Kabaddi sounds like an alien’s name to most Indonesians. But the concept of the sport is not entirely strange as it shares many similarities with a traditional game that goes by various names here. Some call it Gobak Sodor or Galasin, which many children across the country used to play.

Played on a court of 10 meters by 13 m and divided into two, the two competing teams consist of seven members, with five substitutes. The court is slightly smaller for women.

One game of this body-contact sport lasts 40 minutes, split into 20 minutes halves for men, whereas the women’s match lasts 30 minutes, with 15 minutes in each half. The team that scores the most points wins the game.

To earn points, a team is given 30 seconds to take turns to send an offensive player, called a raider, to run into the opposing team’s half of the court and touch the line, which is guarded by seven defenders. If the raider comes back to his own half, his team scores a point.

Meanwhile, on the offensive side, the raider has to chant the word “kabaddi” as loud as possible to confirm to referees that the raid was conducted in a single breath.

On the other hand, a point will be given to the opposing team if the raider is tackled or caught by the defenders during the raid and fails to touch the line with any part of their body. Once caught, the raider is given five seconds to escape. Failing to escape will send the raider off the court until their team scores.

The raider can earn more points if, during the raid, he or she tags out defenders and returns to their half of the court, all while avoiding being tackled by the defenders. The number of points earned equals the number of opponents tagging out, which is why defenders will refrain from being too aggressive to stop the raider if they think that the raider cannot return safely.

Defenders who grab the raider but fail to prevent him or her from returning to their own half will be grounded too.

Players are allowed to utilize any parts of their body to touch or bring down the opponents, including by grappling and tackling. But an intention to injure, such as striking and kicking, will result in a warning from the referee.

A match is officiated by various people — one referee, two assistant scorers, two umpires, one scorer, two table officials and two line umpires.

The 2018 Asian Games now underway mark Indonesia’s first-ever participation in the sport.

India, widely reputed as the birthplace of the sport, is a dominating force, winning all available gold medals for both men’s and women’s categories since its inception as a medal sport in 1990 for men and 2010 for women.

“In India, every child plays it. It doesn’t have to be [played] above a mattress, but anywhere so that everyone can afford to play the sport,” Indonesian head coach Chhaju Ram Goyat, a former Indian coach, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday at the Garuda Theatre in Taman Mini Indonesia (TMII) in East Jakarta, the venue of the Kabaddi event.

The sport is also popular in other Southeast Asian countries, such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, as well as Iran, which also claims to be the origin of the ancient sport.

“The sport requires strength, agility, speed, stamina and other physical traits. But intelligence to execute strategy and read the opposition’s movement also play pivotal roles.

“Indonesian athletes need more time to get the sense of the game,” Goyat said after his side defeated Malaysia 30-22.

The Indonesian Kabaddi team underwent a five-month intensive training prior to Games. The national men’s team is capable of contributing a medal if it survives the group stage. The team has collected six points after three wins and one loss, and it will need to beat Iran on Wednesday to qualify for the semifinals. In the other group, India, Sri Lanka and South Korea are battling for the other two semifinal slots.

Kabaddi began to gain traction in Indonesia in 2008, when it competed in the 2008 Asian Beach Games in Bali, said Adika Made Sukawan, the Indonesian Kabaddi team manager. In fact, Bali contributes the most to the national Kabaddi team lineups.