Kabaddi, also known as kabbadi or kabadi, is a popular contact sport played by two teams on opposite halves of the field. Each team has seven players and the objective of the game is for a single player on offence, called a raider, to run into the opposing team part of the filed and tag out as many of their defenders as possible. When they cross onto the other team’s side, riders repeat ‘kabaddi, kabaddi’.
The player has to return in its own half of the field in a single breath, without being tackled by the defenders. Points are given for each player that the raider successfully tagged, while the other teams earns points if they can stop the raider. Also, the players are out of the game if they are tackled or tagged, if they step out of the field or if they stop chanting, but can be brought back for each point scored by their team for the same actions.
There are loads of theories around the time that this interesting sport originated. Some historians believe that kabaddi was first played in ancient India, during the Vedic period. An ancient Indian poem named Mahabharata seems to indicate that during the legendary battles of Kurukshetra, a military operation, a raid organized by Arjuna’s son, Abhimanyu, on an enemy camp, was very similar to the game we play today. Also, for many years, the sport was actually played by Indian children, in Vedic schools run by gurus. Even that most of the rules were different, the objective was always the same: raiding the enemy’s territory.
What is sure is that the kabaddi game originated in India and, in the 1923, the basic rules of the sport were first published in the same place. The interesting game started to draw international attention in 1936, at the Olympic Games in Berlin, where it was demonstrated by a sports organization from Amravati. The game was included as an event in the Indian Olympic Games that were hold in Calcutta two years later.
Kabaddi Federation of India was founded in 1952 and in the same year the national championships for men was held, followed by the national championship for women in 1955. The sport started to become more popular beyond the Indian’s borders in the late 20th century, when the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India was formed. In 1972, the sport became the national game of Bangladesh and in 1978, after the Asian Amateur Kabaddi Federation was established, a regional championship was organized. National kabaddi teams began to compete in the Asian Games in 1990 and in 2004, the first Kabaddi World Cup took place in Mumbai. It hosted national teams from across the world, such as Asia, Europe and North America.
There are two variations of the kabaddi game that are most known: the standard version and the circular version. The standard version, which is also the international accepted one, involves seven players per team performing on a rectangular court of 10 by 13 metres (33 ft × 43 ft) in case of men and 8 by 12 metres (26 ft × 39 ft) in case of women. The game is played with 20 minute halves with a 5-minute half break in which the teams exchange sides. Also, each raid has a 30-second time limit.
The circular version has remained popular in some regions of India. Also called the Punjabi kabaddi, this is a variation that is played on a circular pitch of a diameter of 22 metres. But there are other three types of this game played by amateurs in India: Sanjeevani style, Gaminee style and Amar style.
In Sanjeevani style, one player is revived against one player of the opposite team who is out. There are still seven players on each side, and the team that outs all the players on the opponent's side scores four extra points.
In Gaminee style, seven players play on each side, and a player put out has to remain out until all his team members are out. The team that is successful in outing all the players of the opponent's side secures a point. The game continues until five or seven such points are secured, and has no fixed time duration.
In Amar style, a player who is declared out stays inside the court while play continues. For every player of the opposition touched "out", a team earns a point.
If it’s already clear what is a kabaddi sport, here is all you need to know about how you can play the game:
Here are some exercises you can try before of the game, to warm-up your teams:
There are three situations when a player has to get out of the game:
However, whenever a player from one of the teams gets out, the other team can bring back any of the players who are out. This must happen in the order in which they were eliminated from the game.
There are just a few things you will need to create a fun kabaddi game during your PE class. This is actually one of the things that makes this game so appreciated among teachers across the world. To start a kabaddi game, you will need just some coloured bibs or t-shirt, so you can differentiate the teams, and cones to mark out the area of the game.
Finding appropriate resources for different activities you want to try with your children is not easy, and it might take a lot of time and energy. We want to help you save some time planning, so we’ve put together a short list of resources you can use to help children understand what is kabaddi sport and why it can be fun playing it:
Kabaddi Invasion Game (Adult Guidance) - This useful worksheet will tell you everything you need to know about this sport: what is kabaddi sport, how to play it, what equipment will you need and how to set up the game. Completely designed and approved by qualified teachers, the instructions are easy to follow and perfect for teachers trying to entertain large groups of children. Why not take some of your lessons outdoors with this activity that will help your students burn off some energy? Or add this ancient game into your PE lessons! Kabbadi a good source of exercise and encourages team work.
Year 6 Invasion Games Lesson 6 - Invasion Game Gurus - This amazing lesson pack includes all the materials you need to plan a lesson about kabaddi from start to finish. Downloading it, you will get a PowerPoint lesson presentation, that will guide you through every step of the class, a PDF lesson plan that you can print and check at all times, and tons of useful resources. You will have evaluation sheets, differentiation cards, skills posters, warm-up and cool down cards, success criteria grids, question cards and more.
Our production team upload and updates resources regularly, so it might be worth keeping an eye on our website. If you are looking for more materials for your PE lessons, try our Twinkl Move fantastic teaching package that provides a complete breadth of planning from Reception through to Key Stage 2.
You’ll find full PE schemes of work and CPD content, created by teachers for teachers, to help you teach your little learners, while also saving time planning. Twinkl Move includes interactive PowerPoints, lesson plans, home-learning tasks, aims posters, assessment packs, learning journeys and differentiation cards. All you need to do is upgrade to Twinkl Ultimate today to unlock more of our amazing content, and you’re ready to go!
However, we have loads of free resources you can access on our website, so you’ll definitely find something to help you teach different topics to your children. Our materials are made by teachers for teachers, so you can be sure they are relevant and in line with the National Curriculum.
