Chapteh

Chapteh is a traditional Asian game which requires players to keep a weighted shuttlecock in the air, usually using their feet, although other parts of the body may be used, except for the hands.

The chapteh consists of feathers attached to a rubber or plastic sole.

Many of us used to play chapteh back when we were young, like, in primary school, and I think we enjoyed ourselves immensely back then. To most people, chapteh is not a foreign traditional game, but not many still play it nowadays.

Apart from the excitement derived when people compete with each other to see who can keep the chapteh in the air the longest, chapteh also provides health benefits. Not only that, it also improves our hand-eye coordination. All the more we should start digging out the old chaptehs we have stashed in some remote corner, no?

There are a variety of names given to this game, for example, chatek or capteh in Singapore and some parts of Southeast Asia, sepak bulu ayam in Malaysia, sepak kenchi in Indonesia, and larong sipa in the Phillipines, to name a few. However, despite the different terms, the methods of playing chapteh is still largely similar.