This Week In Weird Sports: Kabaddi

It’s Red Rover for grownups.

If you want the truth, Kabaddi, the national game of Iran and Bangladesh, is pretty confusing. On one hand it’s like red rover. Two team line up facing each other and send a “raider” over to the other side, where the defending team has formed a chain by linking hands. One of the members of the chain-linking team tries to tackle or or “confine” the raider before he can break the chain. If the chain is broken, the other team loses a member (not an arm or leg, a member of their team. Although Iran may play by slightly different rules.) Then, to make things really impossible to figure out, the raider is sent off if he takes a breath before returning to his side. Yeah, I don’t get it either.

Instead of reading about it, just watch this video to fully comprehend the power that is Kabaddi. (Or go to your local playground.)