A Wise Athlete Sport and education. Both.
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The base at home, the sport at a club

Kabaddi at home

A strip of ground and a few friends for touch games at home; tackles and holds on a mat with a coach.

5 cards at home 2 for a park or court 4 for the club

What should we practise today?

Tell us where you are and who is playing. You get one card and the reason.

Where are you?
Who is playing?

Start a session

New to kabaddi? The game in a minute

Read this once before the first card.
The game in short

Two teams of seven play on a court split in half by a midline. The teams take turns to send one player, the raider, into the other half. The raider chants "kabaddi, kabaddi" without stopping, tries to touch defenders and gets back over the midline.

How points are scored

Every defender the raider touches before getting back is out, and the raiding team scores a point for each. If the defenders stop the raider getting back, by tackling and holding, the defending team scores a point. A raid lasts at most 30 seconds.

How a game is won

Players who are out come back in when their team scores. If a whole team is out (an all out), the other team scores 2 extra points and all seven come back. A game is two halves of 20 minutes; the team with more points wins.

Rules children break first
  • The raider must keep chanting, in one breath, until back over the midline.
  • The raider must cross the baulk line for the raid to count.
  • Stay inside the court; a player who steps out is out.
  • No holding or tackling at home: touch kabaddi only.
At home you play touch kabaddi

Quick touches, turns and sprints back, the chant, the chain of defenders holding hands, and the positions on the court. Tackles and holds are learnt on a mat with a coach.

Words you will hear (19, in plain language)
Raid
A raid is one attacking turn; the raider is the player who goes into the other half.
Defender
A player in the half being raided.
Midline
The line across the middle of the court. The raider must get back over it.
Baulk line
A line in each half, 3.75 m from the midline on a full court. The raider must cross it for the raid to count.
Bonus line
A line beyond the baulk line; touching it scores an extra point when enough defenders are on court.
Chant
The raider saying "kabaddi, kabaddi" again and again without taking a breath.
Touch kabaddi
A version with touches and tags only, and no holding or tackling.
Hand touch
Tagging a defender with a hand, or with a foot reached out straight.
Running hand touch
A hand touch made while running along the defenders.
Kick
A straight-leg kick that touches a defender, with the leg pulled back at once.
Dubki
Ducking under the arms of defenders to escape.
Tackle
Defenders stopping the raider from getting back.
Ankle hold
Ways defenders hold a raider to stop them. Club only.
Chain
Two or more defenders holding hands and moving together to trap the raider.
Corner
Defending positions. Corners stand at the ends and start tackles; ins stand next to them and protect them; covers stand next and are all-rounders; the centre is in the middle.
Super tackle
A tackle made when three or fewer defenders are left; it scores an extra point.
All out
When every player on a team is out.
Revival
An out player coming back in when their team scores.
Stance
The raider's ready position: feet apart, knees bent, head up, leaning slightly forward.

Try it, nothing to buy

Mark the space once. Every card starts from it.
A suggested first ten sessions (optional)
  1. b1 · Block shuttle and number call
  2. b2 · Shape call raid: toe touch and return
  3. b3 · Touch kabaddi
  4. b4 · Wrist pull and the train
  5. b5 · Raider stance, touches and the kick
  6. b6 · Know the court and positions

The cards, level by level

Nobody is late. A beginner of any age starts at Basic.
Basic 6 cards · show· hide Speed, agility and reaction, the toe and hand touches, running and turning, and the rules of a raid, played as touch kabaddi with no tackling.

Move on when the child meets the self-checks on b1 to b3 and understands the midline and the baulk line.

Intermediate 3 cards · show· hide Raiding moves (toe touch, hand touch, running hand touch, ducking escapes) and defensive holds (ankle hold, thigh hold, chain tackle) taught by a coach on a mat, with cover and corner working together.

Move on when the coach confirms the player is safe in holds and escapes.

Advanced 2 cards · show· hide Raiding and defending skills used as tactics: mixing and varying skills, defence systems for six and seven players, super tackles, game plans and match analysis.

Teaching this at home

Movement, safety and the words at home. The sport itself needs water, a boat, a horse or a coach.

You do not need to know the sport. Each card tells you where to stand, what to say and what to look at. Pick one thing to say in a session and say only that. The first week looks messy; that is normal. End every session on one that works.

Cards marked At a club are taught by a coach. They tell you what the coach teaches, what is safe at home, and what to ask the club before your child joins.

How to warm up before playing is at workonfitness.com. The rules of the game are at sportsmaze.com.

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