Kabaddi

Kabaddi

Kabaddi, also spelled kabbadi or kabadi, game played between two teams on opposite halves of a field or court. Individual players take turns crossing onto the other team’s side, repeating “kabaddi, kabaddi” (or an alternate chant); points are scored by tagging as many opponents as possible without being caught or taking a breath before returning to one’s home territory. Indigenous to South Asia, kabaddi is also known as hu-tu-tu in western India, ha-do-doin eastern India and Bangladesh, chedu-gudu in southern India, guduin Sri Lanka, and theechub in Thailand.

Girls playing kabaddi in India.© Arivazhagan89

It has been speculated that the game originated in prehistoric times, when the development of human reflexes was crucial for self-defense and hunting. The ancient Indian epic poem Mahabharata, in its account of the legendary battles of Kurukshetra, tells of a military operation—a doomed raid by Arjuna’s son, Abhimanyu, on an enemy camp—that has been noted for its resemblance to kabaddi. For many years kabaddi was played for physical exercise by pupils in Indian gurukuls (Vedic schools run by gurus). Though minor variations emerged, the game’s principal objective of raiding the enemy territory remained common.

Kabaddi is a contact team sport. Played between two teams of seven players, the object of the game is for a single player on offence, referred to as a "raider", to run into the opposing team's half of a court, tag out as many of their defenders as possible, and return to their own half of the court, all without being tackled by the defenders, and in a single 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 can be "revived" for each point scored by their team from a tag or tackle.