Reviving the Classics: Traditional Sports Kabaddi and Sepak Takraw and Their Cultural Significance
Social media and TV are bombarded by news about cricket, football, tennis, leaving a little space for lesser-known and traditional sports. However, it is difficult to overestimate the value of the cultural heritage and the ancestral memory these sports carry. Traditional sports games are more than just leisure activities – they bear stories of generations, require skill and unite communities to watch and play together. Some, like Kabaddi or Sepak Takraw, are even available for punters, and with 1xbet download guide at the provided link anyone can place a bet right from their phone. Let’s dive into the often overlooked but significant sports for South Asian culture, explore rules and learn interesting facts from their history.
Kabaddi
Kabaddi is so ancient that even historians can’t pinpoint the origins of the game or how old it is, but its roots track back to around 4000 years ago. The modern sport was crafted from traditions, combining wrestling with a tag game, and is regulated by strict rules.
Two teams of 12 players, with only 7 on the field from each simultaneously, have exactly 20 minutes in each half to tag the opponent’s team. The sides take turns in sending their ‘raider’ to the opposing half – this player’s task is to touch as many rivals as possible and cross the midline in one breath. To prove that he’s holding breath the player must shout ‘kabaddi, kabaddi’ for the referee to hear. If the ‘raider’ was successful and able to tap the midline after tagging the opponents all of the rivals he touched leave the game, while his team gains a point for each. The points can let his team ‘resurrect’ the players already eliminated from the game. The side who has the most points by the end of the game wins.
From the villages of South Asia, Kabaddi has now become a staple discipline of Asian Games for both men and women. The sport is widely recognized as a modern view on ancient tradition that teaches teamwork, strategic thinking and endurance, highly valued by the Olympic Movement – a next goal for everyone, who appreciates Kabaddi.
Sepak Takraw
If somebody wants to see a mix of football, volleyball, gymnastics and martial arts, then Sepak Takraw is a must-watch sport. Originating in South East Asia long ago, this game shows the limits of technical skills and coordination of athletes when handling a small previously rattan, but now plastic ball.
Sepak Takraw makes two teams of three kick the ball with their feet and head over a net to the opponent side. Sounds easy, but when you see the fifth bicycle kick after the third scissor flick in the span of 2 minutes it makes you think of changing a favorite sport.
The sport requires a lot of coordination and physical fitness, but on top of that it reflects cultural values such as teamwork and respect for the opponent. France, UK, Germany and USA arrange Sepak Takraw tournaments, and the King’s Cup is held annually at Asian Games, meaning that the traditional sport is well-adapted and its popularity in the modern world is only growing.
Other Games to Look Out For in the Future:
- Lagori: Two individuals or teams need to hit a pyramid of seven stones with a ball in three tries.
- Gillidanda: An ancestor to modern baseball – with players hitting a small oval piece of wood called danda using a stick to either produce a ‘home run’ to the designated point or for a catcher to capture this object without it touching the ground. In this case, the striker is out.
- A myriad of tag options: India has countless variations for the tag fans, like Kho-Kho, Langdi, Atya-patya, Nadee-Parvat and more.
From the Streets To the Stadiums
The modern global trend is to celebrate the traditions, including the sports games, bringing together the participants from all around the globe to play at international tournaments and championships. Preserving the memories of the past helps in building the future: the gap between the cultures reduces when everyone speaks the unified language – the sports partnership.
The excitement for new viewers, who have just discovered Kabaddi or Sepak Takraw is immeasurable: it’s like opening an untouched world, full of new traditions, rules, and customs to uncover and enjoy.
Some of us might be surprised, how a simple game of tag we played in childhood can become so nuanced and grow into a professional sport. But embracing the cultural code to the max makes a mere physical entertainment cherished by numerous countries and performed on the national level. So who knows, maybe next time your favorite game growing up will become a domestic phenomenon and develop a league system around it?