Kabaddi! Kabaddi! Kabaddi!

Right, now I’ve got your attention, listen up. I’m the new Sport editor, I love playing sports, I love writing about sports, and right now I’m writing about one sport most of you probably haven’t heard of (including myself until a week ago). Apologies in advance for those expecting a heroic sports story, I’m more likely to star in The Benchwarmers than The Mighty Ducks.

Kabaddi is what I might call a fusion sport. It brings back memories of playground games of tag whilst maintaining the gentlemanly manner of rugby. Two teams of seven face off across a space roughly the size of half a tennis court, with the end goal of tagging as many of the opposing team as possible during solo raids without getting wrestled to the ground. Points are scored for successful tags as well as a sturdy defence.Sounds simple enough, right?

It’s a Wednesday afternoon and I find myself doing laps in a small exercise room, followed by a Sun Salutation yoga stretch taken directly from Kabaddi’s Indian origins. We were taken straight into some drills where the breadth of knowledge and experience of the guys taking the session was immediately evident. Did I mention they represent their National team? These guys have a host of achievements including success in national tournaments, the first ever established Women’s Kabaddi team, and being awarded ‘Sports Club of the Year’ in 2015/16 by Sport Imperial.

A snatched touch, an escapee brought to the ground and an overweight report crossing the halfway line

The drills were efficient and informative. Everyone learns the basics and confidence grows as a result. We move into some games: teams picked with experienced players as captains. I watch as the first two teams face off, beginners given constant encouragement to get involved. Now my turn. I take the hand of the teammate I’m coupled with (part of the game I promise) and watch as an opponent makes their way across to us. Various shuffled movements lead to a snatched touch, an escapee brought to the ground and an overweight reporter crossing the halfway line in an attempt to help. I’m told this is a foul, but I’m given the benefit of the doubt. I’m given a chance to raid with little result, but I’m starting to like this unusual foray of what could be misconstrued as violent form of kiss chase, if they were to introduce mixed teams. The flow of the defence as it moves round a raider, the sudden dash as a tag is attempted, it all culminates into an enthralling experience.

You won’t see my name on the back of an England Kabaddi team shirt anytime soon, but I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed this new adventure. It’s an amazing workout, a perfect combination of camaraderie and sportsmanship and an honour to have a club with such prestige at our University. I urge you to give it a go and contact the club via the union site as soon as you’ve read the rest of the sports section.

Want to see some in action? Go along to the Kabaddi Cup hosted right here at Imperial on the 5th of November in the Great Hall – an unforgettable experience!