Indonesian students seen on video using ball of fire to play football

Students play with fire ball 
By: Ryan Lee Hall 

(Scroll down for video) Teenagers in Indonesia, are playing football with a twist. They are using a blazing hot ball that was set on fire.

The ball is actually a coconut which has been soaked in kerosene.

The ball game is played barefoot. This became a popular sport in many Islamic boarding schools across East Java.

Players kick the burning coconuts ball to other players with bare feet. Preparation for the game takes time as the ball has to be soaked in kerosene for two days before being ignited.

The idea for this dangerous game comes from a traditional Indonesian martial art called pencak silat.

The aim of the game is to give the players psychological toughness and spiritual strength. The team organizer, Ali Akhyar, said: “We make a fireball to test the guts of the students.”

Players sometimes get burns from the burning ball as they play. They learn to deal with it, as they continue playing.