An impressive display of athletic skills was recently captured in a brief video of six men playing a game of sepak takraw in Myanmar.
The clip, posted by Canadian mixed martial artist Dave Leduc on Instagram earlier this week, shows six young men engaged in a sepak takraw match at a village outside Yangon.
A sport native to Southeast Asia, sepak takraw (kick volleyball) varies from the similar sport of footvolley with its use of a rattan ball. In sepak, players are only allowed to use their feet, knee, chest, and head to touch the ball. Such mechanics require skills and athletic expertise, making for a thrilling match as seen in the video.
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Mistakenly labeling the game as “chinlone” (a variation of sepak takraw which is not competitive), Leduc, the self-proclaimed “King of Lethwei”(which refers to the Burmese fighting style), wrote:
“In Myanmar, we use our headbutts for two things: Lethwei and Chinlone. I actually think that playing this game can make you into a better fighter, it makes you more athletic and explosive.”
Justin “The Big Pygmy” Wren, who runs an organization that seeks to end water crises in sub-Saharan Africa, spotted Leduc’s video and shared it on his account, adding thousands of views more to the clip.
“O crazy! These guys need to be in the #worldcup or #mma #UFC #bellator CHAMPS!” Wren wrote, crediting Leduc for the video.
Radio host/comedian Joe Rogan also posted the video on his account of four million followers.
“Holy shit! These guys have insane skills!” Rogan wrote in his post which has since been viewed over 2.2 million times.
In hopes of landing an interview on Rogan’s popular podcast to discuss lethwei and Myanmar, Leduc reportedly asked his followers in a now-deleted post to bombard Rogan to request him about it, Coconuts Media reports.
“Holy shit! These guys have insane skills!” Rogan wrote in his post which has since been viewed over 2.2 million times.
In hopes of landing an interview on Rogan’s popular podcast to discuss lethwei and Myanmar, Leduc reportedly asked his followers in a now-deleted post to bombard Rogan to request him about it, Coconuts Media reports.
Featured image via Instagram/kingleduc
