The Day I Dedicated My First-Ever Live Sports Experience to Kabaddi

I am absolutely terrible at sports.
I am a complete sports failure.

I was so sickly as a young child that I was hospitalized with pneumonia almost every year. My worried parents enrolled me in a swimming school, but for some reason, I suffered an injury that broke several of my teeth (I probably fell near the poolside), and ever since I quit that school, I have had a deep aversion not just to swimming, but to water in general.

During elementary and junior high school, I developed trauma from the physical education classes where the teacher would say, "Okay, pair up," and I would be unable to find a partner.

Since then, without ever having a positive experience with exercise, I got hooked on cultural extracurricular activities and lived a life completely removed from sports.

Years passed while living such days.

This year, I suddenly decided this.

I want to watch a live sports game.

After seeing an idol's concert at the Budokan, I suddenly wanted to watch a sports game.

The other day, I had the experience ofgoing to an idol's Budokan concert for the first time in my life. Up until that point in my life, I had never supported anyone in the idol profession, but when I actually went, it was
incredibly fun, and I truly felt glad that I went.

Even things I have no experience with can be fun once I actually try them.
To begin with, if you have no experience, you don't even know if you like that thing or if you can enjoy it.
Even if you acquire knowledge, it is meaningless unless you verify it for yourself.

That is the lesson I learned from the idol's Budokan concert.

I want to experience more "firsts"!
I want to do things I have never done before!

I felt a sense of that desire filling my heart.

So I thought to myself,
what is the thing that has been most distant from me until now?

The first thing that came to mind as one of those things was sports.

Of course, it is not that I knew absolutely nothing about sports or was completely indifferent to them.
As long as you live in modern Japan, you will have opportunities to come into contact with sports to some extent.

Even if you don't go as far as joining a sports club or a local team, there are naturally opportunities to come into contact with them through the compulsory education curriculum, such as PE classes, field days, sports festivals, and school sports tournaments, and there are many people who have watched the Olympics or ekiden relay races.

I am one of those people.

I watched table tennis during the 2024 Paris Olympics because of the influence of my social media followers.
I also enjoyed watching sport climbing, which I checked out on a whim.
I watch the Hakone Ekiden every New Year's simply because it's a seasonal tradition.

But beyond that, I had no involvement with sports.

After all,I have a very strong aversion to them.

I believe there is a skill that is almost always necessary for sports.

That is communication ability.

I was critically lacking in that.

Perhaps that might not be the case for individual competitions, but for someone like me whose only exposure to sports was through school classes or field days, it is no exaggeration to say that "sports equals communication," and for an introvert like me (though it's more than just being an introvert, I'll omit that as it's not directly relevant to this article), it was a massive barrier.

Therefore, I have lived a life far removed from sports.

I don't play them myself, and I don't engage in intense, serious spectating either.
Maybe there is no sport that I can get absorbed in.
I had lived my life assuming that.

However, as mentioned above, I learned that without experience, you don't even know if you like something or if you can enjoy it,and the realization that you won't know until you trybecame stronger.

And so, my interest in watching sports grew rapidly.

Triggered by a coincidence on social media

Thus, my desire to at least try watching some kind of sport live, even if just once, increased.

One day, I saw a post on social media.

Apparently, there was a sport that would be holding its All-Japan Championship soon.
That sport was Kabaddi.

Why did I choose Kabaddi?

To describe the reality in Japan, the sport of Kabaddi seems to fall under the category of minor sports.

If you want to aim for professional status, you have to go to India, the home of the sport, and in the first place, there are almost no people in Japan today who know the current rules.
That is the kind of sport Kabaddi is.

Regarding the sport of Kabaddi, which is the main focus of this article, those who know the specific rules are likely in the minority.
Therefore, I will write this article with the intention of explaining it to my former self, who knew absolutely nothing about it.

There are two main reasons why I decided to watch a Kabaddi match.

1. The All-Japan Championship happened to be on a day I was free and had no plans.
2. I had read a manga and understood the rules to some extent.

These are the two points.

1. The All-Japan Championship happened to be on a day I was free and had no plans

The 34th All-Japan Kabaddi Championship was held in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, from November 16th to 17th, 2024.

On the 17th, I happened to have no plans and was free for the entire day.

Furthermore, the Kabaddi Championship was free to watch and allowed free entry and exit.
This lowered the barrier to entry and became the biggest trigger for me to think about going to see it.

As someone who is terrible at sports, I am the type of creature who gets as nervous about even a small sports spectating event as if it were the biggest event of my life, so the fact that I could enter whenever I wanted, leave whenever I wanted, and that there was no admission fee was very much appreciated.

2. I had read a manga and understood the rules to some extent

Have you ever started something because of a manga or similar media?

If you search the internet, you will see people who started music because of "K-On!", "BanG Dream!", "Bocchi the Rock!", or "Futsu no Keionbu".

The same applies to sports.
Just as people start basketball because of "Slam Dunk" or "Kuroko's Basketball", or volleyball because of "Haikyu!!".
In academics, people become interested in fermented foods because of "Moyasimon", agriculture because of "Silver Spoon", or chemistry because of "Dr. STONE", etc... It seems many people start various things because of manga and anime.

And that's perfectly fine. May everyone be like that.

And as far as I've searched, "Burning Kabaddi" is likely the only manga featuring the sport of Kabaddi, so I imagine many people became interested in Kabaddi because of it.

I am one of those people, and I am a fan of the work called Burning Kabaddi.

Because of that, I had the thought that if it were Kabaddi, I wouldn't be watching it in a state of complete confusion like I might with other sports (*this is also known as arrogance).

A rough overview of Kabaddi (rules I understood at the start of watching + alpha)

As mentioned above, I believe there are fewer modern Japanese people, including myself, who fully grasp the rules of Kabaddi, so I would like to write this article while using subheadings for the general rules.

I will also write about the interesting aspects of each rule later, so I would appreciate it if those with time would read through it.

For those who are knowledgeable, I would appreciate it if you could point out if my descriptions are completely wrong.

I would appreciate it if you could refrain from pointing out the poorly made explanatory images that appear suddenly.

・Overview

To put it simply, Kabaddi is a super-physical game of tag played within a limited court. It is also apparently called a "contact sport that runs".

If you don't really get it, please imagine dodgeball where the ball has become a human for now.
Roughly speaking, that is correct as an introduction. Probably.
Sorry, maybe that was too rough.

I will write various things from here on, but as introductory knowledge, reading the first chapter of Burning Kabaddi is enough.
Actually, I've started to feel it would be better for you to read that first and then come back, as it is easier to understand visually.

・Rough rules (*all of the following are as of 2024)

Kabaddi is a sport where players are divided into attackers and defenders within a set time, moving back and forth between each other's courts to attack and defend while scoring points.

・What is Kabaddi?

The act of an attacker continuously saying "Kabaddi" without taking a breath is called a cant. During this time, the attacker is able to perform an attack. However, the maximum attack time is 30 seconds (it seems a time limit rule was added due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic).

・Raid / Raider (Attacking side)

Attacking while performing a cant is called a raid, and the attacker is called a raider. A raider can earn 1 point for each defender they touch. The method of touching can be with a hand, a foot, or anything else. As long as the body makes contact with the opponent, it counts as a touch. Once in a scoring state, if the raider can return to their own side (across the center line) with even one finger, they can secure the points earned. If they cannot return (e.g., they are pushed down), the attack is a failure.

・Anti (Defending side)

The defending side being attacked is called the anti. There are a maximum of 7 players.

・Touch

When a raider touches an anti, it counts as 1 point. When an anti is touched, they must leave the court (an
out state). It's like how in dodgeball, a person hit by the ball must go to the outfield. However, if a teammate attacker scores a point, they can bring back the number of players corresponding to those points into the court. The state from when a person is touched by a raider and appears on the anti side until the raider returns to their own side or the attack fails is called a

struggle.

・Baulk line

There is a line that a raider must cross at least once when attacking, which is called the baulk line.

・Bonus line

If the defending side has 6 or more players and the raider crosses the bonus line by even one step, the attacking side can earn 1 point even without touching an opponent. ※You only earn 1 point no matter how many times you cross it.

・Lobby

This is the space that must not be crossed before entering a struggle state.
After entering a struggle state, both the raider and the anti can cross it.

※Since I am only writing the bare minimum, for those who want to know the details, please see the official website of the Japan Kabaddi Association.

Heading to the venue

Although I have written various things, I am an amateur who is not that knowledgeable about the current state of Kabaddi.

Or rather (as I have said many times), I am an amateur at spectating sports in general.

In such a state, my rare initiative born from mysterious curiosity was unleashed, and on November 17, 2024, I boarded the Odakyu Line to watch the All Japan Kabaddi Championship.
I woke up early on a Sunday for once (the matches start at 9:30 AM).

I thought that I should take action at this very moment, when my motivation for a "first experience" is heightened thanks to idols.

That is what I thought.

The venue is the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center.
It is a place I am visiting for the first time.

When I stepped onto the premises, I did not realize there were multiple buildings on the grounds, and I honestly got lost for a moment because I did not know where the main gymnasium, the site of the tournament, was. However, while wandering around, I discovered someone with an exceptionally muscular build, and thinking they were definitely a Kabaddi player, I followed them and it turned out to be correct.

It is just like following someone carrying a large bag covered in pin badges when going to a 2D live concert for the first time to arrive at the venue.

Watching the game (and being helped by the program)

The court is divided into two sections, Court A and Court B, with matches unfolding on each.

Not only do I not have a team or player to cheer for, but I don't even know which teams are currently playing.

I figured that in times like these, I'd just choose A (much like choosing 1 over 2 just because it comes first), so I headed to the spectator seats for Court A.

Actually, by the time I arrived at the venue, the match had already started, but there were luckily some empty seats.

Or rather, there were quite a few empty seats.
Should I be glad I could sit, or should I feel conflicted about the modest turnout...?

(I thought that at first, but this feeling would eventually turn into a strong assertion of "No, everyone really needs to see this!!!!!")

While checking the list of participating teams and players in the program I received, I hurried to identify the people playing right in front of me.

It includes uniform colors and photos of the actual players, which is a very helpful feature for beginners.
After all, even with zero knowledge, if I compare what I see with this booklet in my hand, I can somewhat understand which player on which team is doing what.

↑ You can also download it from here.

It lists not only the players' names and numbers but also their heights, preferred positions, and even the year they started playing Kabaddi.

What I learned from looking at the program is that a wide range of people, from players who started this year to those who have been playing for over 30 years, are working hard together as teammates.

I had heard rumors that this tournament includes everyone from students to working professionals, and from rookies to veterans, but I didn't realize it was truly this diverse.

There's even a middle and high school team in the women's division.
I'm so curious about how someone on a middle/high school team who started Kabaddi in 2015 got into the sport in the first place. I'm incredibly intrigued.

Oh, so it's a match between this team and that team now.
Is that person number ○ on the attack right now?
So that's the reason why a point was just scored.

At first, I kept clutching the program, checking the players and rules as I watched, but gradually, the content started to sink in.

Things like, "I feel like this team is good at defense."
Or, "Isn't that player good at attacking?"
Or, "Was that move just now aiming for something like this?"
Or, "Wait, was that a feint just now!?"

Things like, "Did they just touch the opponent while turning their back to them!?"
Or, "Can you seriously score three or four points all by yourself!?"
Or, "So swinging your leg around like a kick to touch an opponent is actually a standard method!"
Or, "It's so intense when the defensive side succeeds with three or fewer players!"

Or things like, "Honestly, I don't know what just happened in front of me, but this is fun!!"

Before I knew it, I had brazenly taken a seat in the front row, leaning forward and completely absorbed in every single match.

Things I thought were incredibly interesting/amazing

Seeing it in person, I realized that you don't need that much knowledge just to watch a game.
Kabaddi isn't overly complicated; it's a sport with rules that are relatively intuitive and easy to understand, yet extremely interesting (though, of course, it becomes even more fun once you grasp the rules).

From the perspective of a sports spectating beginner, I will write about the things that made me think Kabaddi is an interesting sport.

・It's easy to tell where spectators should be looking

Kabaddi has a small court (10m x 13m for men / 8m x 12m for women), and the area where the raider goes to attack is the opponent's court, which is half of that.
Since there is always only one person on the attack, you can intuitively understand where you should be looking right now.

Beginners to sports spectating often stumble over this "grasping where to look" (※personal opinion), so I think this is one of the points that makes it easy to understand.
It's hard for situations like "Wait, what is happening where right now?" to occur.

・The match time is short

In Kabaddi, you can only attack within a limited time frame called a "cant" of 30 seconds or less.
Furthermore, one match is two 20-minute halves (15-minute halves for women), and even including timeouts, it usually ends within an hour.

I think it falls into the category of sports with a very good tempo.
Isn't this also a point that makes it easy for people who have never watched sports to get into it?

Personally, by the end, I was like, "Wow, the first half is already over! I want to see more!"

・You never know what will happen in a match, even if the score difference is 10 points or more

As mentioned above, Kabaddi matches progress at a fast tempo, and the score can change quite easily.

There are players who can earn 3 or more points in a single attack, and there is also a rule where the defensive side can score.
When the attacking side scores a large number of points, the defensive players who were touched must leave the court (similar to dodgeball where you have to go to the outfield if you get hit by the ball), so it is common for the number of players on the court, which was 6 or 7 just a moment ago, to drop drastically all at once.

In other words, the shift between advantage and disadvantage is quite intense.
Because of this, even if there is a large score gap with 3 minutes left, you never know what will happen in the match depending on how things unfold afterward.

I realized this halfway through, but even if there is a 10-point lead, it is a sport where you can't let your guard down at all unless it's the last minute.

Personally, I enjoyed this feeling of watching with bated breath.
It's seriously like reading a sports manga.

When a big comeback happens at the end, I feel "Wow!!! (Excitement) (Super intense) (Various emotions)," and even if there is a lead in the early stages, I think, "No, I still can't let my guard down!!"

I can't even go take a bath in the middle of it.

・A rule that is too interesting called the "Do or Die Raid"

If an attack fails to score twice in a row, they must score on the third attack, and if they fail, the attacker for that turn is out.

In other words, it means that the situation is guaranteed to change once every three times.

When the referee declares a "Do or Die" raid, the attack is naturally quite aggressive, so I get excited wondering, "What will this player do here?"

Also, I saw many scenes where, if a team realizes the opponent has failed their last two attacks, they intentionally end their own attack in a few seconds and return to their side to force the opponent to perform a "Do or Die" raid.

At first, I wondered why they did that, but the moment I understood, I slapped my knee and thought, "Ah, I see!"
Of course, it makes sense, as it's a chance to force the attacker off the court.

This is also a rule that contributes to the fast pace.

Writing this made me realize again that Kabaddi is basically intense in its movement on the court. No wonder there's nothing but highlights throughout the entire match.

I was watching every single match feeling like, "Is this the final?" the whole time.

・The super interesting rule called the Super Tackle

The more the opponent's attack succeeds, the more our defensive numbers (the number of people on the court) decrease, and naturally, we become increasingly disadvantaged.
We also have to succeed in our attacks and force the opponent out.
Even if we succeed in defense and keep the attacker from returning to their side, we only get one point.

However, there is a rule where the defensive side can also score points.
It's called a Super Tackle, and if the defensive side succeeds in defense with 3 or fewer players, one point is added, resulting in two points for the defensive side.

Having only 3 defenders is, of course, a disadvantageous situation.

In this sport, shorter players can build more muscle (Note: Kabaddi has weight limits of 85 kg for men and 75 kg for women), so many of them have a solid build.
Powerful attackers can use brute force to peel off opponents who have grabbed them and crawl their way back to their own side.
Conversely, taller players have to be slender, but even if they are knocked down, they can use the length of their limbs to get back to their side with just a single finger.

If you want to succeed in defense, you need to make sure you immobilize the opponent.
It's obvious that having more defenders makes you feel more secure, right?
It becomes a question of whether you're adding or subtracting 85 kg of weight.

I think a Super Tackle is actually difficult to pull off.
But, seriously, when it happens, it happens.

This is just so exciting.
Kabaddi has a spectating style where you generally don't cheer loudly or get overly excited, as you shouldn't interfere with the players' match or the referee's judgment, but with a Super Tackle, you can't help but let out a gasp. The venue is definitely buzzing. (Note: Make sure you never interfere with the court!)

I remember thinking to myself when the team in the final kept succeeding in defense with their last three players, "Are you kidding me, is this a phalanx?".

・Anyway, it's interesting

I gave it a subheading that might make you think I've gotten lazy or tired of writing, but this sport is truly "anyway, interesting".

The offense is, of course, interesting.
Players make moves that make me wonder if I'm watching a fighting game.
Players who use strength to peel off defensive hands from multiple people, or who nimbly dodge, jump, and return to their side.
Players who, even when pulled down, crawl, stretch their hands out as far as they can, and connect it to a score.

The defense is, of course, also interesting.
Teams that are good at surrounding the opponent all at once with many people.
Teams that are good at pulling the opponent down even with few people.
The moment when a 1-on-1 clash of wills occurs.

The referees are also amazing.
Since a point is scored if even a single finger, the edge of a uniform, or the tip of a toe touches, they need incredible concentration to watch for that exact moment.
Even though I, in the spectator seats, periodically have no idea what just happened.

Everyone is discerning those moments, surely judging in an instant what the best move is, and all the people involved are playing their own version of the best Kabaddi...

Kabaddi is incredibly fun.

And as a sports-viewing novice who initially thought, 'I have work tomorrow, so I might not be able to stay until the end depending on my energy levels,' I found myself watching all the way through to the final match before I knew it.

Come to think of it, regarding the final match.
When a player's body almost flew into the spectator seats (since it's a high-intensity sport), the staff member who instinctively jumped sideways from a crouching position to act as a barrier between the player and the audience—that was a nice 'anti'.
I hope the sport grows enough that they can hold matches in even bigger venues...

Tips for enjoying watching sports

Having spent a wonderful Sunday watching a super-duper interesting sport called Kabaddi, I thought to myself.

Beyond the fact that Kabaddi itself was naturally interesting,why was it this much fun?

I mean, I am seriously a sports amateur.
I'm bad at playing them myself, and I've only ever watched sports in front of a monitor.
Until just recently, I was the kind of person who never thought I'd end up watching a sport live.

And yet, it was fun.
In fact, I even thought I wanted to go see a Kabaddi match again.

I thought seriously about where this reason comes from.

・I could check the rules at any time using the program

Whether or not you can check the rules along the way—in other words, whether you can grasp what is happening right now—is a huge factor.

Even if you can't memorize everything from the start, the existence of a program that allows you to look back and think, 'Does that count as this?' or 'So that's what's happening now' while watching the match is truly grateful, and I think my first-ever live sports experience would have been completely different depending on whether or not this was available.

・The importance of experiencing the "live" atmosphere

Have you ever been to a band's live concert?
Have you ever been to a classical music concert?
Have you ever seen an idol in person?
Have you ever watched comedy right in front of you?

Even if it's not something like that, have you ever gone on a trip to see something you wanted to see or eat something you wanted to eat?

What I mean to say is,"tasting the live atmosphere" and "experiencing it yourself"leads to a completely different level of excitement.
It's like your emotions are more easily stirred.

If you want to experience fear realistically, you'd get more of a thrill from walking through a haunted house yourself than watching a horror movie, right?
No, maybe that analogy was a bit off.
But personally, what I want to say is something similar.

Proof is better than argument, seeing is believing... that might be a little different, but there really is an importance to feeling things firsthand.

This is something that is difficult to explain concretely; it's just an experience that has sprouted within an individual.
I said the same thing in my article "A person who has never supported an idol tries going to an idol's Budokan concert", but this is getting into the realm of qualia.
In short, it's a subjective feeling.

So, let's end my talk about feelings here.

Even as someone who knows nothing about sports, I was able to enjoy watching a sports match from the bottom of my heart.
That is the fact that stands here now.

What should I do next?

My father has experience in judo and likes watching all kinds of martial arts.
I have acquaintances who used to do shooting, some who were soccer supporters, and others who played tennis throughout middle school, high school, and college.
On social media, people recommended that I watch table tennis and soccer matches.

With that kind of feeling, if I look around, the gateways to sports spectating are everywhere for me.

It's not that I'm not interested.
I want to see something, I want to feel that it's fun.

I have those kinds of feelings as well.

Therefore, I hope to be able to make time for "sports spectating" as appropriate from here on out.
Of course, it's difficult to suddenly start watching tons of it.
Gradually, though.

That's why, you see.
I want a rulebook for every sport in existence that's like, "Easy Enough for a Noob! An Introduction to XX".

No, seriously, the existence of that Kabaddi program was huge!
Now more than ever, I realize how much it really hit home; it was written in a way that was incredibly easy to understand.

I wish they would put introductory rulebooks at every sports venue and streaming site. I guess that's impossible, though.

Grasping the rules also simply satisfies your thirst for knowledge, after all. It's easier to absorb if you read while watching, so I'd want to keep one in my hand at all times.
Card game anime also feel more interesting once you understand the rules of the cards.

If you have someone you want to introduce to sports spectating, making a handmade introductory guide might be a good idea.

↓ The official channel of the Japan Kabaddi Association. They also stream matches.

↓ The program I was seriously grateful for. I'll post it one more time.