial arts in other countries like China and Japan. In 1943 Judo, Karate and Kung-fu were officially introduced to the Korean residents and the martial arts regained popularity. In 1945 Korea was liberated. In the last few years before liberation, there were many different variations of Subak/Taek Kyon in Korea. This was due to all of the other martial arts influence on it.

The first Taekwondo school (Kwan) was started in Yong Chun, Seoul, Korea in 1945. Many different school were opened from 1945 through 1960. Each school claimed to teach the traditional Korean martial art, but each school emphasized a different aspect of Taek Kyon/Subak. This caused different names to emerge from each system, some of them were: Soo Bahk Do, Kwon Bop, Kong Soo Do, Tae Soo Do and Kang Soo Do.

The Korean Armed Forces were also formed in 1945 and in 1946 Second lieutenant Hong Hi Choi began teaching Taek Kyon at a Korean military base called Kwang Ju. Americans were first introduced to Taek Kyon when Choi instructed Korean Army troops and some American soldiers stationed with the 2nd Infantry Regiment. Later in 1949 Hong Hi Choi attended Ground General School at Ft. Riely near Topeka, Kansas in the United States. While in the U.S., Choi gave public Taek Kyon demonstrations for the troops. This was the first display of Taek Kyon in America.(4)

The greatest turning point for Korean martial arts started in 1952. During the height of the Korean War, President Syngman Rhee watched a 30 minute performance by Korean martial arts masters. He was especially impressed when Tae Hi Nam broke 13 roof tiles with a single punch. After the demonstration Rhee talked with Hong Hi Choi about the martial arts, he then ordered his military chiefs of staff to require all Korean soldiers to receive training in the martial arts. This caused a tremendous surge in Taek Kyon schools and students. President Rhee also sent Tae Hi Nam to Ft. Benning, Georgia for radio communications training. While there, Tae Hi Nam gave many martial arts demonstrations and received considerable media publicity.

During this same time period in Korea, special commando groups of martial arts-trained soldiers were formed to fight against the communist forces of North Korea. One of the most famous special forces was known as the Black Tigers. The Korean war ended in 1953. In 1954, General Hong Hi Choi organized the 29th Infantry on Che Ju Island, off the Korean Coast, as a spearhead and center for Taek Kyon training in the military.

On April 11, 1955 at a conference of kwan masters, historians, and Taek Kyon promoters, most of the kwan masters decided to merge their various styles for mutual benefit of all schools. The name "Tae Soo Do" was accepted by a majority of the kwan masters. Two years later the name was changed again, this time to "Taekwondo" The name was suggested by General Hong Hi Choi (who is considered the father of Taekwondo). "Taekwondo" was suggested by Choi because of its resemblance to Taek Kyon, and so provides continuity and maintains tradition. Further, it describes both hand and foot techniques.

Dissension among the various kwans that did not unify carried on until September 14, 1961. Then by official decree of the new military government, the kwans were ordered to unify into one organization called the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA), with General Hong Hi Choi elected as its first president. In 1962, the KTA re-examined all the black belt ranks to determine national standards and also in 1962, Taekwondo became one of the official events in the annual National Athletic Meet in Korea. The KTA sent instructors and demonstrations teams all over the world. Jhoon Ree (who is considered the father of American Taekwondo) attended San Marcos Southwest Texas State College, and later taught a Taekwondo course at the college and formed a public Taekwondo club.

A Taekwondo demonstration at the United Nations headquarters in New York City in 1963, caused the formation of the U.S. Taekwondo Association in 1967, which later was superseded in 1974 by the U.S. Taekwondo Federation.

In Korea, the study of Taekwondo spread rapidly from the army into high schools and colleges. In march of 1966 Choi founded the International Taekwon-do Federation (ITF), which he also served as president. Choi later resigned as the KTA president and moved his ITF headquarters to Montreal, Canada, from where he concentrated on organizing Taekwondo internationally. His emphasis is on self-defense methodology, not particularly on the sport. By 1974, Choi reported that some 600 qualified ITF instructors were distributed throughout the world.

Young-wun Kim was elected the new KTA president. Feeling that Korea was the mother country of Taekwondo and that the world headquarters should be located there, he dissolved the ITF's connection with the KTA and on May 28, 1973 created a new international governing body called the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), which coincided with the first World Taekwondo Championships that were held in Seoul, Korea. At the first inaugural meeting, Un Yong Kim was elected as president of the WTF and drafted a charter for the federation. The WTF is the only official organization recognized by the Korean government as an international regulating body for Taekwondo.

The World Taekwondo Federation has since made a major effort to standardize tournament rules and organize world class competitions. After the 2nd World TKD Championship in Seoul, the WTF became an affiliate of the General Assembly of International Sports Federation (GAISF), which has ties to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC recognized and admitted the WTF in July 1980. In 1982 the General Session of the IOC designated Taekwondo as an official Demonstration Sport for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea.

Since Modern-day Taekwondo's official birth on April 11, 1955, its development as a sport has been rapid. Over 30 million people practice Taekwondo in more than 156 countries.-By Glen R. Morris





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ENDNOTES

(1) Donn F. Draeger and Robert W. Smith, Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts ( New York, New York: Kodansha International, 1980)

(2) Yeon Hee Park, Yeon Hwan Park and Jon Gerrard, Tae Kwon Do: The Ultimate Reference Guide to the Worlds Most Popular Martial Art ( New York, New York: Facts On File, Inc., 1989)

(3) Dr. Yushin Yoo, The Making of Modern Korea ( Louisville, Kentucky: Golden Pond Press, 1990)

(4) John Corcoran and Emil Farkas with Stuart Sobel, The Original Martial Arts Encyclopedia - Tradition, History, Pioneers ( Los Angeles, California: Pro-Action Publishing, 1993)

I: Introduction

Any student of Tae Kwon Do deserves to learn about the significance of the art. To miss out on learning such a matter is a grave injustice. Tae Kwon Do's history deserves to be cherished and dignified, especially among its practitioners. The essence of Tae Kwon Do's history seeps into our minds every time we tie our belts or practice our forms. How well do you know your art?


II: The Birth of Tae Kwon Do

Man has been endowed with the natural impulse to survive dangerous situations, using whatever tools are available. If caught in such a situation, man could possibly wield a weapon to defend himself, but weapons are not always available. Therefore, man needs to learn how to use his own body as a weapon. Thus opens the history books on the martial arts.

Tae Kwon Do has endured a dramatic history, beginning with the three rival dynasties in early Korea: Koguryo, Silla, and Baekjae.

Koguryo
Tae Kwon Do began in present day Korea, during the Koguryo Dynasty (37 BC - 668 AD). The earliest evidence of Tae Kwon Do is found in warriors' tombs dating as far back to the year 3 AD. Murals painted on the walls of the tombs depict men engaged in Subakki fighting. This combat was different from the type of Tae Kwon Do that is practiced today, however. Tae Kwon Do has evolved over the years, becoming more scientifically systemized through each generation.

Koguryo history also tells about the Sonbae, a strong warrior's corps that was formed to protect Koguryo from the hostile northern oppression. The word Sonbae literally means "a man of virtue who never recoils from fighting", or, "a member of the warrior's corps". It is believed that the Sonbae practiced Taekkyon, a predecessor of Tae Kwon Do. A history book from the Chosun dynasty said that "Sonbaes lived in groups, learning history and literary arts at home and going out to construct roads and fortresses for the benefits of society, always devoting themselves to the nation."


Silla
Taekkyon, as practiced by the Sonbae, eventually spread from the Koguryo Kingdom to the Silla Kingdom (57 BC - 935 AD). The Silla Dynasty had its own version of the Koguryo's Sonbae. The Hwarang, literally meaning "Flower Knight", practiced Tae Kwon Do as a part of their regular curriculum. Organized by King Jin Heung in 537 AD, the Hwarang proved to be a vital part of the unification of the Korean peninsula during the Silla Dynasty.

The monk Won Kwang Bupsa was the instructor of the Hwarang and was also the author of the Sesokokye, the following five student commitments:
Be loyal to your country
Honor your parents
Be faithful to your friends
Never retreat in battle
Use good judgement before killing living things

These commitments were the basic way of life for the Hwarang, and they are still practiced by Tae Kwon Do practitioners today.

The third king of the Silla Dynasty, Yoorie, held Soobakhee contests. These contests were considered to be ritual festivals with the purpose of gathering people together to pray for the nation. Soobakhee was probably similar to Tae Kwon Do. The terms "subak" (hand technique) and "taekkon" (foot technique) appear together in the writings of the Silla dynasty. This suggests that hand and foot techniques were both used in Korean martial arts as they are used today in Tae Kwon Do. Additional evidence of this includes the bronze statues of the warrior Kumgang. The shapes of Kumgang's fists depict the kind of fists used in Tae Kwon Do today, and Kumgang also displays the use of legs and feet that are currently used in Tae Kwon Do.

Baekjae
Tae Kwon Do was also an important part of the Baekjae Kingdom (18 BC- 600 AD). Baekjae was a tribe that detached itself from the Koguryo Kingdom. The Soo Sa system of Baekjae was comparable to the Sonbae of the Koguryo Kingdom and the Hwarang of the Silla Kingdom. The Soo Sa also protected the Baekjae Kingdom militarily.

The Baekjae Kingdom also celebrated SooByeokTa festivals which were held in local villages. The people would compete against each other in SooByeokTa fighting (a predecessor of Tae Kwon Do). Occasionally, the winner of the contests became the leader of the village or a military general.


The Combination of Nations
In 688 A.D., Silla conquers Koguryo and Baekjae. The victory does not last long, and the government disintegrates. Then, Koguryo resurfaces and conquers Silla and Baekjae, unifying Korea once and for all by creating the Koryo dynasty.

III: Beginning to Grow

Koryo
During the Koryo Dynasty (918 AD - 1392), the martial arts were used in military training. In the beginning of Koryo, martial arts abilities were prerequisite for all military personnel. Young cadets who mastered Taekkyon techniques could be promoted to be military officers by competing for the positions. Because of the rules and judgement standards that governed these competitions, scholars say that Tae Kwon Do sports originated at this time in the Koryo Dynasty.

The kings of Koryo loved the sport too. They held Subakki (Taekkyon contests) and awarded prizes to the winners. The Subakki was also popular among the public, which organized Subakki contests whenever the king went out to inspect and tour their villages.

Kookjakam was the Koryo national university, one of the highest educational institutions at that time. Kookjakam spread and scientifically systemized Subakki to its highest level. It was during this time period that Koryo began to trade with countries all over the world. Foreigners were captivated by Subakki, which then began to spread all over the world. Koryo was renamed Korea by foreign traders.



IV: The Maturation

Chosun (or Yi)
The Yi Dynasty was the last dynasty of Korea, beginning in 1392 and ending in 1910. Like Koryo and Baekjae, the Yi dynasty held Subakki contests for the purpose of selecting soldiers. However, the Yi Kingdom began to place more emphasis on the literary arts than the martial arts. Perhaps it was out of this new literary emphasis that the Mooyae Doba Tongjee, the first martial arts textbook, was published (1790). The Mooyae Doba Tongjee contains illustrations that portray each Subakki technique, and the fourth volume of it contains 38 illustrations of hand techniques that are almost identical to today's Tae Kwon Do poomse.


This is General Chung-Mu from the Yi Dynasty.
He was known for his undying loyalty to the king,
and he also invented the precurser to today's submarine.


Japanese Oppression and Influence
In 1910, the unthinkable happened: Japan invaded Korea. Japan dominated Korea from 1910 until the end of World War II. During this time, the Japanese colonial government outlawed all folkloric games, including Subakki and Taekkyon. Subakki and Taekyon were therefore practiced in secret. Japan even outlawed the Korean language and the use of Korean family names. In what is known as the March First Movement, millions of Koreans conducted public, non-violent demonstrations for independence, but they had no foreign support, and Japan's domination was too secure. The oppression of the Korean people ended only through the defeat of Japan in World War II.



V: The Blossoming

Kwans
At the end of World War II, several Kwans arose. They were "Chung Do Kwan", "Moo Duk Kwan", "Yun Moo Kwan", "Chang Moo Kwan", "Oh Do Kwan", "Ji Do Kwan", "Chi Do Kwan", and "Song Moo Kwan". In 1955, these Kwans united under the name Tae Soo Do. Two years later, the name Tae Kwon Do was adopted for its similarity to Taekkyon (practiced by the Koguryo, Silla, Baekjae, and Koryo Dynasties).

General Choi Hong-hi required the Korean police, army, and air force to receive Tae Kwon Do training. The Korean Tae Kwon Do Association (KTA) was formed in 1965 under General Choi. He was asked to form an international branch of the KTA: the International Tae Kwon Do Federation (ITF). Before General Choi could do so, the southern government was usurped, and he fled to America where, two years later, he established ITF as an independent organization. In 1973, after many demonstrations, the KTA became the World Tae Kwon Do Federation. The WTF was recognized by the International Olympic Committee, making its first Olympic debut in the year 2000.

ITF vs. WTF
The ITF, founded by General Choi, is considered as being more traditional in style than the WTF. The ITF focuses more on poomse, wheras the WTF focuses more on sparring. Although the ITF does practice sparring, it only utilizes the semi-contact part, while WTF is more full-contact. Because the WTF puts so much emphasis on sparring, many people consider WTF as being more of a sport than an art. The poomses of ITF and WTF are also different, the ITF using forms (Tuls) developed by General Choi, and the WTF concentrating on the Palgwes and Tae Keuks. There were many attempts to unite ITF and WTF Tae Kwon Do, but these endeavors were unsuccessful.



VI: Conclusion

From the Koguryo Dynasty of ancient times to the United States today, Tae Kwon Do seems to be an ever-flowing stream of beauty and strength. Although Tae Kwon Do has endured extreme amounts of oppression, the passion for it has only gotten stronger. Its beautiful past will undoubtedly shape a beautiful future. The integrity and virtue of the Sonbae, the Hwarang, and the Soo Sa are great examples of the nobility of this beautiful art, and the perseverance of its practitioners around the world today keep it alive. Tae Kwon Do is more than a sport -- it is a craft of virtue, and a vessel of excellence. -Master Allison Meador

"To my Master Nash, please do accept my apology for not continuing my lesson, we need some changes and all changes we made is for our own good."-vergel pilapil

The History of Squash in 8½ Chapters

James Zug is a senior writer at Squash Magazine (www.squashmagazine.com) and is the author of Squash: A History of the Game, published by Scribner in September 2003.

I - FIRST THERE WAS REAL TENNIS ...

The origins of squash are in the ancient game of real tennis. In the twelfth century in France boys and girls played ball games in the narrow streets of their villages. They slapped balls along the awnings or roofs that lined the street or into shop and door openings. Rules depended on local geography. In time these street games migrated up to cloistered monasteries. Every Lenten season young brothers strung a fishing net across the middle of their courtyards and patted a ball back and forth with their gloved hands. The balls - a patch of leather with dog hair sewn inside, later cloth stuffed with soil, sawdust, sand or moss-bruised and cut hands. Monks added webbing to the gloves and then extended their hand by picking up a stumpy stick, a branch of a tree, a shepherd's crook. At the end of the fifteenth century the Dutch invented the racquet.The game was called tennis and it became the national sport of a dozen European nations. In 1580 the Venetian ambassador to Henri III of France walked around Paris counting tennis courts: he stopped at eighteen hundred. Gambling and violence sadly became the norm (Caravaggio, the Italian painter, killed a man at a tennis court in Rome in 1606) and tennis slowly retreated to royal palaces. Lawn tennis, as played by Hewitt and the Williams sisters, was invented in 1873 in Great Britain as an outdoor version of real tennis.Tennis begat rackets. In the early eighteenth century, prisoners at the Fleet, London's notorious debtor's gaol, created an outdoor version of tennis. It was called rackets, and it involved no more than smacking a ball against one or two walls. The ball, unsqueezable, was made from wound cloth and was similar to a golf ball; the racket was a stretched tennis bat. Soon rackets spread across Great Britain and was a common pastime as workingmen played in tavern yards and alleys and schoolboys played outside their classrooms.Britons started building rackets courts, as opposed to just playing in a convenient corner. These courts were unadorned affairs, roofless, rustic, usually just one or two stone walls and a paving stone floor. Inclement weather drove players toward a court with a roof. In 1830 the Royal Artillery built the first known covered racket court at their Woolwich depot. The Marylebone Cricket Club, the home of cricket, built one in 1844 next to their tennis court at Lords, and in 1853 Prince's Club opened its historic doors with seven covered rackets courts. Rackets spread to the colonies. The first covered rackets court in Canada was put in Halifax in the seventeen-seventies; in India in 1821; Australia in 1847. In 1793 Robert Knox, a Scot, put up the first covered court in America on Allen Street, between Hester and Canal, in lower Manhattan. A few years later the Allen Street court had a nearby rival that was called, due to the predominant profession of its membership, the Butcher's Court.Accompanying rackets was another socially-lubricated ball and wall game called fives. Named for the five fingers of the hand, this ancient version of handball was more or less the game of rackets without the racket. Many men played both sports in the same court. Fives grew so popular at English public schools that the two leading forms of the game derived their standards entirely from the quirky spots on campus where the boys played. Eton fives, first played amid the mossy drainpipes outside the school chapel at Eton, had a court twenty-five feet and three inches by fourteen with many buttresses and hazards, while Rugby fives, created at Rugby School (where the sport of rugby football also was started), had an unadorned court twenty-eight feet by eighteen, with side walls that sloped towards the back wall and a two and a half foot tin on the front wall.

II THEN THERE WAS FIVES ...The combination of rackets and fives sparked the creation of squash at the Harrow School outside London. Harrow boys were addicted to rackets. The chief place to play at Harrow was in the schoolyard that surrounded Old Schools, the main school building. One special nook of the schoolyard was called "The Corner." It had two good side walls and a front wall with a buttress which dropped the ball straight down and a waterpipe that might send it anywhere. In 1850 Harrow built two open-air rackets courts. Court time was hard to get for younger boys. They had to be content to play in the tiny, stone-walled yards at their boarding houses or in village alleys. The yards and alleys, like the Corner, boasted peculiar hazards: water pipes, chimneys, ledges, doors, footscrapers, wired windows and fiendishly sloping ground. Split-second decisions and speedy hand-eye coordination were essential. Rackets, with its long, heavy bat and bullet-hard ball, was difficult for an inexperienced boy to learn in such cramped conditions. With typical English flair, the young boys at Harrow invented something new. Rubber had just come into use and Harrow boys grabbed a rubber ball, sawed off the butt of their racquets and played a slower, easier game in their house yards. This bastardised version of racquets was called "baby racquets" or "soft racquets" or "softer." (In those days the word "racquets" was spelled properly.) Baby rackets was perfect for the Harrow boys. On 20 January 1865 Harrow officially opened a new complex of rackets and fives courts.The boys loved the new rackets court (it is still in use at Harrow). The fives courts had a mixed reception. The four new Eton fives courts immediately were filled with activity, but the three new Rugby fives courts never saw any fives play. Instead, Harrow boys jumped on and played their new game of baby rackets. And this game became the game of squash.

III SQUASH SOON SPREAD

Squash soon spread. Other public schools, notably Elstree, picked it up. In 1883 the first private court was built by Vernon Harcourt, Harrow class of 1855, at his home along the Cherwell in Oxford. It was thirty-eight by twenty feet, with a tin of thirty inches. They played with a black ball, a red ball and ball with a hole in it. Other early courts ran the gamut. At Lord's, the squash court was forty-two feet by twenty-four, with a twenty-eight inch tin; at Cambridge they divided a sixty by thirty racquets court into three squash courts, each quite tiny; at the Royal Automobile Club in London there was a court that was exactly thirty-two by eighteen and a half-the size more common in America; Marlborough House, a royal residence, also had an American width until the mid-thirties; at Queen's Club, one court, built in 1905 and dubbed "the Long Court," was thirty-five by eighteen. In the 1920s the Bath Club in London became the nursery for squash in England. Lord Desborough built a beautiful court that was noted for its outstanding lighting and launched the Bath Club Cup, a squash league for London clubs. League squash greatly increased enthusiasm for the fledgling sport, and squash in Great Britain owed its success in large part to the Bath Cup competitions of the twenties.Administratively, squash had a slow start in Great Britain. In April 1907 the Tennis, Rackets & Fives Association was founded at Queen's and a squash sub-committee was formed. In 1912 this sub-committee issued a preliminary set of rules. Court length and width was considered a matter of local opinion. Cement or stone were preferred to wood for the materials of the court. Two types of balls were the best: "What is required is a fast ball, that bounces well but not too high, and does not fly about: a very small hard solid ball or a medium-size thin rubber hollow ball, without a hole." As far as the rules of play were concerned, the sub-committee recommended flexibility. Serving could be either one serve or two, courts could have a cut line on the front wall or not and most delightfully, the man returning could have the right of "refusing a service he does not like". The sub-committee had no power to enforce its recommendations and another eleven years passed without any official standards. In January 1923 the Royal Automobile Club hosted a meeting of delegates from English clubs where squash was played and formed a "Squash Rackets Representative Committee." The committee chose the slowest of the half dozen different kinds of balls then in vogue as the standard ball and declared the Bath Club court, thirty two by twenty-one feet, as the standard for English squash. In December 1928 the Squash Rackets Association was formed to run squash in Great Britain.The SRA immediately began slowing the ball down further. While the Bath courts served as the model for English squash, the Bath ball, as large and fast as an American ball, was deemed far too large and fast for English sensibilities. The officials chose the most inert ball available and then in a series of incremental changes, reduced it even more. Between 1930 and 1934 the association cut the standard ball's speed almost by half.

IV GREAT BRITAIN

By the time Great Britain formally codified their squash standards in 1923, squash in America had been played under a different standard for two decades. The first squash court in North America appeared at St. Paul's School in New Hampshire in 1884. Jay Conover, an avid rackets player, had attended Columbia University in New York with Hyde Clark, a graduate of Harrow, and Clark had told Conover about an enjoyable adaptation of rackets that was popular at his alma mater. Conover's four squash courts, built outside a building with two rackets courts, were open to the air. Any pupil who annually paid one dollar could use them. In 1900 Alfred Ellis, a Englishman who was the rackets professional at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia, put in a squash court at his club. Built entirely of wood, it was perched high in the rafters of the half story in the three and one-half story clubhouse. It measured thirty-one feet by seventeen and a half. In 1902, Jimmy Potter, a St. Paul's graduate and president of the club, made a dramatic decision to divide up the south rackets courts into three squash courts. Each court measured thirty-one and a half feet by seventeen and a half and were made of cement, except for a wooden front wall. The total cost was $1,500.Within months squash dispersed around Philadelphia. Racquet Club members built squash courts at their homes. In 1903 Merion Cricket Club started playing squash on their three courts. Two city cricket clubs, Philadelphia Cricket in Chestnut Hill and Germantown Cricket in Manheim, erected courts at the same time. In 1903 the Racquet Club offered a cup for the winner of an six-club team competition. The league was so successful that the Racquet Club sponsored a "Pennsylvania State Championship." In 1904 the leaders of the inter-club league, meeting at the Racquet Club, founded the United States Squash Racquets Association, the first national squash body in the world.The USSRA immediately set the standard squash court measurements at thirty-one and a half feet by sixteen feet three inches, with a twenty-four inch tin. Scoring was originally first-to-fifteen, hand-in, hand-out, like rackets and best two of three games. "Eternal watchfulness is the price of success in squash," wrote Frederick R. Toombs in a 1904 book on squash published in New York. "Cultivate variety in your style of play. You will thus keep your opponent in an uncertain frame of mind. Mix the strong and weak strokes, according to your adversary's position. Let the side walls and back wall do their share of the work, and at times you will find a well-placed cut stroke just the feature needed to win the rally. Learn that poetry of motion may be expressed by the squash stroke." In 1907 the USSRA ran its first men's national championship In 1911 the USSRA changed the scoring rules to best three out of five, and one could score a point whether serving or not. This rule was adopted by the British until in 1926 when they switched to a nine point, hand-in, hand-out system. In 1920 the USSRA changed its standard to thirty-two feet by eighteen and one-half.

V AROUND THE WORLD

Around the world squash appeared in a tremendous variety of guises. The first bonafide court in Canada was built in 1904 at the St. John's Tennis Club in Newfoundland. Sir Leonard Outerbridge, whose two brothers were on the club's building committee, sent the proper dimensions from Marlborough College in England where he was studying. The dimensions were, again, of a fives court, with no back wall. In 1911 three clubs, the Montreal Racquet Club, the Toronto Racquet Club and the Hamilton Squash Racquets Club, formed the Canadian Squash Racquets Association. It soon standardized a thirty-four by nineteen court (with a twenty-two inch tin). In 1921 the CSRA made formal application to the USSRA for affiliation and a year later switched to the American standards. In 1906 the Johannesburg Country Club built an open-air court that was wider than the American size. In 1910 South Africa created a national association and eventually, because of significant heat and altitude in many parts of the country, standardized a wide court and slow ball. The Sudan Club in Khartoum had six courts, all unroofed. Government House in Dar es Salaam boasted a fine, open-air court, with a stone floor. The St. James's Barracks in Port of Spain, Trinidad had one open-air, concrete-floored court that was American-sized in width. In Kenya the Nairobi Club had two English standard courts made from knotless cedar, but the Muthiaga Club nearby had stone floors and an American width.In Stockholm the first courts were made with walls of powdered marble. New Zealand played in an English court with an American ball, a combination that was not resolved until the thirties. In France the first courts were at the famous court tennis club Societe Sportive du Jeu de Paume, where in the late nineteen-twenties Pierre Etchebaster turned a rackets court into four tiny squash courts, each with a cement floor. In 1930 Siemens, the electronics company, built four courts at its factory in Berlin.In 1913 a rackets court at the Melbourne Club was split into two squash courts. In the early 1920s Mr. Bjelke-Petersen, later a uncle of the premier of Queensland, Sir Joe Bjelke-Petersen, built a court in New South Wales. In 1927 the Royal Melbourne Tennis Club built a court that was nearly as big as a rackets court. It was not until 1931 that an Australian championship was inaugurated, and Australia officially went with the English size. In 1934 the Squash Rackets Association of Australia was formed and three years later both Victoria and New South Wales formed their own provincial associations.

VI INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION COMMENCES

Squash reached a tipping point in the twenties. No longer an obscure pastime for schoolboys, it had national championships and league play and standard rules. International play started in 1922 when the Lapham Cup was first contested between the U.S. and Canada. The Lapham is a fifteen-man amateur competition. In 1924 England sent a team to the third Lapham Cup in Philadelphia, inaugurating intercontinental play. Timmy Roberts, a forty-six year-old Army captain, won both the U.S. and Canadian nationals while on tour that year.A dramatic rise in popularity came after the Second World War. In particular, Australia, in the midst of a boom of commercial squash clubs, started an Antipodal renaissance. In the early 1960s Australian men won every international match in two tours of England, and in London in 1964 Australian women beat Great Britain in their first international match. In January 1967 representatives from seven nations (Australia, Great Britain, Egypt, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa) met in London and formed the International Squash Rackets Federation. Later that year Australia hosted the first ISRF men's championships. In 1969 the U.S. and Canada were admitted, despite the different standard of play in North America. Five nations came to the world championships in South Africa in 1973; ten to England in 1975 and fourteen to Australia in 1979. In 1980 the ISRF opened their championships to professionals. In 1980 Sweden hosted the first world junior championships. In 1985 the Women's International Squash Federation, which was founded in 1976 and had held four world championships, merged into the ISRF. In 1992 the ISRF changed its name to the World Squash Federation.The WSF was integral to the acceptance of squash as a medal sport in the Commonwealth Games, where it was first played in 1998, as well as the Pan-American Games, where it was first played in 1995, the Asian Games and the All Africa Games. Today the WSF has one hundred and nineteen member nations and is recognized as the governing body for the sport by the International Olympic Committee. The WSF is responsible for the rules of the game, refereeing and coaching standards and specifications for courts and equipment. In addition, the WSF maintains a calendar of world championship events for men, women, juniors and masters players in both singles and doubles. As a major force behind the development and growth of squash, the WSF is at the forefront of the many exciting aspects of the game today and tomorrow. Jahangir Khan, the ten-time British Open champion and six-time World Open champion, is president and Ted Wallbutton is the executive director.

VII THE RISE OF THE PROFESSIONAL GAME

Professionalism has always been the public tip of the squash iceberg. It began in 1904 when the first bonafide professional tournament in the world was held at the Huntingdon Valley Country Club outside Philadelphia. There were six entries, and Alfred Ellis beat John Friel 3-1 in the final. In 1914 Jock Soutar, the world champion in rackets, won a pro round-robin in Montreal. Two years later the USSRA crowned him professional champion of America after he beat Bill Ganley two matches to one in a three-leg, two-city contest. Soutar won $1,000. Ganley won nothing. Four years later Soutar defended his title against Otto Glockler. In 1925 Soutar stepped down from his throne. In 1928 a group of American teaching pros formed the United States Professional Squash Racquets Association. In 1930 the USPSRA organized its first national tournament, held in Boston. Pro squash received a boost in 1954 when the U.S. Open was started in New York. In 1966 it amalgamated with a newer Canadian Open to form the North American Open.In 1978 the professional hardball association was renamed the World Professional Squash Association. In the 1980s the WPSA had a continent-wide pro tour that reached more than half a million dollars in prize money and visited more than thirty cities. Americans like Mark Talbott and Ned Edwards, Canadians like Michael Desaulniers and Clive Caldwell, Mexicans like Marion Sanchez and the perennial squash giant Pakistani-born, Toronto-based Sharif Khan dominated the tour. Pro squash started England in 1907. Charles Read, the Queen's pro, beat C. Bannister, the Bath pro, at the Bath Club 15-5, 15-13 and defended his title as English champion three more times until 1928.In 1930 that the British Open was started and professionals had a more formal stage to present their wares. But it was an amateur, Amr Bey from Egypt, who dominated the early British Opens, winning five and earning another when no one challenged him. After Bey came his compatriot Mahmoud Kerim, the only player to win the British Open when it was both a two-man challenge tournament and a regular open draw. In 1951 Hashim Khan, a thirty-seven year-old Pakistani, came to Great Britain and destroyed Kerim in the finals, 9-5, 9-0, 9-0. Hashim, his brother Azam, cousin Roshan and nephew Mohibullah won twelve Opens in a row.Jonah Barrington, a six-time British Open champion and the first man since Amr Bey to win both the Open and the British amateur championships, was the first pro to cut himself off from the clubs and earn his entire living from tournaments, exhibitions and clinics. In 1970 he organized a five-man barnstorming tour of Asia that led to the formation of the International Squash Professionals Association in 1973 and the gradual creation of a viable pro tour. The ISPA launched a World Open championship in 1976. Heather McKay and Geoff Hunt, two legendary Australians, won their draws. McKay was famous for not losing a squash match for eighteen straight years, and Hunt, a seven-time British Open champion, was renowned for his amazing physical and mental endurance. Other dominant pros were Australians like Ken Hiscoe, Dean Williams, Rodney and Brett Martin and Chris Dittmar, New Zealand's Ross Norman and Englishmen like Gawain Briars, now Executive Director of the PSA, and Phil Kenyon. No doubt though, the most exciting group of players came from Pakistan. Following in the footsteps of Hashim Khan were such giants as Hiddy Jahan, Gogi Alauddin and Qamar Zaman (who won the 1975 British Open), and the 1980s were dominated by Jahangir Khan and the 1990s by Jansher Khan. Both Jahangir and Jansher have equal merit in any discussion of the greatest player ever.In 1993 the WPSA and the ISPA merged to form the Professional Squash Association. In 2002 the PSA held more than fifty events with a total prize money of nearly $2 million. The tour visits its usual spots in Europe, Asia and North America, but it also holds major events in exciting locales around South America, Africa and Dubai and Qatar in the Middle East. Pro women's squash originated with the American Women's Squash Association, founded in the mid-1970s. In 1985 the Women's International Squash Professional Association came into being and built up a viable circuit. The top early players were Susan Devoy of New Zealand and Vicki Hoffman of Australia; Devoy won eight British Opens. In the 1990s Michelle Martin of Australia won six British Opens in a row. In 2002 WISPA has a $750,000 tour on all six continents.

VIII SQUASH DOUBLES

Doubles began at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia in 1907 when Fred Tompkins, the tennis and rackets pro at the club, erected a forty-five feet by twenty-five court. In the 1930s dozens of clubs across America built courts and an amateur circuit of tournaments sprung up everywhere from St. Louis to Chicago to Denver to Toronto. In 1933 the U.S. squash association started a men's and women's national championship. Pro doubles started with the founding of the Heights Casino Open in 1938 in Brooklyn, New York, but it was not until the WPSA tour began in the late 1970s that it took off. In the 1980s the pro doubles circuit included six or eight events with a prize money of around $100,000; in the 1990s this increased to ten or twelve events and $150,000.In 2000 the tour's players formed the International Squash Doubles Association. In 2001 the Kellner Cup in New York had a prize money purse of $100,000. In 2002-03 there were twenty ISDA tournaments with a total prize money of $700,000, including the $130,000 Briggs Cup in Rye, New York. Today there are a hundred and twenty-five proper hardball doubles courts in North America. There is one in Tijuana, Mexico and three in Asia at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club in Thailand, the Tanglin Club in Singapore and the Raintree Club in Kuala Lumpur. In 1935 three courts were laid out following USSRA specifications at the St. John's Wood Squash Club, Prince's Club and Ladies' Carlton Club in London and the Edinburgh Sports Club in Scotland. Starting in 1937 the Squash Rackets Association held national doubles tournaments for both amateurs and professionals and England played Scotland in an annual Test match in doubles. The Second World War led to the destruction of the St. John's Wood and Ladies Carlton courts and Prince's closed, but Edinburgh still maintains its hardball doubles court.Today softball doubles is the norm outside North America. In 1988 the Royal Automobile Club constructed two softball doubles courts at their Woodcote Park clubhouse outside London. The courts were thirty-two feet by twenty-five, which was proclaimed the standard softball doubles width. With sliding wall technology made common by the German-based court building company ASB, the inchoate game appeared around the world. In 1997 the first World Softball Doubles Championships were held in Hong Kong. The biggest showcase was the Commonwealth Games. At both Kuala Lumpur in 1998 and Manchester in 2002, men's, women's and mixed doubles were medal events.VIII THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT ...The future of squash has never been brighter. Technology has forever shattered the inherent limitations of this racquet, ball and wall game. Racquets are much lighter and stronger today, making the game more exciting. The ball is now consistent throughout the world. Canada adopted softball standards in the late 1970s and the U.S. and Mexico changed in the early 1990s. The all-glass portable court came into existence in the early 1980s. This greatly expanded gallery size for pro events which helped fuel more sponsorship. Television also became a reality with the glass walls. Because of portable courts, squash tournaments have been staged in stunning locations: in Grand Central Terminal, New York's famous train station; in Canary Wharf, London's flashy shopping center; in Royal Albert Hall; at Symphony Hall, the landmark auditorium in Boston; and most famously at the base of the Pyramids at Giza outside Cairo. These high-profile events are the leading edge of the twenty-first century squash juggernaut. The game is global. A company from Washington, D.C. is building courts in St. Petersburg. Most balls were made in Barnsley, Great Britain until the early 2000s when production was moved to the Philippines. Racquets are sold from Denver and London. Germany has gone from a dozen courts in 1973 to six thousand and boasts two million active players. More than twenty nations have players ranked in the top one hundred in the men's world rankings.In not quite one hundred and forty years squash has gone from a schoolboy pastime to the most exhilarating, exhausting and explosive game in the world.

Golf

A Brief History of Golf

How the Game Evolved
There is general agreement that the Scots were the earliest of golf addicts but who actually invented the game is open to debate. We know that golf has existed for at least 500 years because James II of Scotland, in an Act of Parliament dated March 6, 1457, had golf and football banned because these sports were interfering too much with archery practice sorely needed by the loyal defenders of the Scottish realm! It has been suggested that bored shepherds tending flocks of sheep near St. Andrews became adept at hitting rounded stones into rabbits holes with their wooden crooks. And so a legend that persists to this day was born!
Various forms of games resembling golf were played as early as the fourteenth century by sportsmen in Holland, Belgium and France as well as in Scotland. But it was a keen Scottish Baron, James VI, who brought the game to England when he succeeded to the English throne in 1603. For many years the game was played on rough terrain without proper greens, just crude holes cut into the ground where the surface was reasonably flat!

Early Golf Organizations
Early golfers played at the game for many years without any thought of forming a society or club until finally a group of Edinburgh golfers in 1744 formed a club called the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. At this time, the first rules of golf, 13 in all, were drawn up for an annual competition between sportsmen from any part of Great Britain and Ireland. A few years later the Society of St. Andrews Golfers was formed and in 1834, when King William IV became the Society's patron, the title was changed to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.
The earliest clubs formed outside of Scotland was the Royal Blackheath Golf Club of England which came into existence in 1766, followed by the Old Manchester Golf Club founded on the Kersal Moor in 1818. 18th century golf in the United States, while known to exist, did not catch on and it was in Canada that golf first established firm roots in North America. The Royal Montreal Club was formed in 1873, the Quebec Golf Club in 1875 followed by a golf club at Toronto in 1876. It wasn't until 1888 that golf resurfaced in the United States. A Scotsman, John Reid, first built a three hole course in Yonkers, New York near his home and later that same year formed the St. Andrews Club of Yonkers on a nearby 30 acre site. From those austere beginnings, golf literally soared as a new national pastime in the United States. A modern jewel, Shinnecock Hills, was founded in 1891 on Long Island and by the turn of the century, more than 1000 golf clubs had opened in North America.

Early Equipment
The very earliest club makers were thought to be the skilled craftsmen who produced bows and arrows and other implements of war! The first authentic record of a club maker was in 1603 when William Mayne was appointed to the court of James I of England to make golf clubs for the king and his coherts! Two Scottish club makers are recognized from the late 1600s, Andrew Dickson of Leith and Henry Mill of St. Andrews. These clubs featured carved wooden heads of beech, holly, dogwood, pear or apple and spliced into shafts of ash or hazel to give the club more whip. Improvements were made by filling the back of the head with lead and by putting inserts of leather, horn or bone into the club face. In time, skilled blacksmiths of the day took on the challenge of forging iron faced clubs, initially without grooves, to provide more loft for shorter shots. The earliest balls were hand stitched leather, painstakingly stuffed with boiled feathers! In 1618, James I of England commissioned James Melvill and an associate to make feathery balls for the court. It was an exclusive grant for 21 years with the balls stamped by Melvill and any other ball found in the Kingdom not bearing his trademark were confiscated! You may well be surprised at the distances achieved by these feathery balls. In dry weather, a well struck feather ball could travel 180 yards (165 m) but when wet only about 150 yards (135 m). However, the feathery ball remained king until the middle of the 19th century. In 1848, a golfing clergyman from St. Andrews, the Reverend Adam Paterson, experimented with a substance from India called gutta-percha. It had been sent to him as padding covering a gift and he found that the material could be softened with heat and then molded into a hard ball. The gutty as it was known was not an instant success as the smooth ball tended to duck in flight. Players soon found that its performance improved at the end of a round when the ball received some nicks and scratches. Therefore, newly molded balls were scored all over with a saddler's hammer with such good playing results that the demise of the feathery was certain.
The gutta-percha ball lasted for approximately 55 years until succeeded by the Haskell ball in 1903. An American dentist, Dr. Coburn Haskell, ran some experiments by tightly wrapping a liquid filled rubber core with strips of elastic then covering it with a gutta-percha casing. North American golfers began to take the new ball seriously when Walter Travis, originally from Australia, won the 1901 United States Amateur Championship using the Haskell ball. When Alex Herd won the 1902 British Open Championship again using the Haskell ball, golfers everywhere dropped the gutty and clamoured for the Haskell!

Modern balls have a more durable cover of balata or surlyn and various solid core balls with new synthetics have become popular. As well, we have seen the art of club making go from the original wooden clubs, to forged irons, then steel shafts and finally all manner of metal heads with many types of synthetic shafts. Technology has done wonders for the average golfer but practice, dedication and raw talent still remain a factor as witnessed by Greg Norman's amazing 63 at Augusta on April 11, 1996, during the first round of the US Masters Championship.

THE ORIGINS OF THE GAME
Throughout recorded history, every civilisation has played a game with a club and a ball. Pangea for example, as described by Roman scribes, would appear to be the father both of modern hockey and the Celtic games of Shinty and Hurling.
In one form or another, the variant games of present day golf were clearly enjoyed throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. The game persisted over the centuries and the form that it took and rules that were applied varied as widely as the terrain the game was played over. In short, the game consisted of knocking a ball from one pre-designated place to another where the ball was to be struck off a predetermined object in the least number of blows. Games often extended from village to village.
That this game was ousted from the towns and onto the commons land beyond is one possible solution to the question of how it all began. Whatever the exact origins, it is known that by the 15th century, "kolf" as it was known in the Netherlands and "goff" as it was referred to in England, was a pastime enjoyed by Kings and Commoners alike. It's kinship to the Great Game however, remains entirely questionable.
So widespread was the game of "Gowf", as it was known in Scotland, that an Act of Parliament was passed to prevent the playing of the game on Sundays and thus preserve the skills of Archery. The citizens of Aberdeen, St. Andrews and Leith on Scotland's East Coast were the principal "gowfing" miscreants and it was no coincidence that rolling sandy links land was commonplace here. On this very terrain, a game that started with a cleek and a ball took on a form that started an evolutionary process that continues to this day.
The question of how it all began may be of pressing concern to some but to the Scot, it is sufficient to know that the game was born on the links land of eastern Scotland. Here, the game has been nurtured for over five hundred years and from here, it has been raised to the great game played and loved by millions throughout the world.

The Sepak Takraw

I love sport. I love to watch track and field, boxing, and swimming. I play Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer, and Gymnastic but sometimes it's boring. What about playing gymnastic, volleyball, and soccer played in one, cool isn't it? You can play it all by playing Sepak takraw. I played it well during my high school.
Sepak takraw is originated and a popular ballgame in South East Asia. It is one of the sports has medal at stake on South East Asian Games and Asian Games. A very interesting game and you can see a lot of gymnastics exhibitions more than what Michael Jordan do on the hoops. Takraw ball is made of rattan or very hard plastic weighed approximately 250 grams. Ruling and point system is almost similar to volleyball. You can use head, body, legs and anywhere for volleying and smashing the ball except that the player can't touch with his hand. Facility is not expensive, so you can start right now.
Photos of smashing and blocking. Cool, isn't it? Some players used their head to block the ball and I experienced hitting to the head. Also you can invent how to smash the ball like runs up to the net, jump, float in the air, flip upside down while spinning like a helicopter, kick the ball more or less 60 miles per hour. Warning! don't do this while you are still new.
Point sytem and ruling.
The sepak takraw court and net are of the same standards as for badminton matches. A team consisting of 3 members is called Regu. Two teams compete for higher scores by spiking a ball into the opponents court. The same rules apply as for volley ball, with the following 4 exeptions:
1. players are prohibited from using their hands;
2. a player can touch the ball 3 successive times;
3. the players position of the defensive team is not rotated;
4. net-in service is accepted.
Ball woven of rattan stems or made of plastic can be used.
A match is composed of 3 sets. The team scoring 15 points win a set. The first team winning two sets wins the match. If both teams are tied, 13 to 13, the first team to score 13 points may choose to decide the set through 5-point match. If the teams are tied at 14 to 14, the first team to score 14 points may choose to decide the set through a 3-point match.


Takraw Guide
Sepak takraw is ... exciting, fantastic, unusual, energetic, acrobatic, is an action.
What is Sepak Takraw ? For you maybe these words mean nothing... but not for long :) Someone told me this sport is "...soccer, volleyball and gymnastics played in one." And in my home opinion the most exciting things about this game are the discoveries of how much you can do with your feet. Oh yes, it's worth being played. This skill ball game, originated in Asia, today has become an alternative sport, which is quite popular all over the world. History in brief.
So the history of this sport movement is as following... I think it's not a surprise for you that every nation has her proud myriad of cultures, arts, literature and traditional sports. It is recorded in the cultures of South-East Asia nations as early as in the 11th century that the game was played extensively - Takraw in Thailand, Sipa in the Philippines, Sepakraga in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, Ching Loong in Myanmar, Rago in Indonesia and Kator in Laos. It is also recorded that in one of his many trips, the merchant Marco Polo brought back to Europe a game from China which was kicking an implement into the air and counting the number of kicks, a style resembling today's sepak takraw game.Sepak takraw is a skill ball game, which requires the use of the feet and head to keep the ball in the air in a targeted direction. Traditionally, villagers stand in a circle and display keen understanding and teamwork to help one another keep the ball in the air for as long as possible. It provided villagers of all ages with fun, recreation and a sense of shared community. This was the traditional circle game, evolved from many forms of kicking game. Today, the circle game is still popular throughout South-East Asia and has taken a hold as a form of recreational "sport for all".In a new variation introduced by the International Sepaktkaraw Federation in 1996, players stand in a circle and receive different level of points for each passing kick. The circle event was included as a medal event in the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok in 1998. Sepak takraw using the net came about in the 19th century. In 1960, representatives of various South-East Asia nations established a set of rules and regulations for the game and called it sepak takraw. In 1965, th game was included in the South-East Asian penisula Games and since then, has made great strides with its debut as a medal event in the 10th Asian Games in Baijing, China in 1990.The formation of the International Sepaktakraw Federaion by the Asian Sepaktakraw Federation in 1988 contributed greatly towards a global promotion of the game. Since then many countries outside of Asia have taken up the sport, including the United States, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand.


Basic Skills For You
As I said, Sepak Takraw is a skill ball game originated from Asia... And it combines the teamwork of volleyball, the dexterity of soccer and the finesse of badminton. I think you understand that it's rather difficult to play it. So here is some advice and the description of basic skills for you:

Inside Kick.
Arguably it is the most important skill. This is the kick you will use the most. Watch any top class players in action and you'll see that this is the control kick of choice. This move sets up all the killer spikes. While doing an inside kick, you should stand in a good athletic stance. Feet shoulder width apart. Remember to bend your support leg at the knee. And, it is important, always keep an eye on the ball! The kicking motion is easy and don't swing at the ball too hard. The ball is bouncy and you need to just hit it in the right spot on your foot as well as with the proper motion. Try a few times of simply tossing the ball to yourself. Focus on the ball and pop it back up to your hands. Catch the ball and then try again. Do this until the ball is consistently coming back up with ease and pop it back up to your hands. Once you have gained consistency in this drill you can begin to try to link some kicks together. Try dropping to your strong foot, popping the ball up and then kicking with your weak foot before catching the ball. Try to link three kicks together, on alternating feet. You should be able to see your progression. All rights reserved. Spiker Dek is owned by Sport Action International in the promotion of sepaktakraw in the Takraw Thailand League. All rights reserved.

Knee/Thigh kick.
The knee and thigh is used when the ball comes fast towards the area between your knees and your waist. This skill is used to "bump" or deflect the ball up enough to use an inside kick to control the ball. It is also used when kicking consecutive kicks or in a circle and the ball gets to close to your body. The motion is like a high step marching motion. Simply raise the leg with your hip allowing your knee to bend.Try to contact the ball on the thigh where possible instead of the knee as it provides better control. Make sure the ball hits the fleshy part of the thigh to "bump" the ball up and out a bit. Try a few back up to your hands. Once you feel comfortable, try to link with one inside kick, then catch the ball. Do this over and over until it comes naturally. Once you get this combination and doing it naturally without thinking, you will be aware of your improvement in skill.

Header.
The header is probably the second most important skill to have, especially in the net game. The header is used to pop up a ball that comes higher than the waist. The best way to learn the header is like the inside kick. The contact point should be just above the forehead at he hairline, not too much on the forehead and not too much on the top of the head, right in between. Toss the ball to yourself, hit it with your head and then catch it. Do this several times until you feel comfortable with this skill. When doing the header, remember to bend your knees and get low beneath the ball. Like the other kicks, you don't need to focus on power but on accuracy and placement. The next step in this skill drill is to toss the ball higher and again control it with your head before catching the ball. It hurts a bit at first, but you'll get use to it. The graduating step is to a header from a high inside kick or from a header to a controlling inside kick. Try both combinations as you will be using both of them as you begin to play more
Front kick/Toe kick.
The toe kick is a defensive kick, great for saving a ball that has gotten out in front of you. It is not, however, a good control kick. Those who play soccer may disagree, but in sepaktakraw the inside is the right way. Learn the toe kick for saves,the inside for control. The toe kick is achieved by placing the foot out for the ball and depending on the height of the, either lifting the foot with your hip or just letting the ball bounce off. You don't need much power because the ball tends to fly off uncontrollably. Do it slow and take it easy. Like the other kicks, do the same toss and catch drill. Then try with different combinations. Do the same progression.

Equipment

So you decided to take part in this alternative sport... Are you insane? ;) If you are, you should know something about the equipment, which Sepak Takraw requires.

Takraw Balls.
Takraw Balls were originally woven from rattan. In 1982 a Thai engineer revolutionized the sport by introducing woven synthetic balls. Today, almost all players around the world use synthetic takraw balls.
How to Select a Takraw Ball for Players:
Weight: Takraw balls range in weight from 140 grams to 200 grams. Normally younger and beginner players start with lighter balls and move up in weight. For advanced players the optimal weight for advanced Sepak Takraw balls is 175 grams. Some people use heavier balls for additional spring or when playing outdoors in order to minimize the effect of the wind.
The Weave: The tightness of the weave of takraw balls determine the spring, bounce and speed. A "soft" ball has less bounce. A "hard" ball will have maximum bounce.
Official Takraw Balls: The official ISTAF Sepak Takraw ball for Tournament play for men is the: Marathon MT201, and for women is the: Marathon MT201 Jr

Footwear.
In Takraw, the most important piece of equipment, with the exception of ball, is the athletes footwear. Most players prefer to kick in court shoes. They are popular mainly because of their support and flat surface at the instep, unlike the flared sole of a running shoe. Popular makes/models include:
Nanyang
Adidas "Stan Smith"
Converse "All Star"
In general, any lightweight athletic footwear with a flat instep will work efficiently. Players often must develop a feel for their desired footwear by trial and error.

About the Game.
Sepak takraw is a skill ball game originated from Asia. It combines the teamwork of volleyball, the dexterity of soccer and the finesse of badminton. In Thailand it is called takraw, but the official name of this internationally recognized game is sepak takraw. Without a doubt it is one of the world’s most exciting sports, both to play and to watch, yet it is relatively unknown outside of Southeast Asia. Playing the sport requires little in the way of equipment or preparation but it does require quick reflexes, coordination, agility and, above all, technique. Thick skin is also helpful; a skillfully kicked takraw ball can travel at speeds of over 60mph!The game is played by two opposing Regus, a team of three players each, on a court separated by a net similar to badminton. It begins with the service, executed by a ball toss from one player to the Server. Then, the players try to beat their opponents using their legs and head, except their hands, inside three kicks. The highlight is the "spike" (see right picture above). This is the most dramatic and explosive move in the game for spectators to watch as players go mid-air, twisting and turning to power the ball down into the opponent's court. To play takraw, players can use either a net, a hoop, or simply stand around in a circle formation. Whatever the style, the object is to kick the ball to another player without the ball touching the ground. Players can use any of their lower limbs and body but absolutely no hands!

The Sepak Takraw Court

All Sepak Takraw courts are standard in size and mostly are equal to badminton court. Takraw may be played indoors or out, although most major tournaments outside of the USA are played indoors.
The playing surface must be flat, horizontal and uniform. The width of the lines bounding the court should be 0.04m measured and drawn inwards from the edge of the court measurements. Court boarders should be at least 10.0 feet (3.0m) away from all obstacles.

Center Line. The Center line of 1 PI inches should be drawn equally dividing the right and left court.
Quarter Circles. A corner of each center line, a quarter circle shall be drawn from the side line to the center line with a radius of 3.0 feet measured and drawn outwards from the edge of the 3.0 foot radius.
The Service Circle. The service circle of 1 foot radius shall be drawn on the left and right court, the center of which is 8 feet from the back line of the court and 10 feet from the side boundary. The Service Circle is measured and drawn outward from the edge of the center of the 1 foot radius.
Height of the Net. It should be 5 feet, 1 inch at the center.
Height of the Posts. ISTAF regulations call for the posts to be 5'4". You can use the portable volleyball posts and secure the net to the desired 5"1" height.
Free Area. An area of 6 feet outside the court boundaries should be free of obstacles.