How to play Kabaddi game, diagrammatically along with rules

Kabaddi is a game being played in Bharat for about 4000 years, without any external equipment by 14 players, 7 on each side. Please comment on an excellent quality that can be acquired by playing Kabaddi. 

To learn about the history of kabaddi, please read this article here, where we explain in detail where the game originated.

Now that we know the history, let us start the video diagrammatically starting from Kabaddi Court also known as Kabaddi mat.

Kabaddi Court Dimension

Kabadi has a boundary, a midline, a balkline, a bonus line, and a fighting line or lobby. The exact measurement of the court goes like follows:

Kabaddi court has a rectangular boundary with a length measuring 13m and a width measuring 10m. 

The length includes a centerline, two balk lines, and two bonus lines, while the width includes two fighting lines which are also called lobby, that’s it.

Kabaddi court is divided into two halves which makes the distance between the two finishing and the centerline 6.5m.

The distance between the center line and the balk lines is 3.75 m. The distance from the balkline to the bonus line is exactly 1m, making the distance between the bonus line and finish line 1.75m., which is obviously what remains of the length.

On the other side, the fighting line or the lobby takes 1m. from each side of the width, bringing down the actual playable area to 8m.

While these measurements are for men, juniors and women’s court is of totally different measurements and it comes in a smaller size.

Kabaddi Rules

The goal of the game is to get maximum points during a time duration of 20 mins of two sets with 10 mins rest. Two teams occupy each side of the court. For your understanding, the left court is court A and the right court is court B.

7 players form a team, who reside on each side of the court. There is a standard formation that the players will normally follow at their respective sides. 

A couple on each side of the corner holding their hands, which is also called a chain.

In the middle, the remaining three form a chain. Each side will either wait for a person from the opposite team to enter or enter the other team.

Only one person from the opposite team can enter, who will be called a raider. The raider will be designated a certain amount of time, in most cases, 30 seconds, for a raid. The raider has to gain points by touching as many of his opponents as possible within the given span of time.

This alternates for each team. 

The raider entering from the centerline has to at least cross the balkline and come back. Failing to do so, the raider is out. If the raider touches any opponents in the process the raider team gets a point.

The opponent team should catch the raider and not let him go back while the raider tries to touch the opponents and go back.

If the raider gets caught by the opponents, the opponent team gets a point.

A person is out in one of the four situations:

  1. When a person is touched by a raider
  2. When a raider is caught by their opponents
  3. When the raider or anyone from the opposite team touches the boundary line
  4. When during the time of a raid, one of the members from the opposite team touches the centerline

When out, the person who is out has to rest outside the court until a person from the opposite team gets out. 

The team members who are out, enter the court in a queue when a person from the opposite team gets out.

Let us now look at what the lines stand for starting from the end or finish line. 

This is the line that marks the end of the court. The players do not step out of this court, no, not even touch the line. Doing so, they are out of the court.

The centerline is where one of the players starts their journey to the other side of the court and faces the opponents. 

Baulk line is the line that every single raider has to cross or at least touch, during the time of their raid. Failing to do so, they will lose a point.

On touching or crossing the bonus line, the raider team gets a point, even when the raider safely comes back to their court without getting out.

The fighting line or the lobby area is the boundary line till the two points are satisfied.

  1. The raider touches one of the members of the opponent team in which case they can use the lobby area
  2. The opponent team tries to catch the raider

Only in the above two situations, the lobby area can be made use of. Otherwise, the inner line of the two lines is considered the boundary line.

Kabaddi Match – A case study

Let us play a kabaddi match to understand it better, sounds interesting? Please give a thumbs up for more such videos.

We will refer to the two divisions of the court as Court A and Court B.

In the beginning, a raider from Court B enters Court A. The raider will be raiding for 30 secs. The raider can empty raid or touchpoint by touching a person from the defending team. Raider 1 from Court B chooses to play safe and comes back, after crossing the balkline.

Score: Court A – 0

Court B – 0

A raider from Court A now raids Court B. The raider plays aggressively, attacks Court B players, and in turn, touches two of the players from Court B and safely comes back. The two defenders from Court B rest outside their court as they are out.

Score: Court A – 2

Court B – 0

Again a raider from Court B enters Court A and tries to touch the Bonus line, then, two players from the defending team catch the raider. The raider pushes the defenders, and one of the defenders touches the boundary line and is immediately pulled out of the court and is out.

This makes it easier for the raider to escape and come back to his court, gaining the raider 2 points plus one bonus point for touching the bonus line.

Score: Court A – 2

Court B – 3

Now it is the chance of a player from Court A to enter Court B. After the raid, a  defender tries to escape the raider and accidentally touches the lobby area. The defender is pulled out of the court. Meanwhile, the defender from the other corner along with the chain stops the raider from escaping to their court. The defender just uses the lobby area and does not touch the end line. Raider is out.

Score Court A – 3

           Court B – 4

Court A side comes a raider from Court B. The raider straight away pushes one of the defenders out of the end line, touches one of them, and comes back. This made Court B increase two points.

Score: Court A – 3

Court B – 6

If in one of the courts, when all the players are out, the other side gets those many points plus two bonus points for emptying the court. 

I hope you got an idea of how Kabaddi played without any types of equipment and in a very small place. You will be completely satisfied if you get to play this on a beach. If you like the video please don’t forget to subscribe for more such videos. 

Regarding the qualities of Kabaddi, the top quality is courage. One player will be facing seven players at a time just like how Abhimanyu bravely faced the cruel Kauravas.

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