In the beach at Kuzhupilly, among the throng of visitors, a few girls are busy warming up. They jog and stretch with discipline. Then, as they start stirring up the sand, one can hear the repeating chant — kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi….
A practice session for beach kabaddi is underway here. Their coach, 45-year-old Omar Shereef, a veteran player who was part of the 2008 Asian Beach Games gold-winning Indian team, watches on, correcting mistakes and suggesting strategies.
“The girls’ team is preparing for the upcoming State Beach Kabaddi Championship,” he says. Notably, teams coached by Shereef have been winning the district-level games for the past few years. This year, the team’s aim is gold.
“The game is intense. They need strength, speed, strategy, and a bit of luck. Balancing both speed and dexterity in the sand is a bit difficult, after all,” says Shereef, an India Post official who runs Paravur Kabaddi Academy.
Kabaddi is gaining popularity compared to pre-pandemic times, he explains. “With Pro Kabaddi kicking up a storm, and the nature of the game itself changing, it’s more visible than when I started out,” he says.
“Now indoor Kabaddi is played with shoes on a special mat. Much more interesting to watch for an audience.”
Shereef currently trains about 45 girls and 20 boys, from sub-junior to university levels. What sets Shereef’s academy apart is that his training is free.
“The reality is that Kabaddi has just started gaining popularity. And unlike football and cricket, most students who play it are from low-income, marginalised communities. They cannot pay for coaching in hi-tech centres,” he says.
So, as a professional Kabaddi player who is passionate about the game, he decided to nurture the students. The only ask: train properly and study well.
The training is a daily affair. Every day, after he finishes his work at the postal department, he gets into coaching mode. By then, the students assemble after school.
“The training location changes from many beaches to school and college grounds. Now, we are training for the State Beach Kabaddi Championship. Currently an amateur tournament organised by the KMEA Engineering College (Pookkattupady) is going on. It will conclude on Saturday. Girls and boys from my academy are part of the tournament. So it’s been a busy couple of months,” Shereef says, his eyes focused on the girls practising.
Shereef has been playing kabaddi since he was 18 — first for his college team.
The beginning was quite coincidental. A few of his friends were in the kabaddi team and they invited him one day for practice. “I fell in love with it,” smiles Shereef.
Soon, he rose through the ranks and became a national player. “Now, I can’t live without it,” he adds. Last year, he captained the India Post Kerala circle team, which won the national championship held in Shimla.
“I just love this game,” he says, when asked how he manages all these daily duties. And it’s this love that he wants to spread among the children — a passion for a game that has made a comeback.
However, he adds, some join under him as kabaddi is a good medium for fitness. “Strength training, cardio, overall fitness — kabaddi is good for all, to maintain fitness goals of both adults and children,” he highlights.
Above all, Shereef believes in the community and healing power of sports. “In today’s world, especially amid the rising concerns of drugs, we need sports more than ever. We should not gatekeep facilities. This is one way in which I am contributing. After all, kabaddi itself is an addiction — a healthy one,” Shereef smiles.
Paravur Kabaddi
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