FROM COURT TO COACHING: SEPAK TAKRAW’S ROLE IN TAIWAN’S SPORTS AND TRANSITIONS, 2008-2024
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study aims to examine how Sepak Takraw developed in Taiwan and how individual agency, particularly through Mr. Jan, shaped its integration into national sports culture. Sepak Takraw, a dynamic fusion of volleyball’s agility and football’s precision, has evolved from a Southeast Asian tradition into a burgeoning sport within Taiwan’s athletic landscape since its introduction in 2008 through the Chinese Taipei Sepak Takraw Association. This study traces its historical development, spotlighting Mr. Yuting Jan’s transition from shuttlecock player to Sepak Takraw coach as a lens into Taiwan’s sports diversification. Facing initial grassroots challenges—limited resources and awareness—the sport gained traction through institutional support, cultural shifts, and international success, notably a 2023 King’s Cup Premier Division bronze. Using narrative inquiry, including interviews and document analysis, this research illuminates Mr. Jan’s role in integrating Thai training and holistic coaching—blending athletic and life skills—to foster youth empowerment and redefine the cultural significance of Sepak Takraw. Mapped to Wylleman and Lavallee’s model, his career reflects an evolution in athletic, psychological, and vocational aspects, driving the sport’s growth through 2024. This analysis situates Sepak Takraw within Taiwan’s sports identity, highlighting its contribution to cultural enrichment and the interplay between global and local perspectives in an urbanizing society.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Alfermann, D., & Stambulova, N. (2007). Career transitions and career termination. In G. Tenenbaum & R. C. Eklund (Eds.), Handbook of sport psychology (3rd ed., pp. 712-733). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Ao, M. (2009). Kaohsiung World Games exhibition match is also exciting. The Epoch Times. https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/9/7/16/n2592097.htm
Barreiros, A., Côté, J., & Fonseca, A. M. (2013). Training and psychosocial patterns during the early development of Portuguese national team athletes. High Ability Studies, 24(1), 49-61. https://doi.org/10.1080/13598139.2013.780965
British Broadcasting Corporation. (2015). Sepak takraw chief wants 'foot-volleyball' sport at Olympics. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/33111490
Beutler, I. (2008). Sport serving development and peace: achieving the goals of the United Nations through sport. Sport in Society, 11(4), 359-369. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430430802019227
Bourdieu, P. (2018). The forms of capital. In Granovetter, (Eds.), The sociology of economic life (pp. 78-92). Routledge.
Chen, J. (1985). Shuttlecock: more than just a kid's game. Taiwan Panorama. https://www.taiwan-panorama.com/en/Articles/Details?Guid=b0d89683-055e-4e22-bf68-19a425d628ea&CatId=11&postname=Shuttlecock%3A%20More%20Than%20Just%20a%20Kid%27s%20Game&srsltid=AfmBOoqMITdkIBGw3wxRR4d2RKKbP0v1vLfRoJvHZbNNgOEN1Fxa4i7N
Cheska, A. T. (1979). Sports spectacular: a ritual model of power. International Review of Sport Sociology, 14(2), 51-72. https://doi.org/10.1177/101269027901400204
Chinese Taipei SepakTakraw Federation. (2025). Get to know the Chinese Taipei SepakTakraw Federation. https://www.ctstf.org.tw/OnePage.aspx?mid=41&id=16
Chinese Taipei SepakTakraw Federation. (2024). 2024 ISTAF World Cup. https://www.ctstf.org.tw/OnePage.aspx?mid=61&id=122
Coakley, J. (2011). Youth sports: what counts as “positive development?”. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 35(3), 306-324. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193723511417311
Connelly, F. M., & Clandinin, D. J. (1990). Stories of experience and narrative inquiry. Educational Researcher, 19(5), 2-14. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189x019005002
Côté, J., & Gilbert, W. (2009). An integrative definition of coaching effectiveness and expertise. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 4(3), 307-323. https://doi.org/10.1260/174795409789623892
Creak, S., & Trotier, F. (2024). Sport, diplomacy, and regionalism in Southeast Asia: the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and ASEAN. Sport in Society, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2024.2325971
Cserháti, G., & Polák-Weldon, R. (2013). Success factors of international sporting events in different regions of Europe. APSTRACT: Applied Studies in Agribusiness and Commerce, 7(1), 25-30. https://doi.org/10.19041/Apstract/2013/1/4
Daulima, M., Sulaiman, S., & Rahayu, S. (2023). Historical study of Sepaktakraw Development in Luwoo Village, Gorontalo Province. JUARA: Jurnal Olahraga, 8(1), 576-586. https://doi.org/10.33222/juara.v8i1.2815
Dunn, W. R., George, M. S., Churchill, L., & Spindler, K. P. (2007). Ethics in sports medicine. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 35(5), 840-844. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546506295177
Formosa News. (2023). Taiwan bags first premier division medal at Sepaktakraw World Championship. https://english.ftvnews.com.tw/news/2023718W01EA
Gems, G. R., & Pfister, G. (2014). Sport and globalization: power games and a new world order. Movement and Sports Sciences - Science et Motricite, 86, 51-60. https://doi.org/10.1051/SM/2013062
Guba, E. G., & Lincoln, Y. S. (1994). Competing paradigms in qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 105-117). Sage Publications, Inc.
He, L., & Sun, J. (2023). Research on the international communication of traditional sports under the background of globalization:--a case study of the phoenix boat race in Guangyuan City. Academic Journal of Management and Social Sciences, 2(3), 155-159. https://doi.org/10.54097/ajmss.v2i3.8755
Henriksen, K., Stambulova, N., Storm, L. K., & Schinke, R. (2024). Towards an ecology of athletes’ career transitions: conceptualization and working models. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 22(7), 1684-1697. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2023.2213105
Knights, S., Sherry, E., Ruddock-Hudson, M., & O’Halloran, P. (2019). The end of a professional sport career: ensuring a positive transition. Journal of Sport Management, 33(6), 518-529. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2019-0023
Kuo, H.-W., & Kuo, C.-F. (2013). Inheritance and fracture of Taiwanese folk sports (1949-2010): a perspective of historical sociology. Taiwan Journal of Sports Scholarly Research(5), 79-99. https://doi.org/10.6590/TJSSR.2013.12.05
Lim, P. H. (2023). From Sepak Raga to Sepak Takraw: the introduction and institutionalization of an Indigenous game in regional multi-sport events, 1965-1990. Asian Journal of Sport History & Culture, 2(1), 106-123. https://doi.org/10.1080/27690148.2023.2209075
Maguire, J. A. (2011). Globalization, sport and national identities. Sport in Society, 14(7-8), 978-993. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2011.603553
Mutalai, P. (n.d.). History of Takraw in Thailand (in Thai). Sepaktakrawworld.com.
Newman, T. J., Santos, F., Pierce, S., Collins, K., Barcelona, B., & Mercier, V. (2024). Scholars’ perspectives of positive youth development in coach education for high school sports. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 29(2), 206-220. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2022.2039616
Odhiambo, D., Okwemba, N. J., & Okoti, D. (2020). Capacity building for effective sport talent development: perceptions of opportunities and challenges among county sports teams' officials in Kenya. The International Journal of Business & Management, 8(11). https://doi.org/10.24940/theijbm/2020/v8/i11/BM2011-030
Park, R. J. (2013). A regional and global symbolic proclamation. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 30(10), 1023-1024. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523367.2013.799861
Park, S., Lavallee, D., & Tod, D. (2013). Athletes' career transition out of sport: a systematic review. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 6(1), 22-53. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984X.2012.687053
Riessman, C. K., & Quinney, L. (2005). Narrative in social work: a critical review. Qualitative Social Work, 4(4), 391-412. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325005058643
Robinson, W. I. (2011). Globalization and the sociology of immanuel wallerstein: a critical appraisal. International Sociology, 26(6), 723-745. https://doi.org/10.1177/0268580910393372
Roche, M. (2017). Globalizing sport studies series editor’s preface. In Mega-events and social change: spectacle, legacy and public culture (pp. 10-12). Manchester University Press.
Sepak Takraw association of Canada. (2023). International Sepak Takraw history. https://sepaktakraw.ca/international-sepak-takraw-history
Serpa, S. (1999). Relationship coach-athlete: outstanding trends in European research. Motricidade Humana. Pportuguese Journal of Human Performances Studies, 12(1), 7-19.
Stambulova, N. B., Ryba, T. V., & Henriksen, K. (2021). Career development and transitions of athletes: the international society of sport psychology position stand revisited. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 19(4), 524-550. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2020.1737836
Strachan, L., Côté, J., & Deakin, J. (2011). A new view: exploring positive youth development in elite sport contexts. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 3(1), 9-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/19398441.2010.541483
Vandermeerschen, H., & Scheerder, J. (2017). Sport managers’ perspectives on poverty and sport: The role of local sport authorities. Sport Management Review, 20(5), 510-521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2017.02.002
Wallerstein, I. (1997). Eurocentrism and its avatars: the dilemmas of social science. Sociological Bulletin, 46(1), 21-39. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038022919970102
Williams, V. R. (2015). Weird sports and wacky games around the world: from Buzkashi to Zorbing. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.
Wood, R. (2001). Sepaktakraw. http://www.topendsports.com/sport/more/sepak-takraw.htm
Wu, D.-Y. (2016). A Study of the development of Sepaktakraw in Taiwan. [Master's Thesis]. National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations in Taiwan.
Wu, D.-Y., Chen, Y.-W., & Tan, T.-C. (2016). Foot-volleyball - A study of the current development of sepaktakraw in Taiwan. Quarterly of Chinese Physical Education, 30(2), 89-96. https://doi.org/10.3966/102473002016063002002
Wu, D.-Y., Tan, T.-C., & Chen, Y.-W. (2017). The policy perspective of Sepaktakraw development (2008–2016): An emerging sport in Taiwan.World Congress of Sociology of Sport, Taoyuan City, Taiwan.
Wylleman, P., & Lavallee, D. (2004). A developmental perspective on transitions faced by athletes. In M. R. Weiss (Ed.), Developmental sport and exercise psychology: a lifespan perspective (pp. 503-523). Fitness Information Technology.
Yoo, S.-S. (2020). Sports' role in education for sustainable development: prospective. Journal of Health, Sports, and Kinesiology, 1(1), 28-31. https://doi.org/10.47544/johsk.2020.1.1.28
Yu-Ting, J. (2019). The accumlation strength in 10 years – history of sepaktakraw sport development of Taiwan. [Master's Thesis]. National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations in Taiwan.
Zakrajsek, R. A., Lauer, E. E., & Bodey, K. J. (2017). Integrating mental skills and strategies into youth sport training: A tool for coaches. International Sport Coaching Journal, 4(1), 76-89. https://doi.org/10.1123/iscj.2016-0078
