There are many controversies regarding the birth of the kabaddi game. Many believed that the kabaddi game originated from Tamilnadu around 4000 years ago. Some believed that the game took birth in Iran around 5000 years ago. But the kabaddi sport is indeed mentioned even in Mahabharata. This game gained popularity in Asian countries and the Indian subcontinent. It is the national game of Bangladesh. Andhrapradesh, Tamilnadu, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, Odisha, Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, are considered this sport as a state game.
A detailed discussion of kabaddi game rules
- It is a game which is played by two teams. Each of these teams consists of seven players. How to play this game is the main area of discussion here.
- The court of the kabaddi sport is 13 meters wide and 10 meters long. For women’s kabaddi, the court is 12 meters long and 8 meters wide.
- The two teams are divided into seven players each. The four players from each team participate in this game and three players are kept in reserve.
- The game begins by flipping the coin. The winning team member after the toss will go first to the other court as a raider in the midline. The raider tries to touch the antis by chanting ‘Kabaddi Kabaddi ” and has to come within 30 seconds without getting his limb caught by the antis. The raider gets one point after touching one anti.
- The duration of this game is 40 minutes and there are 5 minutes. After halftime, the two teams change sides on the court. The team, who scored the maximum points, became the winner.
- If the player can make out all the opponent players one time, he gets two extra points. That is called lona. In this situation, the entire team gets revived.
- If the raider starts to chant late, the defender scores one point. If the raider becomes out of order, the defender gets 1 point. If more than one raider comes into the opponent’s court, the defender team earns 1 point. If the raider is being helped by his teammate by giving advice, warning, the defender earns a point. If the player intentionally becomes out of order for long, the opponent earns a point.
The terminology used in Kabaddi
- Cant: The repeated utterance of kabaddi in one respiration is called can’t. The raider has to continue the chant from going to defender court to come back in his court. Otherwise, it is considered as losing the cant.
- Raider: The single-player who takes the entry of the defender’s court by chanting
- Anti raider: The raider enters those courts, and is called an anti raider.
- Struggle; when a raider can touch the anti-raider.
- Successful raid: when the raider can cross the baulk line of the opponent team minimum of one time during the timing of raid and comes back to his court with chanting.
