SARAWAK’s kabaddi teams are setting practical goals for the Malaysian Games (Sukma) that will take place in Malacca next week.
Coach Wamamna Muniandy said they aimed for third or fourth placing for the girls team and to make it to the quarter finals for the boys.
Tiring sport: The boys team training for the Sukma.
He said these targets were decided upon based on the group matches in which the Sarawak boys were underdogs compared to the teams from Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Negri Sembilan during the preliminary rounds.
The girl’s team stood a better chance as they were placed in group A where they will meet Perak, Perlis and Malacca.
“This is the first time our kabaddi team is playing in a serious competition whereas the other states have been exposed to several other competitions in the past.
“What we lack here are friendly matches. Since kabaddi is very new to Sarawak, we need exposure to pick up on the different techniques and tactics,” he said.
Wamamna, a Sarawakian who has two years experience playing kabaddi with the Selangor team, expects the state team to pick up in strength in the next two years with intensive training and more meets with other teams.
As preparation, he said he made the players watch footage of kabaddi games played at the Asian Games 2006 and run through various strategies and tactics.
“In Kabaddi, each players needs to be good as they all have to take turns in playing the raider instead of just being in the defence,” he said.
He said the game, which requires great stamina, would require the boys to play non-stop for 20 minutes each in the two halves while for the girls it was 15 minutes in each half.
Nevertheless, he believed the teams would pick up soon, given the discipline and passion shown by the players.
The teams comprising 10 players each, all aged under 23 years, will leave for Malacca on June 6.
This is the first time that kabaddi is an event in Sukma.
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