Waseda WeeklyWaseda Weekly

Say "Kabaddi" and head to the enemy's territory! The speed at which you can score points on both offense and defense is appealing
"Waseda University Kabaddi Club"

Chief Secretary: Daigoro Kashiwaru, 3rd year student School of Law

The Waseda University Kabaddi Club works hard every day with our teammates to win the National Student Kabaddi Championship, which is held every February, through Kabaddi, a sport that originated in India and has a history of thousands of years. They work on a wide range of activities, from physical fitness to practical training, and regularly participate in tournaments under the team name "WASEDA MONSTARS." They have achieved great results, including winning the 2024 student tournament.

Kabaddi is a seven-player team sport that is a combination of tag and dodgeball, and requires physical strength, tactics, and teamwork.

• An attacking player enters the enemy's territory while repeatedly shouting "Kabaddi" and scores if he or she can touch a defending player and return to their own territory. The defending team scores by capturing and stopping the attacking player.
• If a defensive player is touched, they are out, and if an offensive player is caught, they are out and must wait outside the court. When a team scores a point on offense or defense, the number of players equal to the score can return to the court. Also, if all members of a team are out, the team loses two points and all members return to the court.
• The team that scores the most points within the game time wins.

The speed and tension of the game as offense and defense switch places is fun, and the unique rules of the game, where players keep saying "Kabaddi" as they fight, and the number of players on the defensive side can be increased from 1 to 7, allowing players to increase their points even on defense. What makes the game so interesting is that players can win with ingenuity and teamwork, regardless of their physique or experience.

Left: A scene from a practice match. The entire defensive team tries to hold back a large offensive player (wearing a white and navy blue uniform).
Right: Seniors and juniors alike exchange opinions and strive for victory

Kabaddi is not yet very popular in Japan, so most of our members are beginners. Regardless of your athletic experience, everyone can join practice and even play in matches. Many of our members joined just to get some light exercise, and we can all play at our own pace, so the joy of growing together with our friends is something special!

I myself belonged to a sports club that had nothing to do with Kabaddi in my junior and senior high school days, and only found out about Kabaddi after I entered university. I joined the club at the end of June in my first year of university, and started to participate in practice in earnest in September, which was a little late, but I have been able to deepen my friendships with my classmates, Alumnus, and alumni, and I am enjoying my days to the fullest.

The 2024 All Japan Kabaddi Championship. The Waseda Monsters are wearing crimson uniforms.
Left: Waseda is attacking the opponent's territory. They touch the opponent with their hands or feet.
Right: During the defensive turn, the opponent is trying to hold back an attack.

Win the 2024 National Student Kabaddi Championship!

Currently, the number of members of the Kabaddi Club is small, about 3-6 people per year, but because of this, there are no barriers between years, and the vertical connections are very strong, which is one of its charms. Outside of practice, student club members are very active in interacting with each other, going out to eat and having fun, and they are so close that all students participated in the graduation trip for fourth-year students, and they also plan events that can only be done with a small number of members. In addition, there is a adult team that was set up mainly by Alumnus, and it is a place where you can feel the possibility of your friends from your school days becoming lifelong friends.

March 2025: Graduation trip to Kumamoto Prefecture
Left: A photo taken during a dolphin watching tour
Right: At Kamishikimikumanoza Shrine

We are looking for new members all year round, and we are always accepting visits and trial sessions on practice days! If you are even slightly interested, please send us a DM on X or our official Instagram account.

Waseda University Kabaddi Club!
We had practice at Furusato Senkawakan again today!
The first-year students' nice plays are starting to stand out during practice sessions!
We are still accepting trial lessons, so if you are even slightly interested, please contact us!
#kabaddi #newsteam #Waseda #intercollegiate #2ndyearpic.twitter.com / un5J3tdxWH

— Waseda Kabaddi/WASEDA MONSTERS (@wasedamonsters) May 31, 2025

From a post by X of the Waseda University Kabaddi Club

[Official student club Information]
◆ student club name: Waseda University Kabaddi Club
◆ Group classification: Clubs
◆ Year student club was founded: 2015
◆ Genre: Sports
◆ Activity date and time: 2-3 times a week (mainly on weekends)
◆ Number of participants: Approximately 30 people (3 to 6 people in each grade)
◆ Location: Nearby parks, such as Furusato Senkawakan (Toshima Ward) and Waseda Arena (multipurpose sports field)
◆Instagram:@wasedamonstar_kabaddi
◆ X:@wasedamonstar_kabaddi