PKL 2019 | Defender has to consider all possibilities before going for ankle hold, explains Nitesh Kumar

Ankle hold is one of the most important defensive moves on the kabaddi mat and the corners are the players who use this the most. Like all other defensive moves in kabaddi, the ankle hold also has a lot of aspects to it like skill, discipline, and patience. A defender has to be very careful before going for the holds and should be very sure of what he is exactly doing at that point of time. 

In a recent interview with the PKL website, Nitesh Kumar, who collected 100 tackle points last season, talked about the skill of the defender and explained the move – Ankle Hold.

“You have to read the raider really well. You have to be wary that he can use the Kick or Toe touch or even try for a Bonus. You have to consider all these possibilities before going for an Ankle Hold,” said the UP Yoddha skipper who successfully effected 49 Ankle Holds in season 6.

“We observe each raider during the match to see where he is making a mistake and what his natural movement is like. Then we ascertain which moment he will try and come deeper into the half in so that we can execute an Ankle Hold.”

Nitesh’s senior teammate Rishank Devadiga, who has been a part of the league since its inception and is considered as one of the finest raiders in the sport, spoke about the requirements of the raiders and what they should do to avoid the ankle holds.

“You always need to keep a sharp eye on the Corner, how he moves. A raider is generally most vulnerable to Ankle Holds while going for a Bonus. We work on distracting the Corner defender first before attempting a bonus point. This puts him off his timing while attempting the Ankle Hold,” explained Devadiga.