Kabaddi: A sport of grit and glory

Karansinh Solanki

October 10, 2023
5 min read
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Introduction

-Kabaddi is a contact sport played between two teams of seven players on a rectangular court. It is a popular sport in South Asia, especially in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Kabaddi is also gaining popularity in other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Europe.
-The objective of kabaddi is for a single player on offense, referred to as a “raider”, to run into the opposing team’s half of the court and tag as many players as possible without being tackled or taking a breath. Points are scored for each player tagged by the raider, while the opposing team earns a point for stopping the raider. Players are taken out of the game if they are tagged or tackled, but are brought back in for each point scored by their team from a tag or a tackle.
-Kabaddi is a physically demanding sport that requires strength, speed, agility, and endurance. It is also a very strategic sport, as players must carefully plan their raids and defenses.

History of Kabaddi

-Kabaddi is an ancient sport that has been played in South Asia for centuries. The earliest references to kabaddi can be found in the Mahabharata, an epic Sanskrit poem written over 3,000 years ago.
-Kabaddi was traditionally played by men, but it is now also popular among women. The first women’s kabaddi tournament was held in India in 1973.
-Kabaddi was first included in the Asian Games in 1990. It has also been featured in the World Games and the Commonwealth Games.

Standard Kabaddi

-Standard kabaddi is played on a rectangular court that is 13 meters long and 10 meters wide. The court is divided into two halves by a midline. Each team has seven players on the court at a time, one player from any of the teams goes into the half of another team called a raider, and the same for another team.
-The raider enters the opposing team’s half of the court and tries to tag as many players as possible without being tackled or taking a breath. The raider must chant “kabaddi, kabaddi” continuously while in the opposing team’s half of the court. If the raider stops chanting, they are disqualified.
-The defenders try to tackle the raider or stop them from crossing the midline. If the raider is tackled or stops chanting, they are disqualified.
-Points are scored for each player tagged by the raider. -The opposing team also earns a point if they stop the raider.
The game is played for two halves of 20 minutes each. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Professional kabaddi

Professional kabaddi was launched in India in 2014 with the start of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). The PKL is a franchised-based league that features eight teams from across India.

The PKL is a very popular league in India and has helped to increase the popularity of kabaddi around the world. The PKL has also helped to attract new sponsors and investors to the sport.

Some rules which modified with time in professional Kabaddi

1)Super Raid: When the raider manages to tag 3 or more players in a single raid gets into his half-back, then that raid is considered a super raid.
2)Super Tackle: When there are only 3 or fewer defenders available on the court and they tackle down the raider in their half successfully, then that tackle is a super tackle.
3)Bonus Point: There is one more line on the court between the borderline and touchline called the Bonus line. This line is only activated when the team on that half has 6 or more players on the court when the raider enters to raid in that half.
4)All Out Points: If all of the seven players from one team get eliminated off the court, then the opponent is awarded 2 points on their scoreboard.
5)Do or Die Raid: When one of the team perform two consecutive raids without scoring any point, then the third raid is a do-or-die raid where the raider has to score else he is eliminated from the court and the opponent team gets one point.
6)Lobby: There is a 1m long area on both sides of each half called the lobby. This is a restricted area for players of both teams until the raider tags someone on the defender don’t try to tackle and dash the raider out of the court.

Conclusion

-Kabaddi is a fascinating and exciting sport that is gaining popularity around the world. It is a sport of grit and glory, and it requires skill, strength, speed, agility, and endurance. Kabaddi is also a very strategic sport, and it is played by both men and women of all ages and abilities.
-The Pro Kabaddi League has helped to increase the popularity of kabaddi around the world. The PKL is a very popular league in India and has helped to attract new sponsors and investors to the sport.
-If you are looking for a new and exciting sport to try, I encourage you to give kabaddi a try. It is a great way to improve your physical fitness, learn about a new culture, and have fun.