Now the strangest martial art in the world can be followed on the Internet.
Wrestling is not the most action-packed sport. Fans are more interested in watching knockouts rather than tinkering on the ground, but there are exceptions. The kabaddi team game originated in ancient India. The poet of those times Tukaram wrote that the god Krishna played kabaddi in his youth, and in the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata it is reported that in this way the Buddha was entertained. Tibetan monks also love this game, who consider it an important tool for meditation and physical strength testing.

In modern Kabaddi, a match lasts 40 minutes – two halves of 20. Two teams of 12 people participate, at the beginning of the game there are seven players on the court at the same time. Athletes compete on a rectangular court of 13 by 10 meters. The site is divided into two parts, there are also overlapping lines (baulk line), bonus lines (bonus line) and "lobby area" (lobby area). In adult competitions among men, athletes up to 80 kg are allowed.

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The goal of the game is to score more points than the opponents. To get points, a team needs to send a player called a raider to someone else's half of the court. One of the most important and strangest rules: the delegated player must cross the median line, repeatedly repeating the word "kabaddi" - so he demonstrates to the referee that the raid is made in one breath and without inhalation. For each raid, 30 seconds are given - it is not entirely clear how the arbitrator controls the process all this time.

The task of the raider is to cross the overlap line. In case of failure, he is eliminated from the court. The raider needs to touch as many opponents as possible and then return to the middle before he is captured. He can besiege opponents in many ways: by touching the hand or toe of the foot, kicking or releasing from the grip. The raider receives one point for each opponent, all of them are eliminated from the game.

Defenders must prevent the raider from returning to the middle, especially if one of them has been touched. They can hold the opponent by the legs, grasp from the back and just push out of the court. If the raider is stopped, the defending team earns one point. When a player is expelled, he sits on the bench, but can still return to the court - for every point scored, the team can "revive" one of those who have already left the game.

The main kabaddi club tournament is the Indian Pro League. The U.S. broadcast rights were acquired by ESPN. The final of the 2021/2022 season turned out to be outstanding: Daban Delhi, which recently broke into the top, beat three-time champions, Patna Pirates, in a tough match.

International competitions, including world championships, are also held in Kabaddi. In total, three championships of the planet took place in the history of this species - in 2004, 2007 and 2016. All three times India beat Iran in the final, the bronze for reaching the semifinals managed to snatch Bangladesh, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and, unexpectedly, Canada.

Kabaddi is incredibly popular in Asia - Hollywood makes films about the game, anime is dedicated to it. And the Flashscore website has allocated a separate section dedicated to kabaddi, next door to Australian rules football.

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