Kabaddi

Kabaddi has a long history dating back to pre-historic times. It was probably invented to ward off group attacks by individuals and vice-versa. The game was very popular in the southern part of Asia played in its different forms.

Kabaddi is basically a combative sport, with seven players on each side; played for a period of 40 minutes with a 5 minutes break(20-5-20). The core idea of the game is to score points by raiding into the opponent’s court and touching as many defence players as possible without getting caught on a single breath. One player, chanting Kabaddi!!! Kabaddi!!! Kabaddi!!! Charges into the opponent court and tries to touch the opponent closest to him, while the seven opponents make manoeuvres to catch the attacker. This is Kabaddi, the match of one against seven, known as the game of struggle. The players on the defensive side are called the “Antis” while the player of the offence is called the “Raider”.

The game calls for agility, good lung capacity, muscular co-ordination, presence of mind and quick responses.

The only playing facility required for Kabaddi is a rectangular piece of ground measured 13 meters in length and 10 meters in width(Men).

The Asian Amateur Kabaddi Federation(AAKF) was formed in the year 1978. In the 11^th Beijing Asian Games(1990), Kabaddi was included as a regular sport in the Asian Games for the first time.