Sipa

Also known as: Sipa (the object itself) · Filipino kick game · Sepak bola-style sipa (team kicking variants)

Definition

Sipa (“kick”) is a traditional Philippine game in which players keep a small woven object aloft using any part of the body except the hands, most skillfully with the foot. The classic sipa is a round rattan or metal washer wrapped in cloth or straw, or a cluster of straw tufts tied to a coin-like base, and it is struck repeatedly in rallies that can run to hundreds of counts. Formerly celebrated as the country’s national sport, sipa is also recognized as a local ancestor of sepak takraw’s ball-control play and remains a familiar sight in streets and schoolyards. (Wikipedia)

Identities

Source Type	Identity
Wikipedia	Sipa
Wikidata	Q7525551
DBpedia	N/A
ProductOntology	N/A
Wiktionary	sipa
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)	N/A
MeSH	N/A
NCBI Taxonomy	N/A
AGROVOC	N/A
Google Scholar	sipa Philippine traditional game physical education sepak takraw
ConceptNet	game
OpenCyc	N/A

Also Known As

Sipa (the object itself)
Filipino kick game
Sepak bola-style sipa (team kicking variants)

Examples and Analogies

Hacky Sack’s Philippine Grandparent: Like footbag play elsewhere, sipa rewards rhythm, balance, and patience, but its washer-and-straw sipa gives a distinctive fluttering flight that demands precise cushioned touches.
Counting to a Thousand: Veteran players describe long rallies the way rope skippers count turns, each successful kick adding to a running total that becomes the game’s scoreboard.

Usage Scenarios

1. Street and Schoolyard Play

Children play sipa solo or in circles, taking turns keeping the sipa up, with misses passing the turn, a low-cost game needing only one object and a patch of ground.

2. Physical Education and Heritage Programs

Teachers use sipa in PE classes and Filipino heritage weeks to develop coordination while passing on traditional games to media-era children.

Strategies

Strike the sipa with the instep and let the leg cushion downward with the object’s fall, since meeting it rigidly sends the light sipa flying unpredictably.
Keep eyes on the tuft’s base, which controls its orientation, the same way sepak takraw players read a rattan ball’s seams.
Progress from low counts to alternating feet and knee stalls to build the ambidexterity that long rallies require.

Security and Safety Measures

Play on level ground away from traffic; the classic street setting of sipa demands adult awareness of vehicles.
Wear closed shoes or play barefoot on clean surfaces, checking first for glass or stones.
Warm up ankles and knees before extended play, as repetitive kicking strains joints unused to the motion.

Historical Context

Sipa predates Spanish contact, appearing in early accounts and illustrations of native games, and it persisted through the colonial and American periods as a commoners’ pastime requiring no equipment but a coin and straw. In the twentieth century it was informally regarded as the national sport, and physical education manuals standardized its play for schools. In 2009, when arnis was declared the national martial art and sport by law, sipa’s informal title was effectively superseded, a shift that heritage advocates continue to discuss.

Challenges and Controversies

Displacement by Digital Play

Like other traditional games, sipa struggles against screens and organized sports, and cultural groups lobby for its preservation in schools.

The National-Sport Question

The legislative elevation of arnis over sipa is still debated in heritage circles, with some arguing sipa’s pre-colonial roots and accessibility made it the worthier emblem.

References

Sipa