Kabaddi rules for beginners

Know about the Kabaddi rules before playing it

Kabaddi is an ancient and popular game of India which is played everywhere from village to city and city to town. In many local play events or during annual sports meet in college or school, the game of Kabaddi  is organized by the organizers. Hence, if you are interested to play this game but don’t know the rules like how it is played? where it is played? No. of players, methods of scoring, ways to get out and a lot more then you are at right place as we will let you know about the Kabaddi rules in details below.

This game is not only a means of entertainment but also involves physical and mental strength. Let’s dive in and discuss the rules of Kabaddi so that even new players can understand it easily and avoid mistakes while playing. Have a look at Kabaddi book now…

Playing field

The Kabaddi field is rectangular in shape. The length of the field for men is 13 meters and the width is 10 meters, while the length of the field for women is 12 meters and the width is 8 meters. The field is divided into two parts through the center line (also called middle line).

This way each team has their own court where they are safe. The court of team further divided with Baulk and Bonus line which the member of raiders team use to initiate raid. Means the raider first cross the Baulk line and then touch other members of defending team.

The concept of Bonus line is valid when there are at-least 6-7 members in the defending team and here if raider crosses it then the raider’s team get extra points.

In addition to that in the playing field, there is an area at both ends of the field called the ‘lobby’.  The lobby area becomes active once there’s physical contact between the raider and a defender and here is an interesting point that the raider can enter the lobby, but not the defender.

Team

Kabaddi sport is played between two teams. Each team has 12 players, out of which 7 players play on the field and the remaining 5 players are reserves.

The reserve players aka substitutes can be replaced with others players during the breaks or time-out. During live play substitute (playing lineup) is not allowed.  You can know about the Kabaddi players in our separate article as we have covered everything in detail.

Duration of the game

The Kabaddi match is of total 40 minutes, which is divided into two halves. Each half is of 20 minutes and there is a rest of 5 minutes between the two halves.

In case the match gets time, 2 rounds of 5 minutes are allotted. This way the total time of a Kabaddi match including breaks could vary from 45 to 55 minutes.

Rules of the game

Raid

  1. Raider: A player who is sent to the opponent’s area to raid is called a raider.
  2. Control breath: The raider has to hold his breath and touch the players of the opponent team and return to his area. The raider has to keep saying the word “Kabaddi, Kabaddi” continuously to prove that he is playing by holding his breath.
  3. Raid points: The more players the raider succeeds in touching, the more points his team gets.
  4. Lobby: The parts on both sides of the field, called the lobby, are active only when the raider or defender enters there.
  5. Empty Raid: Sometimes raiding team chooses not to send player to raid hence in this situation the raid will be called empty raid and 1 point will be awarded to defending team. This is a strategic decision often made to conserve energy, avoid risks, or manage the clock.
  6. Unsuccessful Raid: If a raider enters the opponent’s court but fails to earn any points, it’s simply an unsuccessful raid. However if you watch PKL (Pro Kabaddi League), they call this raid an empty raid and if 3 consecutive times raider doesn’t get score or unable to eliminate the player of opponent’s team, the raider will be out. This situation also called do or die situation or do or die raid.

Defense

  1. Defender: The players of the opponent team who try to stop the raider in their area.
  2. Calculation of points: If the defenders are successful in stopping the raider in their area and do not let him go back, then their team gets points.
  3. Anti: The defenders keep trying to catch the raider and get him out. This is called anti.

Scoring

  1. Touch Points: The number of players the raider touches, the number of points he gets.
  2. Out: If the raider is unable to return after touching the opposition players, he is out and the opposition team gets one point.
  3. Revival: Every time a raider gets out an opposition player, one out player of his team can return to the field.
  4. All-Out: When all the players of a team are out, the opposition team gets 2 additional points.

Important Rules

  1. Cant: The raider is required to keep saying “Kabaddi, Kabaddi” while holding his breath. If he stops speaking or takes a breath, he will be considered out.
  2. Back Holding: Holding the back of the raider is not allowed while catching.
  3. Side Lines: If a player touches the side lines of the field, he is considered out.

Technical Aspects

  1. Footwork: The raider’s balanced and fast footwork is necessary so that he can make quick movements and touch the opposition players.
  2. Grip: Defenders should use a strong grip so that the raider can be caught.
  3. Coordination: There should be good coordination among all the players of the team so that the right strategy can be adopted at the right time.

Common mistakes and their prevention

  1. Failure to hold breath: Many times new players fail to hold breath. This can be improved through practice.
  2. Use of lobby: The lobby area gets activated when raider touches a defending players. For defending team this area is restricted, they can’t enter in it and if they enter they all or who intentionally entered will be considered out or eliminated.
  3. Overconfidence: Many times players make risky moves in an attempt to score more points. This should be avoided and one should play by understanding the situation.

Kabaddi is an interesting and exciting game which provides not only physical but also mental strength. Players can master this game by following its rules and playing strategically. Hopefully this article will help new players to understand the rules of Kabaddi and play it correctly.

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