Kabaddi
Team sport
Country of origin India
Kabaddi (sometimes written Kabbadi or Kabadi) is a team sport originally from Tamil Nadu (India). Two teams occupy opposite halves of a field and take turns sending a "raider" into the other half, in order to win points by tagging or wrestling members of the opposing team; the raider then tries to return to his own half, holding his breath during the whole raid.
Indian Sports Awards
| Arjuna Award | Dronacharya Award |
| Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award | Dhyan Chand Award |
| Padma Shri Award |
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Origin
The origin of Kabaddi can be traced to pre-historic times when man learned how to defend in groups against animals or attack weaker animals individually or in groups for survival and food. Though Kabaddi is primarily an South Asian game, not much is known about the origin of this game. There is, however, concrete evidence, that the game is 4,000 years old.
There is a popular belief that Kabaddi originated in the South Indian State of Tamil Nadu. The story of origination of Kabaddi begins by hitting and running of a boy for a candy. The boy who was hit chased the boy who hit him, and hit him back and ran away and it goes on this way. Holding the breath while chasing was an added element when the game evolved. There are various names to this game. Kabaddi (Tamil), Sadugudu (Tamil), Gudugudu (Tamil), Palinjadugudu (Tamil) and Sadugoodatthi (Tamil). The word Kabaddi could have originated from the Tamil words kai (hand), pidi (catch).
Federations
The Kabaddi Federation of India (KFI) was founded in 1950 , and it compiled a standard set of rules. The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) was founded in 1973 . The AKFI has given new shape to the rules and it has also the rights of modification in the rules. The Asian Kabaddi Federation was founded under the chairmanship of Sharad Pawar.
Kabaddi is a very popular game in Bangladesh , especially in the villages it is also called the 'game of rural Bengal'. In some areas Kabaddi is also known as Ha-du-du. But despite its popularity Ha-du-du had no definite rules and it used to be played with different rules in different areas. Ha-du-du was given the name Kabaddi and the status of National Game of Bangladesh in 1972 .
Bangladesh Amateur Kabaddi Federation was formed in 1973 . It framed rules and regulations for the game. Bangladesh first played a Kabaddi test in 1974 with a visiting Indian team, which played test matches with the district teams of Dhaka , Tangail , Dinajpur , Jessore , Faridpur and Comilla . In 1978 , the Asian Amateur Kabaddi Federation was formed at a conference of delegates from Bangladesh , India , Nepal and Pakistan in the Indian town of Villai .
In 1979 , a return test between Bangladesh and India was held at different places of India including Mumbai , Hyderabad , and Punjab . The Asian Kabaddi Championship was successfully arranged in 1980 and India emerged as the champion and Bangladesh as the runners-up. Bangladesh became runners-up again in 1985 in Asian Kabaddi Championship held in Jaipur , India . The other teams included in the tournament were Nepal , Malaysia and Japan . Kabaddi was played as a demonstration sport at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin . The game was included for the first time in Asian Games held in Beijing in 1990 . Eight countries took part including India, China, Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. India won the gold medal and has since won gold at the following three Asian Games in Hiroshima in 1994 , Bangkok in 1998 and Busan in 2002 .
Players at the competitive level are usually well-built, strong and also at the same time need to be swift, agile and have high levels of stamina and endurance to be good at all aspects of the game. There is a lot of strategizing which forms part of the gameplay and the players need to be in prime mental and physical condition to successfully participate in a game of kabaddi, else serious injuries may often result.
Kabaddi is popular throughout South Asia, and has also spread to Southeast Asia, Japan and Iran. It is the national game of Bangladesh where it is known as হাডুডু Haḍuḍu. It is the state game of Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra in India. It is played by the British Army for fun, to keep fit and as an enticement to recruit soldiers from the British Asian community.
Gameplay
Kabaddi at the Asian Games 2006In the team, or transnational, style of kabaddi, two teams of seven members each occupy opposite halves of a field of 12.5m × 10m (roughly half the size of a basketball court). Each has five supplementary players held in reserve. The game is in 20-minute halves, with a five-minute half-time break during which the teams switch sides.
Teams take turns sending a "raider" to the opposite team's half, where the goal is to tag or wrestle ("confine") members of the opposite team before returning to the home half. Tagged members are "out" and sent off the field.
Meanwhile, defenders must form a chain, for example, by linking hands; if the chain is broken, a member of the defending team is sent off. The goal of the defenders is to stop the raider returning to the home side before taking a breath. If the raider takes a breath before returning, the raider is sent off the field.
A player can also get out by going over a boundary line or part of the body touches the ground outside the boundary, except during a struggle with an opposing team member.
Each time a player is out the opposing team earns a point. A team scores a bonus of two points, called a lona, if the entire opposing team is declared out. At the end of the game, the team with the most points wins.
Matches are staged on age and weight. Six officials supervise a match: one referee, two umpires, a scorer and two assistant scorers.
Forms of Kabaddi
Amar
In the 'Amar' form of Kabaddi, whenever any player is touched (out), he does not go out of the court, but stays inside, and one point is awarded to the team that touched him. This game is also played on a time basis, i.e the time is fixed. This form of kabaddi is played in Punjab, Canada, England, New Zealand, USA, Pakistan and Australia. In the Amar form of Kabaddi, each team consists of 5-6 stoppers and 4-5 raiders. At one time, only 4 stoppers are allowed to play on the field. Every time a stopper stops the raider from going back to his starting point, that stoppers team gets 1 point. on the other hand, every time the raider tags one of the stoppers and returns to his starting point, his team gets one point. At one time, only one of the stoppers can try to stop the raider. If more than one touch the raider, an automatic point is awarded to the raider's team. If the stopper is pushed out by the raider or vice versa, then the team whose member is still in the field gets a point. If both the raider and the stopper go out, the result is a common point, where nobody gets a point. The Amar form of kabaddi is also used by the World Kabaddi Federation (WKF) in its National, Beach and Circle Kabaddi competitions.
Surjeevani
'Surjeevani' Kabaddi is played under the Kabaddi Federation of India, governed by its rules. In Surjeevani Kabaddi, one player is revived against one player of the opposite team who is out, one out, one in. The duration, the number of players, dimensions of the court, etc. have been fixed by the Kabaddi Federation of India. This form of Kabaddi is the closest to the present game. In this form of Kabaddi, players are put out and revived and the game lasts 40 minutes with a 5-minute break in between. There are nine players on each side. The team that puts out all the players on the opponent's side scores four extra points for a 'Iona'. The winning team is the one that scores most points after 40 minutes. The field is bigger in this form of Kabaddi and the 'cant' different in various regions. Modern Kabaddi resembles this form of Kabaddi especially with regard to 'out & revival system' and 'Iona'. The present form of Kabaddi is a synthesis of all these forms with changes in the rules.
Gaminee
This is played with nine players on either side, in a field of no specific measurements. The characteristic is that a player put out has to remain out until all his team members are out. The team that is successful in putting out all the players of the opponent's side secures a point. This is akin to the present system of 'Iona'. After all the players are put out, the team is revived and the game continues. The game continues until five or seven 'Iona' are secured. The game has no fixed time. The main disadvantage of this form of Kabaddi is that the player Is not in position to give his best performance since he is likely to remain out for the better part of the match until an Iona is scored.
History and development
The game, known as Hu-Tu-Tu in Western India, Ha-Do-Do in Eastern India and Bangladesh, Chedugudu in Southern India and Kaunbada in Northern India, has changed through the ages. Modem Kabaddi is a synthesis of the game played in various forms under different names.
A dramatized version of the Mahabharata[clarification needed] has made an analogy of the game to a tight situation faced by a character called "Abhimaneu", heir of the Pandava kings, when surrounded by the enemy. Buddhist literature speaks of the Gautam Buddha playing Kabaddi.[citation needed]
Kabaddi received international exposure during the 1936 Berlin Olympics, demonstrated by Hanuman Vyayam Prasarak Mandal, Amaravati, Maharashtra. The game was introduced in the Indian Olympic Games at Calcutta in 1938. In 1950 the All India Kabaddi Federation came into existence and compiled standard rules. The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) was founded in 1973. After formation of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India, the first men's nationals were held in Madras (re-named Chennai), while the women's were in Calcutta in 1955.The AKFI has given new shape to the rules and has the right to modify them. The Asian Kabaddi Federation was founded under the chairmanship of Mr. Janardan Singh Gehlot.
Asian Amateur Kabaddi Federation is now headed By Mr. Janardan Singh Gehlot as President and Mr. Muhammad Sarwar as Secretary General.
Kabaddi was introduced and popularized in Japan in 1979. The Asian Amateur Kabaddi Federation sent Prof. Sundar Ram of India to tour Japan for two months to introduce the game.
In 1979, a return test between Bangladesh and India was held at different places of India including Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Punjab. The Asian Kabaddi Championship was arranged in 1980 and India emerged as champion and Bangladesh runner-up. Bangladesh became runner-up again in 1985 in the Asian Kabaddi Championship held in Jaipur, India. The other teams in the tournament were Nepal, Malaysia and Japan. The game was included for the first time in the Asian Games in Beijing in 1990. India, China, Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh took part. India won the gold medal and has won gold at the following three Asian Games in Hiroshima in 1994, Bangkok in 1998 and Busan in 2002. India won the gold medal in the 2006 Asian Games at Doha.
Attempts to popularize kabaddi in Great Britain saw British TV network Channel 4 commission a programme dedicated to the sport. The show, Kabaddi, on Channel 4 in the early 1990s, failed to capture viewers despite fixtures such as West Bengal Police versus the Punjab. Kabaddi was axed in 1992, but not before its presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy suffered a collapsed lung while participating in the sport.
In the 1998 Asian games the Indian Kabaddi team defeated Pakistan in a thrilling final match at Bangkok (Thailand). The chief coach of the team was former kabaddi player and coach Flt. Lt. S P Singh.
The first World Kabaddi Championship was held in Hamilton, Canada, when 14,000 people at the Copps Coliseum watched top players from India, Pakistan, Canada, England and the United States. The next edition was in Surrey, British Columbia, which hosts the first all-kabaddi stadium. India has remained world champion since it was included in Asian Games and South Asian Federation games. In 2008 Sukhbir Singh Badal mooted a professional world kabbadi league with sponsorship to attract the best players; this league will be based in India with tournaments in Canada as well. The current Kabaddi Championship team consists of several local Indian players, Himanshu Batta, Ravi Venkataya, Harman Dhaliwal, Kapil Singh and Mayank Gauri.
Kabaddi is now a very popular game and is a regular sport in Asian Games, Asian Indoor Games and Asian Beach Games apart from SAF Games. Kabaddi will be a demonstration sport during Commonwealth Games 2010 at New Delhi.
One of the many greats of the game of Kabaddi is one Grant Owens, a 3 time Kabaddi World Champion (Twice with England, Once with the Outer Hebrides). One of the skills that makes Owens such a great player, is his low centre of gravity and his rumoured 7 litre lung capacity.
Skills
Holding breath
Raid
Dodging
Movement of hand and foot
Formation
Safe Raid
Holding
Kick
Side Kick
Front Kick
Round Kick
Sitting Kick
Offensive Skills
Starting a Raid
Body Position during Raid
Movements during Raid
Penetration
Touching with the hand
Vertical swing of arms
Horizontal swing of arms
Defensive Skills
Wrist catch or Lock
Crocodile Hold
Over the shoulder catch
History and development
Modern Kabaddi is a synthesis of the game played in various forms under different names. Kabaddi received international exposure during the 1936 Berlin Olympics, demonstrated by Hanuman Vyayam Prasarak Mandal, Amaravati, Maharashtra. The game was introduced in the Indian Olympic Games at Calcutta in 1938. In 1950 the All India Kabaddi Federation came into existence and compiled standard rules. The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) was founded in 1973. After formation of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India, the first men's nationals were held in Madras (re-named Chennai), while the women's were in Calcutta (renamed Kolkata) in 1955.The AKFI has given new shape to the rules and has the right to modify them. The Asian Kabaddi Federation was founded under the chairmanship of Mr. Janardan Singh Gehlot.
The first men's kabaddi nationals championship on Mat and indoor Stadium were held in Pune and this championship Organiz by BADAMI HAUD SANGH Pune. Kabaddi was introduced and popularized in Japan in 1979. The Asian Amateur Kabaddi Federation sent Prof. Sundar Ram of India to tour Japan for two months to introduce the game.
In 1979, a return test between Bangladesh and India was held at different places of India including Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Punjab. The Asian Kabaddi Championship was arranged in 1980 and India emerged as champion and Bangladesh runner-up. Bangladesh became runner-up again in 1985 in the Asian Kabaddi Championship held in Jaipur, India. The other teams in the tournament were Nepal, Malaysia and Japan. The game was included for the first time in the Asian Games in Beijing in 1990. India, China, Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh took part. India won the gold medal and has also won gold at the following six Asian Games in Hiroshima in 1994, Bangkok in 1998, Busan in 2002, Doha in 2006 and Guangzhou in 2010.
Iran has turned out to be one of the emerging nations in all three forms of Kabaddi. They stand to be one of the few nations having transparency in selection of team along with world class infrastructure for development of this sport. Currently they are trained and coached by Ashan Kumar, former Indian National Team coach and Arjuna Awardee. It is estimated that the annual budget given by the Iranian Government for development of this sport is around 500,000 USD which is the highest among all nations. Prominent Non Resident Indian in Iran and leading businessmen in the Persian Gulf, P.S.Chandhok is one of the main intiator for development and has extended a great helping hand for development of various sports in Iran. Currently, the construction of a dedicated World Class Kabaddi Stadium is in progress at Tehran.
During the 16th Asian Games at Guangzhou Iranian Men’s bagged Silver Medal and Women’s bagged Bronze Medal. Amazing performance was showcased by Iranian’s during the semi-final match in women’s category against India.
Attempts to popularize kabaddi in Great Britain saw British TV network Channel 4 commission a programme dedicated to the sport. The show, Kabaddi, on Channel 4 in the early 1990s, failed to capture viewers despite fixtures such as West Bengal Police versus the Punjab. Kabaddi was axed in 1992, but not before its presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy suffered a collapsed lung while participating in the sport.
In the 1998 Asian games the Indian Kabaddi team defeated Pakistan in a thrilling final match at Bangkok (Thailand). The chief coach of the team was former kabaddi player and coach Flt. Lt. S P Singh.
Kabaddi has become popular among the Sikh diaspora and teams often travel internationally to compete against each other.
International competitions
The second Kabaddi World Cup tournament was held in 2007 with India winning over Iran in the final round. The Punjab government organized a Circle Style 2010 Kabaddi World Cup from April 3, 2010 to April 12, 2010. On April 12, 2010 Indian team emerged as the winner after beating Iran in the finals. The opening match of the tournament was held in Patiala while the closing ceremony took place in Ludhiana. India won the first edition of the Circle Style Kabaddi World Cup, Beating rival Pakistan in a 58-24 victory. The final of this 10-day tournament was played at Guru Nanak Stadium.
Federations
Iran
Kabaddi is one of the national games in Iran and it is a very popular game in from childhood to adults. In Iran there are different names that they call this game according to the area. In some areas - especially in the center of Iranian plateau, Khorasan and Mazandaran Kabaddi is known as Zu/Zou (Persian: زو), in Gilan as Do-Do (Persian: دودو), in Khuzestan as Ti-Ti (Persian: تیتی) and in Sistan and Baluchestan as Kabaddi/Kabedi/Kavedi/Kaveddi/Kavaddi (Persian: کودّی، کبدی).]
In Iran, the Community of Kabaddi was formed in 1996, in same year they joint to the Asian Kabaddi Federation and in 2001 they joint to International Kabaddi Federation. The Iran Amateur Kabaddi Federation was formed in 2004.
Bangladesh
Kabaddi is a very popular game in Bangladesh, especially in the villages. Often called the 'game of rural Bengal', it is now the National Game of Bangladesh. In some areas Kabaddi is still known as Ha-du-du, but Ha-du-du had no definite rules and was played with different rules in different areas. Ha-du-du was renamed Kabaddi and given the status of the National Game in 1972.
The Bangladesh Amateur Kabaddi Federation was formed in 1973. It framed rules and regulations for the national game. In 1974 Bangladesh played a Kabaddi test match with a visiting Indian team, which played test matches with the district teams of Dhaka, Tangail, Dinajpur, Jessore, Faridpur and Comilla. In 1978, the Asian Amateur Kabaddi Federation was formed at a conference of delegates from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan in the Indian town of Villai.
India
The Kabaddi Federation of India (KFI) was founded in 1950, and it compiled a standard set of rules. The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) was founded in 1973.The AKFI has given new shape to the rules and it has also the rights of modification in the rules. The Asian Kabaddi Federation was founded under the chairmanship of Sharad Pawar.
The Governing body of Kabaddi in Asia is Asian Kabaddi Federation (AAKF) headed by Mr. Janardan Singh Gehlot. AAKF is affiliated to Olympic Council of Asia. Parent body to regulate the game at international level is International Kabaddi Federation (IKF). Their website is
In 1979, a return test between Bangladesh and India was held at different places of India including Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Punjab. The Asian Kabaddi Championship was successfully arranged in 1980 and India emerged as the champion and Bangladesh as the runners-up. Bangladesh became runners-up again in 1985 in Asian Kabaddi Championship held in Jaipur, India. The other teams included in the tournament were Nepal, Malaysia and Japan. Kabaddi was played as a demonstration sport at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. The game was included for the first time in Asian Games held in Beijing in 1990. Eight countries took part including India, China, Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. India won the gold medal and has since won gold at the following three Asian Games in Hiroshima in 1994, Bangkok in 1998,Busan in 2002,and in Doha 2006. Kabaddi is popular throughout South Asia, and has also spread to Southeast Asia, Japan and Iran. It is the national game of Bangladesh where it is known as Haḍuḍu. It is the state game of Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra in India. It is played by the British Army for fun, to keep fit and as an enticement to recruit soldiers from the British Asian community. Mohamed Mohamed is the Kenyan warrior who is from Mayfield, he is an immigrant, who was the best kabaddi player until the kabaddi council found out he was here illegially. The game is also played extensively in the small town of Peebles in the Scottish Borders, mainly in the local primary school playground, where it is favoured to more traditional childhood past-times such as 'British bulldogs' and 'Kiss, Cuddle and Torture'.
National Teams
There are 31 Member nations. 3 from America, 19 from Asia, 8 from Europe and 1 from Oceania. Vietnam has a kabaddi team but is non member of International Kabaddi Federation. Vietnam participated in 2009 Asian Indoor Games as host nation. Though host People's Republic of China did not enter competition in 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games they have participated in 1990 Beijing Asian Games. Thus along with Vietnam, People's Republic of China becomes second nation which is a non-member but has played a major tournament of Kabaddi. So there are 33 national teams in all who have participated in International Kabaddi events. 8 women's national teams played in 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou in People's Republic of China
National member of International Kabaddi Federation
- America
Kabaddi has spread in North America in Canada and the United States of America and West Indies kabaddi team which represents few Caribbean nations.
- Asia
Kabaddi is a part of Asian Games from 1990 Asian Games in Beijing in People's Republic of China. This game has spread widely in Asia having 19 of 31 members in the International Kabaddi Federation. People's Republic of China and Vietnam have participated in 1990 Asian Games and 2009 Asian Indoor Games respectively are not members of International Kabaddi Federation. Hence there 21 nations in Asia who have participated in this game which nearly make 2/3 of total nations playing this game.
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Cambodia
Chinese Taipei
India
Indonesia
Iran
Japan
Kyrgyzstan
Malaysia
Maldives
Nepal
Oman
Pakistan
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Thailand
Turkmenistan
- Europe
8 nations so far have been registered by International Kabaddi Federation from Europe.
- Oceania
Australia is the only nation who has played in Kabaddi Tournaments from Oceania and is member of International Kabaddi Federation.
Non Members
This section has teams that have participated in Kabaddi Tournaments but have not been registered by International Kabaddi Federation.
- Asia
There are two non-members from Asia, i.e. People's Republic of China and Vietnam.
China (Participated in 1990 Asian Games as Host)
Vietnam (Participated in 2009 Asian Indoor Games as Host)
Women's Teams
Women's Kabaddi was first introduced in 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. India won gold and Thailand were runner up with silver. Bangladesh and Iran were knock out in semi-finals and shared bronze.
- Asia
The following national teams played in 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.
Kabaddi World Cup
Kabaddi World cup was first played in 2004 and then in 2007 and 2010. So far India is the unbeaten champion in Kabaddi World Cup. Iran is the next most successful nation being twice runner-up. Pakistan was the runner-up in 2010.
Results of Kabaddi World Cup to date:
| Year | Final match | Winner | Runner-up |
| 2010 |  India vs.  Pakistan58 - 24 |
India |
Pakistan |
| 2007 | India vs.  Iran29 - 19 |
India |
Iran |
| 2004 | India vs. Iran 55 - 27 |
India |
Iran |
Participation of nations in the Kabaddi world cup so far is as follows:-
| Country | Participation in World Cup | Winner | Runners Up | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 2007 | 2010 | |||
| Afghanistan |
No | Yes | No | - | - |
 Australia |
No | No | Yes | - | - |
| Bangladesh |
No | Yes | No | - | - |
 Canada |
No | No | Yes | - | - |
| India |
Yes | Yes | Yes | 2004, 2007, 2010 | - |
| Iran |
Yes | Yes | Yes | - | 2004, 2007 |
 Italy |
No | Yes | Yes | - | - |
| Japan |
No | Yes | No | - | - |
| Kyrgyzstan |
No | Yes | No | - | - |
| Malaysia |
No | Yes | No | - | - |
| Nepal |
No | Yes | No | - | - |
| Pakistan |
Yes | Yes | Yes | - | 2010 |
| South Korea |
No | Yes | No | - | - |
 Spain |
No | No | Yes | - | - |
| Thailand |
No | Yes | No | - | - |
| Turkmenistan |
No | Yes | No | - | - |
 United Kingdom |
No | Yes | Yes | - | - |
 United States |
No | No | Yes | - | - |
 West Indies |
No | Yes | No | - | - |
See also
- Films about kabaddi
- Okkadu (2003)
- Kabaddi Kabaddi (2003)
- Ghilli (2004)
- Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu (2009)
- Bheemli Kabadi Jattu (2010)
References
- ^ website of IKF http://kabaddiikf.com/RULES_Regularikf.doc
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnyUWUrcWzw#t=02m52s
- ^ "Origin, History and Development of Kabaddi". Retrieved 2008-04-20.
- ^ http://www.scribd.com/doc/13255740/Siddhi-TimesMarch-2009-DrCommander-Selvam
- ^ Meenan, Mick (20 September 2010). "From Afar, a New Kind Of Rough-and-Tumble". The New York Times: p. 25. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
- ^ a b تاریخچه کبدی، فدراسیون کبدی جمهوری اسلامی ایران
- ^ کَوَدّی کَوَدّی یا کَبَدی کَبَدی؟، محمد تهامینژاد، انسانشناسی و فرهنگ، سهشنبه، 23 آذر 1389 — 01:05
External links
International Kabaddi Federation
