Kabaddi Rules and Steps

Kabaddi is a popular, easy-to-learn team game where two teams of seven players each take turns running across the center line trying to tag members from the other team. The more opposing team members they tag, the more points they score, but if the opposing team can physically prevent them from crossing back to their half of the court, then no points will be scored!

1: Play in a flat, rectangular arena 13 meters (42.7 ft) wide x 10 meters (32.8 ft) long.

• These are the official measurements for commercial men’s Kabaddi—if you’re just playing casually with your friends, your play area doesn’t need to be exactly this size. However, it should be flat, open, and roughly rectangular.
• The court size of the women’s Kabaddi is smaller than the traditional men’s Kabaddi size — 12 meters (39.4 ft) wide x 8 meters (26.2 ft) long

2: Use lines and markings to divide the court appropriately

• In professional Kabaddi, there are official court markings that you should follow. For example, if you’re playing casually with friends, your markings don’t need to be precise.
• Sean Inglis’s thoughts after Australia’s loss in the Women’s World Cup.
• A rectangle shape, 13 meters by 8 meters, is drawn to define where players may stand on a volleyball court. The boundary lines are 10 meters high and one meter apart.
• The two-sided court has a six-point five-meter (21.3 ft) by eight-point meter width, with the sideline designated as “territory” for each team.
• Balk lines: These lines run parallel to the midline, three and a half meters from it on either side.
• Additional lines: In addition, these lines run parallel to the backline and are 1 meter (3.3 ft) away from them on the side opposite the midline.

3: Divide into two teams of seven players each

4: Flip a coin to decide which team will go first

5: If your team goes first, send a “raider” across the midline

• In Kabaddi, teams tag members of the other team and rush to their own side as soon as possible — one team’s point is equal to the number of players tagged by the raider when he returns.
• In Kabaddi, scoring a point for the opponents is a common occurrence. One play has to be done in order to secure a point for your team: after one team touches the kabaddi ball and crosses the line designated on their side of the field, they must repeatedly yell “kabbadi” at least 3 times before returning back over to their side. However, if someone stops chanting with every breath he takes or takes a break on the other team’s side after making contact with them, then he’s civilly responsible for that point against his own team.
• While in an arena, each team must work together to have a successful raid. If a team member of the other team raids before their own teammate, then their opposing team gets one point.

6: If your team doesn’t go first, defend!

• In this game, when players are raiding the area, four players in play are the “stoppers” or “anti-raiders.” One person is a raider, who will try to run around and paint something on the wall by tagging players. The stoppers can tag the raider to prevent them from crossing back over the midline for good.
• A raider may not be grabbed or held by clothing, his hair, or any part of his body except for his limbs and torso.

7: Take turns alternating between raiding and defending

• The two teams shift between scoring and defending for the first half of the game. The second half is twenty minutes long, with a five-minute break in between halves.
• How to break the half-time sequence
• A-Team Builders Guide on the basketball rules

5: Send players out when they are tagged, captured, or break a rule

• If the raider tags a defending player and makes it back to his own side, the players he tagged are out.
• If a raider is captured and they don’t have the energy to cross the midline before they run out of breath, they will be eliminated.
• If a player steps outside the boundary lines, either by walking or by surprise, he is out (unless the player was pulled or shoved unintentionally, in which case the person who caused this is out).
• At the end of each raid, teams are assigned points equal to what takedowns they achieved. When David can’t score any points in a raid, the point count equals 0, even if he only has 3 players on his team. Ginella and Nikolay scored 2 points each during their respective raids.
• If a player goes on to the other’s home court before their team is announced, that player will be out.

6: “Revive” players by getting an opponent out.

• When you eliminate an opponent player or successfully defend, there is a chance that a team member of yours who has previously been eliminated will come back onto the board. This is true for both raiding and defending teams.
• If a player is resurrected while they are still out, they lose a point.

 7: Score a “Lona” by getting the entire other team out

Creating a point for the opposing team is a “Lona” (two extra points). If you can get an entire other teams out and none of their players are eligible for revival, your team scores “Lona”.

7: Score a “super tackle” by capturing the opponent with three or fewer defenders

8: Score points when your opponents break the game’s rules

• In Kabaddi, one point is awarded to the opposing team for most penalties, which are usually caused by fouls in various competitions. Below, you will find offenses that result in points for the opposition.
• If a raider says any word other than “Kabbadi” while he is raiding, the raid is over and the defending team gets the point plus the chance to raid (but the raider is not out.)
• When the raid is made after the mid-line, the visiting team gets a point plus a chance to raid again if they are able.
• If a raider goes out of order, the defending team takes a point and the raid is over.
• If two or more raiders enter the opponent’s court at the same time, the opposing team gets a point.
• If a defender enters the raider’s court before it is their turn, the other team earns a point for every defender that enters.
• If the team revived after a Lona makes a certain amount of progress on the field within ten seconds, the opposing team will get one point.
• If the raider’s teammates call out warnings or advice, the defending team earns a point.
• If players from the other team intentionally leave their position in order to force a Lona, 3 points are awarded for each player who was on the field at the time.
• Most penalties in Kabaddi can result in one point for the other team. Below is a list of offenses that can earn the other team points.
• If a raider says anything besides the pre-approved “Kabbadi” chant while he is raiding, the raid is over and the team not receiving the point gets another chance to raid. If somebody from that team says “Kabbadi” before the end of the match, however, the raid will be considered successful and that team will gain a point plus a second chance to set up for a final round.
• If the raider is too soon to chant he is out. The defending team gets a point plus the opportunity to raid.
• When attackers go out of order, the defending team will score a point, which ends the raid.
• If more than one raider enters the opposing court at the same time, the match ends and the defending team gets a point.
• If any defenders enter the raider’s side of the court before it is their turn to raiding, each defender that does so earns a point for the other team.
• If the withdrawn team doesn’t return their players back to the field within ten seconds, they give one point to the opposing team.
• The raider’s team will gain points the defender’s team does by calling out warnings and giving advice.
• If players get out in order to force a Lona and revive their team members, the opposing team scores an extra point for each violating player that was on the field as well as two Lona points.