Sipa

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For other uses, see Sipa (disambiguation).

Sipa (Kick) is the Philippines' national and traditional native sport which predates Spanish rule. The game is related to the Sepak Takraw. Similar games include Footbag net, Footvolley, Bossaball and Jianzi.

The game is both played on a large court surface inside an indoor or outdoor field (which is about the size of a modern day tennis court) by 2 teams that consists of 1, 2 or 4 players in each side. The aim of the game is to kick a soft ball made out of rattan fragments, back and forth over a high rise net placed in the middle of the court. The sport requires speed, agility and extremely good ball control.

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[edit] Washer version

One version of Sipa uses a metal washer covered with cloth, which gets kicked. This version is played by both girls and boys, but girls tend to use the outside of their foot to manipulate the washer, while boys more often use the inside of the foot. Points are scored based on the number of kicks without the ball touching the ground. If the ball touches the ground you lose ONE point.

[edit] Rattan ball version

Another version makes use of a larger rattan woven ball with the same foot action. Sipa balls can be purchased online, which look just like Hacky Sack balls.

Originally, the rattan Sipa ball was 10 centimeters in diameter and made of woven rattan strips with symmetrical holes, purported to be light and as bouncy as a tennis ball. The most defining feature of the game of Sipa is that the ball should only be touched with the legs anywhere from below the knee to the tip of the toes. The rattan ball can touch the ground, depending on the determined method of play.

[edit] Simplified play (one on one, two on two, or four on four):

In the simplified version, a set of rules determines penalty points (such as the ball bouncing twice on the ground). The two teams play against each other until a set number of penalty points is reached by one of the teams.

There is also a court version in which a large rectangle is marked in grids. Various grids denote zones and dictate where players stand, and how points are allotted based on where the ball lands in the court.

[edit] Sources

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