All there is to about the traditional game Kabaddi

Time : 4 min

Last Updated: July 10, 2023

Kabaddi is a team contact sport mostly played in the Indian subcontinent and the other surrounding Asian countries. It is played between 2 teams of 7 members in which their goal is to score more points than the other team. Although unverified, theories from various sources state that kabaddi originated from the Vedic period of ancient India, speculated to being from present day Haryana. It was given the status of the national sport of Bangladesh in 1972. The governing body for Kabaddi is the International Kabaddi Federation which consists of over 30 national associations it's job is to oversee the game and its rules across the world. So let's dive right into it:

Part 1

All about Kabaddi

1

Kabaddi is known by different names in different places some of the names in different parts of the Indian subcontinent are: chedugudu in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana; ha-du-du in West Bengal and Bangladesh; bhavatik in Maldives, kauddi in the Punjab region; hu-tu-tu in Western India, hu-do-do in Eastern India; chadakudu in South India; kapardi in Nepal; and sadugudu in Tamil Nadu.

1. There are two major forms of kabaddi: "Punjabi kabaddi", is the traditional form of the sport that are played on a circular field outdoors, while the "standard style",is played inside a rectangular field this form is practiced in the major professional leagues and international competitions such as the Asian Games.
3. Caution: If you are recovering from an elbow or any other joint injury you should not play kabaddi as it requires a lot of muscle activation instead you should try playing games like water volleyball which require less muscle activation.

2

Benefits of playing kabaddi : There are numerous benefits of playing kabaddi as it is a great way to stay active and enhance your presence of mind and multitasking abilities. Some of the benefits of playing kabaddi are as follows :

1. Kabaddi requires you to be quick on your feet for attack and defense and think faster to come up with strategies in your mind to steal the win, all while holding your breath.
2. Kabaddi is a game that requires abilities such as muscle control, mental presence, and quick responses. Overtime by playing the sport you tend to take over these skills leading to stronger muscles and increased presence of time.
3. Since the game is played in such a way that it requires you to chant the word ‘kabaddi’ repeatedly without taking a breath, this in itself will increase your endurance and help stretch out your breathing capacity with when combined with the hard physical activity that this sport demands, it will help in developing stamina and concentration.

Part 2

How to play kabaddi

1

Important terms : A raid where no points are scored by the raider is referred to as an "empty raid". By contrast, a raid where the raider scores three or more points is referred to as a "super raid". If a team gets all seven players on the other team gets out at once ("All Out"), they earn two additional points and the players are placed back in the game.

2

When is a point scored : A point is scored for each defender tagged. If the raider steps beyond the bonus line marked in the defending team's territory, they earn an additional point known as a bonus point. However the bonus line is only if the defending team has six or seven defenders on the field. If the raider is successfully stopped (tackled), the opposite team earns a point instead.

3

Specifications about the court : Kabaddi is played on a special court the men's version of the court is of 10 by 13 metres (33ft × 43ft) the women's version of the court is of 8 by 12 metres (26ft × 39ft). There are 3 external lines placed on the court which are the midline it divides the court in 2 equal half, a parallel baulk line on both the sides which is 13ft (3.75m) away from the midline and a parallel bonus line on both the sides 3ft (1m) away from the baulk line.

Article Summary

Kabaddi is a team contact sport mostly played in the Indian subcontinent and the other surrounding Asian countries. It is played between 2 teams of 7 members in which their goal is to score more points than the other team. Although unverified, theories from various sources state that kabaddi originated from the Vedic period of ancient India, speculated to being from present day Haryana. It was given the status of the national sport of Bangladesh in 1972. The governing body for Kabaddi is the International Kabaddi Federation which consists of over 30 national associations it's job is to oversee the game and its rules across the world. Kabaddi is known by different names in different places which we have listed above. There are two major forms of kabaddi: "Punjabi kabaddi", is the traditional form of the sport that are played on a circular field outdoors, while the "standard style",is played inside a rectangular field this form is practiced in the major professional leagues and international competitions such as the Asian Games. If you are recovering from an elbow or any other joint injury you should not play kabaddi as it requires a lot of muscle activation instead you should try playing games like water volleyball which require less muscle activation. Since the game is played in such a way that it requires you to chant the word ‘kabaddi’ repeatedly without taking a breath, this in itself will increase your endurance and help stretch out your breathing capacity with when combined with the hard physical activity that this sport demands, it will help in developing stamina and concentration.