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The Complete Beginner's Guide to Kabaddi Rules

Kabaddi is played with nothing but the body and a single held breath. Here are the basics for anyone who has caught it at the Asian Games but never quite understood the rules.

The object of the game

Kabaddi is a contact team sport with South Asian origins, played entirely without a ball or any equipment. A single attacking player raids into the opposing team's half, touches as many defenders as possible, and scores points by making it back to their own half before running out of breath. It's especially popular in India, Iran, and Bangladesh, and it's a full medal sport at the Asian Games.

The basics of raiding

The raider holds their breath and repeatedly chants "kabaddi, kabaddi" while pushing into the opposing team's half, trying to touch as many defenders as possible before their breath runs out and racing back to their own half. The raiding team scores one point for every defender successfully touched.

The chant rule ("cant")

A raider must keep chanting "kabaddi" continuously, without ever pausing to inhale, for the entire raid β€” this continuous chant is called the "cant." If the chant breaks or the raider audibly needs to inhale before returning, the raid is ruled a foul and voided.

The basics of tackling

The defending team can grab or bring down the raider to keep them from making it back across the halfway line β€” this is called a tackle. If the raider's cant breaks, or they're caught and can't return to their own half in time, the defending team scores a point instead. Several defenders teaming up to stop a single raider is not just allowed but a core defensive strategy.

The court and team setup

The court is split into two halves by a center line, with each team fielding seven players at a time who alternate between raiding and defending. In international competition, matches run two 20-minute halves, and whichever team has scored more points when time runs out wins.

All-outs and bonus points

If every defender on one team gets out, the opposing team is awarded an extra 2 points on top of their raid points β€” this is called an "all-out." There's also a bonus rule: a raider who steps on the bonus line and successfully touches a defender scores an additional point on top.

One of South Asia's biggest sports

Kabaddi rivals soccer and cricket in popularity across South Asia, and India's professional Pro Kabaddi League has grown into a major sporting event watched by hundreds of millions. Because it requires no equipment at all and can be played with just the body, it has also survived for generations as a traditional village game across the region.

A regular at the Asian Games

Kabaddi has been a full medal event at the Asian Games since the 1990 Beijing Games and has remained on the program ever since, which is how a lot of casual sports fans abroad first encounter it. Underneath its simple-looking rules, it actually demands breath control, split-second reflexes, and tight teamwork all at once.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if the raider stops chanting "kabaddi" mid-raid?

If the cant breaks at any point, it's an immediate foul: the raid is voided and possession passes straight to the defending team. Because of this, players specifically train themselves to keep the chant going without a break, even while holding their breath.

Are multiple defenders allowed to grab the raider at the same time?

Yes β€” teaming up to tackle a single raider with several defenders at once is fully allowed in kabaddi, and it's actually an encouraged strategy. That said, if the raider breaks free of the group tackle and makes it back to their own half, they score one point for every defender who had grabbed onto them.