Kabaddi is a contact team sport that is similar to the game of tag. The game features two teams of seven players that take turns trying to score points by raiding each other's territory. Popular in the Indian subcontinent and surrounding Asian countries, kabaddi has its own professional league and now an anime based on the sport.
In Burning Kabaddi, ex-star soccer player Yoigoshi Tatsuya is forced to join his school's kabaddi team after losing a bet. While at first he bemoans having to join the team, over time he learns to enjoy the competition of his new sport.
10 The Ankle Hold
One of the most important defensive techniques in kabaddi is the ankle hold. This is executed by a defender grabbing onto an escaping raider's ankle to take them off balance or preventing them from moving.
The move sounds simple, but it is very difficult to pull off in a match. Defenders must have a strong grip on the raider's ankle, or risk letting the raider pull free. Souma Azemichi was able to land an ankle hold on Yoigoshi during their one-on-one match, which won him the match and forced Yoigoshi to join the kabaddi team.
9 Chain Tackles
The chain tackle is another classic defensive technique used in kabaddi. To create a chain, at least two defenders hold each other's hands, thereby creating a net that can be used to trip or catch the opposing team's raider.
Chains can be formed with either two defenders or all seven defenders, but pro leagues most commonly use two defenders to form a chain. In their practices, Kei Iura, Kyouhei Misumi, and Shiji Date frequently use the chain technique as a primary defensive technique to great effect against Yoigoshi and Azemichi.
8 The Toe Touch
The toe touch is an offensive technique used by raiders to quickly score points and catch defenders off guard. To land a toe touch, the raider simply extends one of their legs and taps a defender with their toe. It is a popular move because the raider can then push off of that toe and sprint toward their own side of the court and win a point.
In a practice match against his seniors, Yoigoshi landed a toe touch on Date after catching the defenders off guard with his "hat trick" strategy. It was a brilliant strategy and perfectly executed, and only slightly marred by the fact that Yoigoshi tripped on his own shoelaces before he could retreat to the attacker's side of the court.
7 The Hand Touch
More than any other technique in a raider's arsenal, no technique is as popular or more commonly used than the hand touch. As the name implies, a hand touch occurs when the raider touches a defender with his outstretched hand, thereby scoring a point.
A hand touch occurs if the attacker even touches a hair on a defender's head. Fast reflexes and creativity are needed to both secure and evade a hand touch, and there are many varieties of the technique used in competition. To become a pro at kabaddi, mastering the hand touch is an essential step that all players must learn.
6 The Importance of Defense
There is a popular saying in many sports that "defense wins championships," and this saying also holds true in kabaddi. While the team on defense may only score a single point by tackling a raider, a raider can easily score multiple points during a single raid, meaning that a solid defense is critical to preventing the attacking team from scoring points.
Despite his preference for raiding over defending, Yoigoshi quickly realized that defense is the most important element of the sport. He and Azemichi were getting creamed by their seniors in practice until they started coordinating their defense better and taking that element of the sport more seriously.
5 The Importance of Teamwork
While individually talented players may help a team with poor teamwork win some games, it takes teamwork to elevate a good team to a great team. In kabaddi, although raiders attack individually, defenses must work together to stop the raider from scoring points, and this takes excellent coordination and timing.
At first, Yoigoshi is a bad teammate, as he tries to order Azemichi around and dictate how the game should be played. He was too used to being a lone wolf from his days playing soccer when he was the most talented individual on the field and didn't know how to be a team player. Slowly, he has started to learn to work together with his teammates and trust in their experience and judgment.
4 Raider Chanting Kabaddi
In kabaddi, the raider must complete their raid in one breath, and a second breath will result in a failed raid. Over time, it has become customary for raiders to chant the word "kabaddi" over and over again out loud to ensure that they are not cheating and taking a second breath.
While the chanting may seem strange to people unfamiliar with the sport, it does have several practical purposes. Skilled attackers can change their intonation and pitch with the chant to fool defenders into making a wrong move, which is something that Yoigoshi quickly realized shortly after he started playing kabaddi.
3 Sport Terminology
Overall, Burning Kabaddi does an excellent job nailing the different terminology used in kabaddi. There are many unique terms used in the sport to allude to specific rules or techniques, and many of the most popular terms are represented in the anime.
For example, it accurately depicts a raid when the raider attempts to score points against the defending team, and a struggle as when the raider makes contact with a defender. The different techniques, from the toe touch to the ankle hold, are all represented and give fans a fairly accurate depiction of what professional kabaddi actually looks like in the real world.
2 Kabaddi Shoes
Kabaddi is a sport that does not require any equipment other than people to play and a space to play the game. However, there is one piece of gear that every professional kabaddi player does wear in competition, and that is a pair of proper kabaddi shoes.
Upon hearing that kabaddi players wear special shoes, Yoigoshi can barely suppress his surprise, but there is actually a good reason for players to wear particular shoes. Shoes with a high collar support players' ankles, and a solid grip on the sole gives players traction so they can quickly change direction without slipping.
1 Fitness Required
Fans of the anime who have never watched professional kabaddi before would be forgiven for thinking it is just a simple game of tag. However, the truth is professional kabaddi players are more akin to high-level athletes than kids playing tag on the playground.
Yoigoshi's teammates on the Noukin High School kabaddi team are all in excellent shape. Azemichi and Date are both shredded, and even the more slender Iura and Masato Ojo possess quick reflexes and are brilliant form. Kabaddi is a contact sport that is physically demanding, so it's no wonder that players would develop serious muscle and endurance over an extended period of playing the game.
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