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Sepaktakraw — Step-by-Step Roadmap

Governed by International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) · Sepaktakraw Federation of India ·Last checked 17 Oct 2026

The whole Sepaktakraw journey, 0 to 100, in order: the four stages from a local club to the international level, who can start, the detailed route with trials and selection rules, what is open at every age, where to train, who pays, and the jobs and money after. Every step is taken from the same official sources as the main Sepaktakraw guide.

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01 Four stages, in order

Zero to podium — the four stages

  1. Stage 1 · From childhood Grassroots & local entry

    Learn the kicks and headers at school or a club; play regu and doubles. [10]

  2. Stage 2 · 10–18 · U18 State to national breakthrough

    Sepaktakraw is one of SAI's 27 STC sports (entry by results and tests); Khelo India Youth Games medals count for central sports-quota jobs. [10][6][13]

  3. Stage 3 · Junior · senior National camp & elite trials

    National championships through your state association. No SAI NCOE has the sport; Nagaland's players and coaches fed India's 2026 women's squad. [10][4]

  4. Stage 4 · India team Asian Games

    Asian Championships and the Asian Games — sepaktakraw is not on the LA28 programme. [5][7]

Fuel, from stage 1: food first. Pair cereals with pulses about 3:1 — roti or rice with dal, chana or rajma; vegetarians add milk or curd, others eggs, fish or meat. ICMR-NIN says most athletes get enough protein from food and protein powders are unnecessary; NADA warns that no supplement is risk-free. [16][17]

02 Physical benchmarks & anti-doping

What the game demands — and anti-doping

  • Every player must be able to play the ball with any part of the body except the hands and arms — the arms may not even be used to support a kick. [1]
  • Under the anti-doping code you must be available for testing and check every medicine against the Prohibited List; apply to NADA for a TUE if you need a banned medicine. [9]
03 Grassroots-to-elite residential pipeline

From the school court to the Asian Games

The sepaktakraw ladder [10][6][13][4]

The sepaktakraw ladder
StepAgeWhat happens
1. School & clubFrom childhoodLearn the kicks and headers; play regu and doubles
2. SAI Training Centre12–18Sepaktakraw is one of the 27 STC sports; entry by results and tests
3. Khelo India Youth GamesUnder 18Medals count for central sports-quota jobs
4. National championshipsJunior · seniorPicked by your state association
5. India teamSeniorAsian Championships and the Asian Games
04 Every age group, child to masters

Sepaktakraw at every age — SAI centre to the Asian Games

Sepaktakraw is taught at SAI Training Centres and played at the Khelo India Youth Games (under 18) and the Asian Games. [10][6]

  1. 10–18years
    Youth

    SAI Training Centre (STC)

    Sepaktakraw is one of the 27 sports at SAI's Training Centres; team-game entry is for ages 10 to 18. Members of a team in the top 4 at Sub-Junior or Junior Nationals, or the top 2 at state level, can sit the tests. [10]

  2. Under 18years
    Youth

    Khelo India Youth Games

    KIYG medals count for central sports-quota jobs. [6][13]

  3. 18–28years
    Job window

    Sports-quota job window

    Railways sports quota takes ages 18–25 (on 1 Jan 2027, Western Railway 2026-27 notice). CRPF takes 18–23 (on 1 Aug 2026) plus 5 years for a sportsperson — up to 28 unreserved, 31 OBC, 33 SC/ST. Central Group C posts relax the upper age by up to 5 years (10 for SC/ST). [14][15][12]

  4. Senioryears
    Senior · open

    Senior — Asian Games

    Sepaktakraw is on the 2026 Asian Games programme. [5]

05 Training centres & cities

Where players train

  • Sepaktakraw is taught at SAI Training Centres (ages 12–18) but has no SAI National Centre of Excellence; India's 2026 Asian Games women's squad included players and coaches from Nagaland. [10][4]
06 Equipment costs & who pays

A low-cost sport — and who pays

  • You need only a ball, a net and a court, so sepaktakraw is cheap to start. Education Margdarshan does not print shop prices — no governing body publishes them. [1]

Who pays — sepaktakraw ladder [10][11]

Who pays — sepaktakraw ladder
StagePaid byWhat you get
SAI centre traineeSports Authority of IndiaCoaching, boarding, sports science, diet
Khelo India athleteMinistry of Youth Affairs & Sports₹6.28 lakh a year incl. ₹1.20 lakh cash
Athlete in hardshipPDU National Welfare FundUp to ₹2.50 lakh
07 Earning channels & central job quotas

Awards and sports-quota jobs

  • Sepaktakraw is one of the 65 sports in the central sports quota for Group C posts, with up to 5 years' age relaxation (10 for SC/ST).
  • Medals at the Asian Games can bring up to three out-of-turn promotions. [12]
  • Khelo India Youth Games medals now count for central sports-quota jobs. [13]
08 Official sources & verification

Where this roadmap comes from

The sources cited on this page, numbered as on the main Sepaktakraw guide, read on 17 October 2026. Trials, age rules and scheme amounts change — open the current file before you act on it.

  1. ISTAF — Law of the Game: Regu (team) event (2013; published by the Sepaktakraw Federation of India) (opens in a new tab) Regu of three, net and ball sizes, faults, scoring to 21 (cap 25), best of three sets, time-outs, service rotation · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  2. All India Radio News — Four women from Nagaland selected to represent India in sepaktakraw at the 20th Asian Games (opens in a new tab) Menenu Tsukru and Seyiekhrieno Tepa selected; Nagaland coaches · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  3. Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games — Sports (opens in a new tab) Sepaktakraw at the 2026 Asian Games · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  4. Khelo India Youth Games 2025 (Bihar) — official site (opens in a new tab) Sepaktakraw among the 27 KIYG sports · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  5. LA28 — 2028 Olympic Games Plan (sports list) (opens in a new tab) LA28 sports list (sepaktakraw not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  6. NADA India — Athlete's Rights & Responsibilities (opens in a new tab) Testing availability, Prohibited List, TUE · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  7. SAI — Brief on Sports Promotional Schemes 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) Sepaktakraw among STC sports · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  8. PIB — Financial Support to Athletes (5 Aug 2024) (opens in a new tab) Khelo India, welfare fund · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  9. DoPT — Instructions on Recruitment/Promotion for Sportspersons (18 Nov 2022) (opens in a new tab) Sepaktakraw in the 65-sport list, Group C, out-of-turn promotion · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  10. DoPT Office Memorandum, 4 March 2024 — Incentive for Sportspersons (opens in a new tab) Khelo India Games medallists added · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  11. Western Railway RRC — Employment Notice RRC/WR/01/2026 (Sports Quota), 27 Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab) Age 18–25 on 1 Jan 2027, level norms, no sepaktakraw posts in this notice, MoYAS-recognition rule, fees · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  12. CRPF — Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons, HC & Constable (GD), Sports Quota 2026 (Advt. R.II-21/2026-Sports, 17 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) Age and relaxation, qualifications, fee, bond; no sepaktakraw posts in 2026 · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  13. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition — Dietary Guidelines for Indians (booklet), Guideline 8 (opens in a new tab) Cereal-pulse 3:1 protein quality, vegetarian and non-vegetarian protein sources; most athletes meet protein needs from food, protein powders unnecessary · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
  14. NADA India — Managing the Risk of Nutritional Supplements (opens in a new tab) Supplement risk, strict liability, food-first approach · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
Back to the full Sepaktakraw guide

The rules and scoring, recognition, the traps to avoid and player doubts.

← Full Sepaktakraw guide