How do defenders get a raider out in kabaddi?
B · Beginner · Raiding and defending · 7 of 9Defenders put a raider out by catching them: holding the raider in their half so that the raider cannot reach home. The hold has to last until the raider loses the cant, the whistle goes or the 30 seconds run out. A catch made by a team with three or fewer defenders is called a super catch.
How it works
- A catch: the defenders "hold the raider without breach of rules of play and keep the raider in their half".
- How long: until the raider loses the cant, the referee or umpire whistles or 30 seconds of the raid are over.
- Where to hold: the limbs or the trunk. Not above the shoulders, and not by the clothes or hair.
- The score: one point to the defending team, and the raider is out.
- Everyone who touched: if the raider breaks free and gets home, every defender who made contact is out.
- Super catch: a raider caught, or out by their own error, when three or fewer defenders are defending.
- Illegal holds: the raider is declared not out, and the defender is out.
The glossary has the catch, the super catch, the ankle hold, the chain tackle, the block and the defender.
Tricky cases
Defenders hold a raider whose hand is flat on the mid line. Caught?
No. The raider has reached home if any part of the body touches their own half across the mid line. The defenders who held are out.
A raider is held for the full 30 seconds but keeps chanting. Out?
Yes. The catch is complete when the 30 seconds of the raid are over.
A team with three defenders left catches the raider. How many points?
It depends. This rule book calls it a super catch and has the scorer mark a "Super Tackle point", but no rule read states its value. In the Pro Kabaddi League a super tackle is worth one extra point.
A defender catches the raider by the collar of the shirt. Is the raider out?
No. Holding by the clothes is an unfair hold. The raider is safe and the defender is out.
Why the rule exists
A catch is a gamble for the defence. Miss, and every player who joined the hold is out. That risk is what stops seven defenders from piling on at every chance. The super catch marks the hardest version: a short-handed defence stopping a raider who has all the room.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Four or more defenders on court | A catch; one point | IKF Rule 12; 50 |
| Three or fewer defenders | A super catch | IKF Rule 19 |
| Hold above the shoulders, by clothes or hair or with a scissors | Raider not out; defender out; green card, then yellow if repeated | IKF Rule 38; 44; 66 (5) |
| Pro Kabaddi League | Super tackle earns two points in all | C; not in this book |
From the rule book
Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India, Rules and Regulations of All Forms of Kabaddi (version 2.1.0, the International Kabaddi Federation rules, 2017), Rules 12, 13, 19, 38, 44, 50 and 66. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Rules and Regulations of All Forms of Kabaddi (PDF, a scan).