What tackles are illegal in kabaddi?
A · Advanced · Fouls, officials and ties · 2 of 4A defender may hold a raider only by the limbs or the trunk. Holding above the shoulders, by the clothes or by the hair is illegal, and so are scissoring with the legs, violent tackling and covering the raider's mouth to stop the cant. The raider is declared not out and the defender is out.
How it works
- Legal holds: the raider's limbs and trunk.
- Above the shoulders: no player, raider or defender, may be deliberately held there. "The one who violates the rule will be declared OUT."
- Clothes and hair: not to be used to stop the raider.
- Scissoring: no hold "with the help of scissors operated by legs".
- Stifling: defenders must not shut the raider's mouth, or their throat, to break the cant.
- Violent tackling: no tackle that may lead to injury.
- The decision: the defender is out and the raider is safe.
- The card: a green card the first time, a yellow card if it is repeated.
The glossary has the catch, the ankle hold, the chain tackle, the warning cards, the cant and the out player.
Tricky cases
A defender brings the raider down with an arm round the neck. Is the raider out?
No. A deliberate hold above the shoulders makes the raider not out, and the defender is out.
A defender covers the raider's mouth and the chant stops. Out for losing the cant?
No. Stifling the cant is an unfair hold. The raider is not out and the defender is carded.
A defender grips the raider's ankle with both hands. Legal?
Yes. The ankle is part of a limb, and the ankle hold is one of the standard catches.
Can a raider be penalised for a dangerous hold?
Yes. The rule on holds above the shoulders covers "a raider or defender", and whoever breaks it is out.
Why the rule exists
Kabaddi asks several players to bring down one, at speed, with no padding. The rules keep the holds to the parts of the body that can take them. The ban on stifling protects the game's own logic as well: a raider must lose the cant by running out of breath or time, not by having a hand put over their mouth.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hold on the limbs or trunk | A legal catch | IKF Rule 12; 66 (5) |
| Hold above the shoulders | The offender is out; a held raider is not out | IKF Rule 44 |
| Scissoring, stifling, violent tackling, unfair means | Raider not out; a warning card | IKF Rule 38 |
| First offence | Green card | IKF Rule 66 (5) |
| Repeated | Yellow card: two minutes off and a technical point | IKF Rule 66 (5); 65b |
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 38, 44, 65 and 66 and the Technical Officials chapter, paragraph 6. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Rules and Regulations of All Forms of Kabaddi (PDF, a scan).