The ball is small and woven from rattan or plastic strips, with holes in it - about the size of a grapefruit. It feels firm but light. Players keep it in the air using any part of their body except their hands and arms. Skilled players can keep a rally going for ages, the ball flying back and forth in dizzying patterns.
The most amazing move in sepak takraw is the bicycle kick over the net. A player runs to the net, jumps high in the air, flips upside down, and smashes the ball over with the sole of their foot - all in a split second. It looks like something from a kung-fu film. Crowds gasp.
Each team has three players: one to receive the serve, one to set up the next shot, and one to attack. A bit like volleyball: pass, set, smash. But all done with feet. Matches are fast, full of jumps, and rallies can be over in two seconds or last for many shots.
Sepak takraw is played at school, in parks and in big international tournaments at the Southeast Asian Games. Filipino schools sometimes hold sepak takraw lessons in physical education, where students start by just learning to keep a soft ball up in the air with their feet for as long as possible.