Kabaddi is basically a combative two team sport, with four players on each side; it is played for a period of either 15 or 20 minutes with a 5 minutes break.

The core idea of the game is to score points by raiding into the opponent's court and touching, tagging or wrestling as many defence players as possible without getting caught while holding their breath.

The raider must then return to his half of the court on the same breath. The defenders would have formed a chain for example by linking arms, if this is broken then a member of that team is sent off.

If the raider runs out of breath then they are sent off. Every time a player goes out the opposition gain a point. The team with the most points will be declared the winner.

The name, sometimes chanted during a game, derives from a Hindi word meaning "holding of breath", which is a part of the game.

Kabaddi was incorporated into the Asian Games in 1990, the Asian Indoor Games in 2007 and the Asian Beach Games in 2008.