Thinking things couldn’t get better after seeing the famous man with his “booty shaking dance lesson” in Lumpini Park, Bangkok, we stumbled across a different sort of sport, not as much freedom, with a few more regulations, Sepan Takraw also known just as takraw.

Takraw can best be explained as volleyball without hands.  A player is only permitted to use feet, knees, chests, and heads in an attempt to return the ball to the opponents side of the net.  There are three players per side, and the top of the net is 1.55 meters from the ground.

The players are forced to do whatever possible to kick the ball over the net.  This involves incredible flips, bicycle kicks, scissor kicks, and some rather yoga-esque moves, of twisting and turning, but at ridiculous speeds.

The players are amazing athletes. Eric Ling calls takraw, Another Kind of Kung-Fu.  If I were to try Takraw, we can all safely assume that no more than a few seconds would pass before I would be laying helpless on my butt.  I was amazed at the flexibility, strength, and coordination. of the athletes playing takraw.

Check out the video, let me know what you think!

After a bit of research (by that I mean a google search), I discovered there is also a Takraw USA association.