Photo courtesy of Maryoto Subekti
Indonesia's star athletes will take the stage this week in the 2018 Asian Games, competing in 40 sports and more than 400 events. Some of the competitors are already big names in Indonesia, like badminton stars Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir. But what about the athletes competing in events most Indonesians have never even heard of? Events like kabaddi?Ni Ketut Puspasari is competing in kabaddi this year, alongside her teammates from Bali. What is kabaddi? It's a sport originating from India that only recently hit Bali, gaining a small following after the island hosted the first ever Asian Beach Games, back in 2008.I watched some videos on YouTube to try to understand what the game was about, but sort of ended up just as confused. It seemed to be about holding hand, chanting, and holding your breath. It also looked really, really intense.It's sort of like an intense game of adult tag, and it's also really exciting to watch. But I wanted to know more, so I called up Puspasari, Puspa to her friends, to ask about how she got into the sport in the first place and what if feels like to be heading to the Asian Games.VICE: This year is the national team's first time competing in the Asian Games. How do you feel?
Ni Ketut Puspasari: It feels amazing. The organizers have been dedicated and determined in getting us to compete in the Asian Games this year, even up to this second. It's amazing how hard they've fought for us. Since 2008, they've fought for us, and this year we're finally able to compete.How did you even hear about kabaddi, and at what point did you decide that you wanted to become a kabaddi player?
I first heard about kabaddi from the Bali PGRI Teaching and Education Institute (IKIP PDRI). I started playing it when it was introduced to us by the dean, the professors, and also my friends on campus. Then there were tryouts. It was a process. We trained for some time, and then there were tryouts again during the second semester. There were quite a few rounds during the selection phase.I decided to play kabaddi in 2009. I've always loved playing sports. Before I started playing kabaddi, I was already a runner. I wanted to try a new sport, and kabaddi really is interesting. Playing the game is equally frustrating and exciting.
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When you tell people you are competing in the Asian Games, do they know what kabaddi is?
By now, a lot of people in Bali know about kabaddi, actually. I do have some friends who would still ask, "What's kabaddi?"Why is kabaddi only popular in Bali, and not in other parts of Indonesia?
That's because Bali hosted the Asian Beach Games in 2008, and they appointed the faculty from Bali PGRI Teaching and Education Institute. So it first started out in Denpasar, Bali. Then, after a couple of years, students from Undiksha Buleleng Bali also joined us. From there, we started developing it in other districts. The organizers have also been very persistent in developing kabaddi throughout these other provinces.I heard that when you're playing as a raider, you're supposed to hold your breath the entire time.
They take breaths when they say, "Kabaddi." Actually, we control our breathing when we chant "kabaddi." So while we're playing as a raider, we control our breath by chanting "Kabaddi, kabaddi" as we attack. It’s how we control our breathing as we chant "kabaddi” throughout the 30 seconds that we're attacking.So what's up with the hand-holding?
Holding hands with your teammates is useful when we're trying to catch our opponent. We usually try to catch the opponent in pairs, since there would be one raider and seven of us in defense.
While we were there, in the mornings we would did physical training and practicing the different techniques. Then, in the afternoons we played against the local clubs. That was our routine for the three weeks that we were there, almost a whole month. Mostly we were learning techniques. They taught us what the correct techniques were, how we should build on teamwork, things like that.There were moments when it was hard. When we first got there, we realized how hot the weather was. Even breathing became hard. Even if when you were just standing still, you would still be sweating.Can you tell me more about when you played against the Indian national team?
There was a championship in Patna, India in 2012. That was amazing, I was so proud to be able to go against India, since India is the toughest opponent. At that time, the entire stadium was filled with spectators. They even had to put up a large screen outside of the stadium. Thousands watched the match. Recently in May, we also competed in a championship hosted in Malaysia. In the semi-finals, we faced India again. We ended up earning the third place.When you’re watching kabaddi and you’re not playing on the field yourself, what do you think makes the game interesting to watch?
The most interesting thing about this game is when a raider or someone on defense is able to score a point, and is able to retain that point. The most frustrating but equally exciting thing is watching how someone on defense is able to make sure that a raider doesn't escape them. Waiting for that perfect timing.How many times do you think you've said the word kabaddi in your lifetime?
[Laughs] I've said the word kabaddi so many times, it's probably impossible to count. Because each time we play the game, we chant, "Kabaddi… kabaddi…" This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Ni Ketut Puspasari: It feels amazing. The organizers have been dedicated and determined in getting us to compete in the Asian Games this year, even up to this second. It's amazing how hard they've fought for us. Since 2008, they've fought for us, and this year we're finally able to compete.How did you even hear about kabaddi, and at what point did you decide that you wanted to become a kabaddi player?
I first heard about kabaddi from the Bali PGRI Teaching and Education Institute (IKIP PDRI). I started playing it when it was introduced to us by the dean, the professors, and also my friends on campus. Then there were tryouts. It was a process. We trained for some time, and then there were tryouts again during the second semester. There were quite a few rounds during the selection phase.I decided to play kabaddi in 2009. I've always loved playing sports. Before I started playing kabaddi, I was already a runner. I wanted to try a new sport, and kabaddi really is interesting. Playing the game is equally frustrating and exciting.
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When you tell people you are competing in the Asian Games, do they know what kabaddi is?
By now, a lot of people in Bali know about kabaddi, actually. I do have some friends who would still ask, "What's kabaddi?"Why is kabaddi only popular in Bali, and not in other parts of Indonesia?
That's because Bali hosted the Asian Beach Games in 2008, and they appointed the faculty from Bali PGRI Teaching and Education Institute. So it first started out in Denpasar, Bali. Then, after a couple of years, students from Undiksha Buleleng Bali also joined us. From there, we started developing it in other districts. The organizers have also been very persistent in developing kabaddi throughout these other provinces.I heard that when you're playing as a raider, you're supposed to hold your breath the entire time.
They take breaths when they say, "Kabaddi." Actually, we control our breathing when we chant "kabaddi." So while we're playing as a raider, we control our breath by chanting "Kabaddi, kabaddi" as we attack. It’s how we control our breathing as we chant "kabaddi” throughout the 30 seconds that we're attacking.So what's up with the hand-holding?
Holding hands with your teammates is useful when we're trying to catch our opponent. We usually try to catch the opponent in pairs, since there would be one raider and seven of us in defense.
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You’ve just returned from a training camp in India. What was that like?
While we were there, in the mornings we would did physical training and practicing the different techniques. Then, in the afternoons we played against the local clubs. That was our routine for the three weeks that we were there, almost a whole month. Mostly we were learning techniques. They taught us what the correct techniques were, how we should build on teamwork, things like that.There were moments when it was hard. When we first got there, we realized how hot the weather was. Even breathing became hard. Even if when you were just standing still, you would still be sweating.Can you tell me more about when you played against the Indian national team?
There was a championship in Patna, India in 2012. That was amazing, I was so proud to be able to go against India, since India is the toughest opponent. At that time, the entire stadium was filled with spectators. They even had to put up a large screen outside of the stadium. Thousands watched the match. Recently in May, we also competed in a championship hosted in Malaysia. In the semi-finals, we faced India again. We ended up earning the third place.When you’re watching kabaddi and you’re not playing on the field yourself, what do you think makes the game interesting to watch?
The most interesting thing about this game is when a raider or someone on defense is able to score a point, and is able to retain that point. The most frustrating but equally exciting thing is watching how someone on defense is able to make sure that a raider doesn't escape them. Waiting for that perfect timing.How many times do you think you've said the word kabaddi in your lifetime?
[Laughs] I've said the word kabaddi so many times, it's probably impossible to count. Because each time we play the game, we chant, "Kabaddi… kabaddi…" This interview has been edited for length and clarity.