Amar Kabaddi (Punjab Style)
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. There is a 30 second time limit for the
raider from the moment he leaves until he
returns to his starting point. This rule was
only recently introduced (1994) after
controversy with some raiders abusing the old
system where they were able to struggle through
a point until they ran out of breath from
repeating the word kabaddi. Some players used to
continue on for more than a minute which was
deemed to be unfair to other players including
stoppers who were constantly tugged at for silly
amounts of time.
The basic unwritten rule of kabaddi is that once you are caught and after a
brief but unsuccessful attempt at breaking free,
you give up and surrender the point to the
stoppers team. The first point of the game is
always worth 1 and a half points to avoid a tied
game. This is why it is advantageous to win the
toss at the start of the game. Whether it be the
stopper who gets the point or the raider it is
always worth that extra half a point. Usually
made of 2 20 minute halves, this form of kabaddi
can also be played in 10 or 15 minutes each,
depending on the tournament organisers. It is
played in a circle, with a line dividing the
field into two halves.
This form of kabaddi is played
in Punjab, Canada, England, USA, Scotland,
Pakistan and Australia. The current world
champions are Canada who defeated India in the
final of the World Cup held in Toronto - Canada.
There was an estimated 25 000 spectators packed
in to the Guru Gobind Singh Stadium. In kabaddi
dominated countries such as India and Canada it
is played on a professional basis with top
players earning up to $30000 for a 2 month
season.
The player who has made most out of the
game is Balwinder Phiddu, who started playing in
1975 and only recently retired after the 1997
World Cup. This large framed man considered a
hero from Punjab to the rest of the world made
vast amounts of money during his many travels
for the sport predominantly being to England and
more recently Canada. Since Phiddu, the most
famous player has been Harjeet Brar from
Bajjakhanna village in Faridkot, Punjab. Sadly,
his life ended short when killed in a motor
vehicle accident whilst travelling with three
fellow players from Ludhiana to Chandigarh in
February 1998. His death was a tremendous loss
to the game as he reached his peak and was a
virtual unstoppable raider with a number one
player rating in the world.
A typical kabaddi
year starts in Punjab in late November and
continues on up until March at which point the
season starts in Canada where the season is
played until June. Then the season commences in
England in July for two months and then players
take a break for some time before they
recommence playing in Punjab. Followers of the
game can nowadays enjoy live radio commentary
and Television broadcasts due to the wide-ranged
sponsorship deals being offered in Canada and
Britain from various companies. | 
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