Russian folk games. quila

Russian traditional ball games have at least a thousand years of history. This is evidenced by archaeological excavations in Novgorod, which discovered leather stuffed balls dating back to the 10-15th century.

The variety of games is determined by their different nature, belonging to a certain social group and the role they played in society: starting with educational games for children; games aimed at communication between young people; leisure games for the elderly, etc.

Among them, a purely male contact game called "KILA".

One of the first figurative fixations of the Russian traditional team game with a ball, the dimensions of which correspond to ethnographic descriptions of the game of kilu, was made by a German engraver Geisler G. H. Christian in 1793 during his travels in Russia.

The engraving is called "Das Ballspiel (ball game)".

Unfortunately, the science of "ethnography" in Russia began to develop quite late, just as the interest of the Russian intelligentsia in Russian traditional culture began to appear late, so the verbal description of the game appears only in the middle of the 19th century in "Vologda Vedomosti"(1867):

“In the winter, in the evenings, they played a ball on the streets of large villages. Both young and rather old villagers took part in this game. The ball was made of leather, tightly stuffed with tows or moss, and always of considerable size. they kicked the ball with their feet, grabbed it in their hands, and often ran with it until they met resistance from one side or the other of the players who wanted to overcome their opposing side in all sorts of manners, to catch up with the ball to the agreed place, whom there were two: on either end of the space representing the field of this ball game. The winning side began the game again, and thus it lasted two or three hours. "

Name of the game "KILA"(emphasis on the last syllable) and a description of its variant, where they play only with their feet for the first time occurs in the work Pomyalovsky N. G. "Essays of Bursa"(1862), who describes his studies in the 1840s in St. Petersburg. :

"On the left side of the courtyard, about eighty people are playing kila - a leather ball stuffed with hair the size of a human head. Two parties converged wall to wall; one of the students led the kila, slowly moving it with his feet, which was the height of art in the game, because from hard hit the ball could go in the opposite direction, to the camp of the enemy, where they would take possession of it. It was forbidden to hit from the toe - while it was possible to strike at the opponent's leg. It was forbidden to hit from the back, that is, running into the enemy’s camp and waiting for the ball to go to his side, drive it to the city - the designated line. Those who violated the rules of the game were washed their necks. - Keela! - shouted the students; this meant that the city was taken. The winners were delighted and proudly returned to their places. They are having fun".

Yampolsky in your comments to "Essays of Bursa" cites an article by a certain V. L., who met with Pomyalovsky's worker comrade, N. P. Petropavlovsky.

Petropavlovsky reports curious details about the bursak game of quila (Yampolsky I.G. Comments. // Pomyalovsky N.G. , No. 10739. V. L., apparently, is the author of the article “N. G. Pomyalovsky’s School Years” (“Historical Bulletin, 1896, No. 7):

"Pomyalovsky had a great physical force, and his favorite school game was the game of kilu, a kind of modern football. Kila was made from shoe tops, which were cut off for this from the boots of the bursat by lot, and sometimes the boots for this purpose were stolen by common forces from the clothing store of the bursa. Kila was cut out of eight shoe tops and was a large ball stuffed with hay or wool from bursat mattresses, which in the game could only be tossed with your feet. The game of quila usually took place in winter and consisted in the fact that the players were divided into two “cities”, that is, parties, and tried to throw the quila over the heads of their opponents with their feet.

He also writes about the bursac ball game P.S. Kazantsev:

“in winter they played on the pond with a leather ball, stuffed with hay, the size of a large head; wall to wall, they fought it off each other.

From the Tenishevsky archive (Vytegorsky district of the Olonetsk province, 1899) we learn a different version of the kila, which formed the basis of the modern kila with its distinctive feature of dividing the game process into two levels "ground" and "air":

"In the Nikulinskaya volost, on the last day of the oil ... a real battle is arranged, which is called a ball game. Representatives of two or more villages converge.<…>And now two crowds of men and adult guys come out onto the river, 30-40 people each crowd, they designate places to which the ball should be driven. The ball is sewn from leather and stuffed with hair; the size of the ball is usually the size of a large watermelon. Crowds of fighters stand on the river opposite the middle of the village, one crowd tries to drive the ball behind the village in one direction, and the opposing crowd ... behind the village in the opposite direction. The ball is thrown, everyone rushes at it and starts kicking it. The players converge chest to chest. But then the ball jumped out to the side, some daring person picks it up and tries to run away with it to the goal, but everyone rushes after it and if they catch up, the opponents hit it with their fists, the party members defend it and hit the opponents. The ball is knocked out of the hands - again it is kicked. All playing at the end of the village, not far from the goal; the conquering side triumphs, their patron walks on the shore and arrogantly says to his opponent: “What, brother Ivan Fedorovich, will we do with KILA for this year.” The losers retreat, and the winners shout to them: "KILA, KILA, KILA!" So the whole year the vanquished are called kilovniks. This is a very offensive, humiliating nickname ... ".

In the recent history of Russia, Doctor of Historical Sciences wrote about the keel. B.V. Gorbunov in his historical and ethnographic research "Military Competitive Game Tradition in Russian Folk Culture"(1999):

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“According to the news from Demyansk district, Novgorod province, here in the ball game “one party is trying with all its might to defeat the other, shouting, encouraging or reproaching each other, trying to topple the enemy, and each time the victorious party shouts furiously and for a long time: “Kila! "

Russian historian, ethnographer and ethnopedagogue Kolchev Viktor Yurievich basic historical information about the keel was collected and in the summer of 2012 the first trial game was held in Moscow in the Kolomenskoye park at the festival "Times and Epochs".

It was there that he met Keela Dmitry Chernyak, subsequently set on fire with the idea to revive the traditional Russian game already as modern look sports and develop to the level of a national sport.

Since then, work has begun on adapting the old game to the modern world.

A new page in the history of the revival of the kila was opened on August 24, 2014 in the city of Krasnoznamensk (Moscow region).

The game was played according to rules developed on the basis of ethnographic and historical data, the main task in the development of which was to transform the game into a modern spectacular view sport while maintaining a unique identity.

Based on this, kicks or punches on the opponent were forbidden, which took place in the tradition, however, they sharply increased the risk of injury and reduced the dynamism of the game, while leaving the methods of struggle and power confrontation allowed.

A unique form for the players was also developed, which includes such elements of traditional clothing as onuchi and obor.

November 5, 2014 in Vladimir was held the first open tournament by keel during the festival "Rus' is alive", which was attended by 6 teams from different cities of Russia.

The game received a lot of enthusiastic feedback from the participants of the tournament, as well as from rugby fans, who called kilu "a more intelligent and dynamic game."

August 15, 2015 in Moscow at the stadium "Leader" in the park "Sokolniki" was the first major open championship in keel "Bogatyr Sich", in which 8 bands (teams) from different cities of Russia participated and the title of champions was won by the band "Titan" (Ramenskoye).

1 open keel championship "Bogatyrskaya Sich"

The championship showed the potential of quila as a spectacular and exciting game, which gave a powerful impetus to its further development.

So what is the unique feature of kila from similar team sports?

The ways of playing the game are divided into two levels: "air" and "ground". The bottom line is that while the ball is on the ground, the game is allowed only with your feet, it is forbidden to touch the ball with your hands. But, as soon as the ball is in the air, you can grab it with your hands and then throw it in any direction or carry it to the very line of the city;
-In the keel, the attack of any opponent is allowed, and not just the one who owns the ball;
-The ball is entered into the game from the city line, and not from the center of the field;
-No offside positions;
-The game uses unique terms, such as: city, gang, ataman, fight, onuchi, obor, ports, kila (the designation of taking the "city" by analogy with "goal" in football).

Fund Svetoslav | Traditional Russian Games for Maslenitsa - Moscow - 2016

Keela. Best Moments Tournament "Sober Rus'"

RULES.

1. Terms:

Qila" is the name of the traditional male game into the ball. Pronounced correctly with the accent on the last syllable.
Kila - the designation of the capture of the "city" (the analogue of "goal" in English language)
City - two opposite lines of the playing field for which the opponents need to bring the ball.
Vataga - team
Ataman - team captain
O "nuchi - white elastic bandage, wound around the ankle to the knee
Obo "ry - a rope (lace) tied over the onuch

2. Field of play:

It is a rectangle with variable sizes depending on the number of players. Size for 7v7 game: length 40m, width 18m (for 5v5 game: 30m x 15m). The boundaries of the field are indicated by lines or a rope fixed to the ground. A line is drawn in the middle of the field parallel to the city lines.
- Used herbal, artificial turf football field, sand, earth or snow cover.

3. Ball:

The game is played with a stuffed leather ball stuffed with goat hair or horse hair.
- The mass of the ball must be 2 kg.
- Ball dimensions: 26 cm diameter and 14 cm thickness.

4. Outfit:

On the feet are sneakers (or “centipede boots”), trousers of a traditional Russian cut, a white elastic bandage (onuchi) is wound over the trousers over the entire ankle to the knee, on top is a “rashguard” in the color of the gang.
- It is not allowed to use clothing or jewelry that can cause injury to an opponent.
- It is MANDATORY to use soft knee pads (like volleyball ones), elastic white bandages for the entire ankle to the knee. It is also recommended to use elastic bandages on elbow joints, protective shorts with soft inserts for pants, a mouthguard, a bandage for the inguinal region ("shell").
- It is not allowed to use boots and hard protection.

5. The essence of the game:

Take the opponent's city: that is, bring the ball over the city line;
- Taking the city is considered when the player carrying the ball steps at least one foot beyond the opponent's city line or falls with the ball in his hands so that the ball and at least one leg (foot) is behind the opponent's city line.
- Catching a ball thrown by a partner or opponent on the territory of the city is not considered to be a capture of the city.

6. Game duration:

The game is played in two (or four) fights. Each fight is limited to a five-time capture of the city of one of the rivals.

7. Start the game:

Before the start of the game, a lot is played out between two atamans to whom to start the game.
- The gang starts the game "from the ground" from the line of their city.
- Opponents of the point guard cannot go beyond the middle line of the field until the ball enters the game.

8. Ways of playing the game:

The ways of playing the game are divided into two levels: "air" and "ground". The bottom line is that while the ball is on the ground: the game is allowed only with the feet, it is forbidden to touch the ball with the hands. But, as soon as the ball is in the air, you can grab it with your hands and then throw it in any direction or carry it to the very line of the city;
- Handling the ball is allowed only when it is in the air. Touching the ball that is on the ground is prohibited. In the event of a violation of this rule, the ball passes to the opponent, who plays it with his foot from the ground from the place of the violation.

9. Released ball:

The ball that has gone out of bounds is considered to be: A - when the ball crosses the boundary of the field on the ground or in the air; B - when the player carrying the ball stepped on at least one foot on the field boundary or stepped on at least one foot outside the field boundary; at the same time, if the player is within the boundaries of the playing field with both feet, but holds the ball in his hands so that in the air the ball crosses the boundary of the field, the ball is not considered to have left;
- The ball that crossed the city line not in the hands of the attacker on the city is considered to have gone beyond the boundaries of the field and is played from the ground: A - if the ball left the player defending the city, then from the side boundary of the field at a distance of 1 m from the corner closer to which the ball crossed the line cities; B - if the ball came out from the player attacking the city, then from any point on the city line.
- The released ball is played by the opponent of the player from whom the ball left (that is, whom the ball last touched before it went out of the field of play), with a foot from the ground from the point where the ball crossed the boundary of the field.

10. Drop ball:

A dropped ball is a situation where the ball carrier falls to the ground and does not release the ball from his hands for 5 seconds. In this case, the ball goes to the opponent of the player who does not release the ball.

11. Draw violations:

All violations are played with a foot from the ground from the place of violation.

12. Permitted actions:

All actions are allowed in relation to any player, not just the one in possession of the ball.
- It is allowed to meet and push the opponent with the body;
- It is allowed to hold or grab an opponent with hands;
- Low-amplitude throws of the opponent are allowed;
- It is allowed to play ball: kick or punch, take or knock the ball from an opponent;
- The player with the ball can block the opponent with his hand (criteria: only an open hand and a pre-extended arm).

All actions are prohibited in relation to any player.

Pushing hands in the back is prohibited;
- Undercuts, trips and footholds for the opponent's legs are prohibited;
- Any intentional injury to an opponent is prohibited;
- It is forbidden to grab the neck, head or genitals;
- It is forbidden to throw the ball from the ground into your hands or from your hands onto your leg;
- Any strikes on the opponent are prohibited;
- When a player uses one of the prohibited actions, a warning is issued to the player, if the player repeats the violation, the player is removed from the field.

14. Fight on the ground:

Any fight on the ground is limited to 5 seconds. After 5 seconds, the players must rise from the ground and continue the game.

The ancient game of kila is an original Russian game of playing with a leather ball stuffed with hair or straw (similar balls were found in Novgorod excavations of the 10th-11th centuries). The game is played by two teams. The goal of the game is to throw the ball into the "city", the opponent's zone. Previously, the rules were quite strict, and the game often escalated into a fight. She was very popular at Maslenitsa and wedding festivities. Over time, kilu was almost forgotten, like many Russian games, traditions, and crafts. But thanks to enthusiasts in the 90s of the last century, the game received a rebirth.

How did the quila come about?

Kila (stress on the second syllable) is a native Russian game. Its appearance in Rus' has long been known, judging by the Novgorod excavations of the 10th-11th centuries, as a result of which similarities of leather balls stuffed with hair and groats were discovered. A documentary statement of the existence of the game appeared only at the end of the 19th century in one of the issues of the newspaper "Vologda province". The most detailed description of the rules of the game was given by the Russian writer N.G. Pomyalovsky in his work "Essays of the Bursa", in which he tells about his student period of life and about entertainment in the form of playing quila.

Qila has analogues with others game types sports. It involves two teams consisting of men who compete according to the rules. The main goal of the competition is to bring the ball into the so-called "city" (in other games - the gate, zone) of the opponent. The game shell itself gave the name to the game.

It was made of leather, stuffed with hair or straw, which gave it a special jumping ability, lightness. Each participant passed a projectile to a colleague by means of a pass. In the older version of the rules, it was allowed to play the game using hard tricks, which sometimes escalated into real fights. As a result, the quila gained the greatest popularity at Shrovetide, wedding festivities. At weddings, the rivals in the game were not residents of different villages, but male representatives of two families whose children got married.

After the mention of the game, dated 1867, a lot of time passed, the rules were forgotten, and the game itself almost sunk into oblivion. If it were not for the concerned activists: historians, philologists, athletes, who, starting from the 90s of the last century, began to cheer for the revival of the qila. Universal rules were derived, the main paraphernalia was restored. It is noteworthy that in different periods the game was called rusball, buzzball, scanball. And only in 2012 they returned the original name, the event was marked by a keel match in Moscow.

How to play quila?

The rules for playing kilu are quite simple. However, you will need to get used to it, it will take some time. Kila is a two-level game. The first level is earth, the second is air. The game starts from the first level and will continue on it when the ball falls. Players, as in football, must hit the projectile strongly and accurately to move it to the end zone, after that, in the final part, be able to get into the hands of a partner with an accurate blow in order to take the “city”.

If the game takes place at the second level, you need to handle the ball in the same way - accurately pass and be able to catch a heavy projectile when directed in your direction.

These are the main provisions, in addition to them there are a number of nuances: 1. When playing at the first level (ground), it is forbidden to take the ball in hand. 2. If the kila fell out of the hands (in particular, with an inaccurate transfer), then a single hit on the ground is necessary to pick it up, otherwise the game will continue with the feet. 3. It is allowed to push the opponent away from the ball into the body, excluding touching with the hands, grab (by the clothes) and throw. In order to avoid clothing grabs, players are advised to play bare-chested. 4. There are no restrictions on the selection of the ball. 5. You can not hit an opponent using limbs (arms, legs). 6. Uniform - free, but without the use of football boots.

The site is measured taking into account the number of players, divided into two equal parts, the lines of "cities" are marked. When the ball is put into play (strictly from the ground) by one of the teams from their "city", the other is forbidden to go beyond the middle of the entire area.

It may seem that the kila is a complete analogue of rugby. This is not entirely true, there are similarities, but the essential difference is that the ball is passed in any of the directions.

It is unlikely that in today's sporting goods stores you will be able to find a leather bag filled with straw or hair. A football or rugby ball is quite suitable for playing kila (although according to the rules the ball must weigh 2 kg, for comparison, a rugby ball weighs 400 gr.).

How is kila different from American football and rugby?

Rugby was invented in England in the 19th century, American football - in America much later.

These two games differ from each other in small nuances - passing forward (it is forbidden in rugby), special equipment (it is used in American football), the ability to pick up the ball from the ground (it is allowed in rugby), the attack of the players (in rugby - only the one with the ball ), the possibility of bringing the ball into play (not expected in American football).

Kila was born in Russia, long before rugby and American football, and accordingly has distinctive features regarding both Russian terminology and the rules of the game. In general, an outside observer can notice the main difference, striking, regarding the tactics of the game - there are no pauses in the keel, everything is subordinated to achieving a single goal - capturing the "city" and no matter which way: whether it will be clearing the players for the attacker to freely pass, whether it is a pass in any direction an unlimited number of times, whether the game is played on the ground or in the air.

quila

Characteristic
Category	team game
Inventory	leather medicine ball
Related projects
Portal: Football

quila- a kind of team sport, a Russian ball game, whose roots go back to the times of the Novgorod Republic. Quila contains elements of power martial arts, unlike traditional football, quila is played with hands and feet, not excluding other parts of the body. The goal of the game is to bring the ball into the opponent's end zone, which is located behind one of the lines of the playing field and is defended by the opponent's side.

Story

The first mentions of team ball games in Russia date back to the times of the existence of the Novgorod Republic.

A modern description of the kila was given by Professor Boris Vladimirovich Gorbunov in the historical and ethnographic study "Military Competitive Game Tradition in Russian Folk Culture" in 1999.

On May 18, 2015, in Moscow, Dmitry Alekseevich Chernyak founded the Interregional Public Organization for the Development of the Russian Traditional Game “Kila Federation”. The Kila Federation became the winner of the award of the Governor of the Moscow Region "Our Moscow Region" in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

On August 15, 2015, an open keel championship "Bogatyrskaya Sich" was held in Moscow, 8 teams from different cities of Russia were represented.

Recently, the game of kilu has become quite common during folk festivals in different regions of Russia.

Rules of the game

The game is played with leather medicine ball 25 cm in diameter and 12 cm thick, weighing 1.5 kg.

The field for the game is a rectangle with variable sizes depending on the number of players. The boundaries of the field are marked with lines or a rope fixed to the ground. A line is drawn in the middle of the field. Can be used different coatings fields, including football, earth, sand, snow, etc.

Players are equipped with sneakers, traditional Russian pants, elastic leg bandages, t-shirts and protective shirts with the team number.

The goal of the game is to take the "city" of the opponent, in other words, to bring the ball into the end zone behind the "city" line. A city is considered taken if a player is completely standing or lying behind his line (all parts of the body must be behind the line).

The game is played in 2 or 4 fights. One fight - a five-time capture of the "city" of one of the rivals. In the event of a tie, an additional bout is scheduled to determine the winner.

The draw decides which team starts the game first.

There are two ways of playing the game - "ground" and "air" - when the ball is on the ground it can only be touched with the feet, but when it is in the air you can use your hands.

The ball is considered to have gone out of bounds if it crossed the boundary line on the ground or in the air, or the player carrying the ball in his hand went out of bounds with his foot or the player with the ball in his hands touched the ground with any part of the body outside the boundary of the playing field.

The actions allowed during the game include the following: meeting and pushing the opponent with the body, holding and grabbing the opponent with the hands, low-amplitude throws of the opponent, kicking or punching the ball, taking or knocking the ball away from the opponent; hand thrusts to the chest.

Actions prohibited during the game include: actions outside the field, pushing hands in the back and shoulder, sweeps, trips and hooks with legs on the opponent’s legs, intentional injury to the opponent, grabs by the genitals, grabs of a running player by the neck and head, throwing the ball from land in his hands or from his hands to his leg, strikes at an opponent. Warnings are issued for violations, repeated violations lead to removal from the field. The struggle on the ground is limited to 5 seconds, after this time the players must rise and continue the game, if the attacking player has not risen in 5 seconds, the ball goes to the opposing team.

Competitions

Composition of the Keela Federation

President - Chernyak Dmitry Alekseevich

Notes

In Velsk, a folk festival "Bogatyr fun" was held. GTRK Pomorye.
Zaintsy play the oldest Slavic game. News of Zainsk.
Maslenitsa festivities took place in Veshnyaki. Administration of the Veshnyaki district.
Brief History of the Game Archived June 4, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Kila Federation.
The old game of Keela. Slavic tradition.
Boris Vladimirovich Gorbunov. Military Competitive Game Tradition in Russian Folk Culture: A Historical and Ethnographic Study. Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology RAS, 1999. 379 p.
Rus' is alive! Park of Culture and Leisure "Zagorodny"
Cruel Kila: three centuries ago in Rus' they invented their own rugby. 24Peace.
. sports.ru.
The open keel championship will be held on August 15 in Moscow
How Maslenitsa will be celebrated in Krasnoyarsk: where to go. NGS News.
Astrakhan youth is creative: ruffles, graffiti and the like "Igornitsa" (indefinite) (unavailable link). Retrieved 27 March 2017.

How did the quila come about?

Kila (stress on the second syllable) is a native Russian game. Its appearance in Rus' has long been known, judging by the Novgorod excavations of the 10th-11th centuries, as a result of which similarities of leather balls stuffed with hair and groats were discovered. A documentary statement of the fact of the existence of the game appeared only at the end of the 19th century in one of the issues of the newspaper “Vologda province”. The most detailed description of the rules of the game was given by the Russian writer N.G. Pomyalovsky in his work “Essays of Bursa”, in which he tells about his student period of life and about entertainment in the form of playing quila.

Qila has analogues with other team sports. It involves two teams consisting of men who compete according to the rules. The main goal of the competition is to bring the ball into the so-called "city" (in other games - the gate, zone) of the opponent. The game shell itself gave the name to the game.

The rules of past years allowed for quite tough tricks, sometimes developing into a frank scuffle. That is why the kila is so popular during Shrove Tuesday festivities and at weddings. At weddings, by the way, the teams were not divided according to the classical territorial principle - residents of one village against residents of another. Men from the families and guests of the bride were recruited into the teams against men from the families and guests of the groom. A great addition to the overall mood of fun.

“In the winter, in the evenings, balls were played in the streets of large villages. Both young and quite old villagers took part in this game. The ball was made of leather, tightly stuffed with tows or moss, and always of considerable size. Those who played the ball were divided into two parties, acting one against the other. They kicked the ball with their feet, grabbed it in their hands, and often ran with it until they met resistance from one side or the other of the players who wanted to overcome their opposing side in all sorts of manners, to catch up with the ball to the agreed place, of which there were two: on one and the other the end of the space representing the field is the game of the ball. The winning side started the game again, and thus it lasted two or three hours" Vologda Gazette (1867)

Geisler: A Pictorial Representation of the Morals of Russians and Tatars 1803. Ball game / Das Ballspiel

From the Tenishevsky archive (Vytegorsky district of the Vologda province, 1899) we learn distinguishing feature kilu games, a kind of division of the game process into two levels “ground” and “air”: “The ball is thrown, everyone rushes at it and starts to shove it with their feet. The players converge chest to chest. But then the ball jumped out to the side, some daring person picks it up and tries to run away with it to the goal, but everyone rushes after it and if they catch up, the opponents hit it with their fists, the party members defend it and hit the opponents. The ball is knocked out of the hands - again they kick it with their feet. ”

How to play quila?

The rules for playing kilu are quite simple. However, you will need to get used to it, it will take some time. Kila is a two-level game. The first level is earth, the second is air. The game starts from the first level and will continue on it when the ball falls. Players, like in football, must hit the projectile strongly and accurately to move it to the end zone, after that, in the final part, be able to get into the hands of a partner with an accurate blow in order to take the “city”.

If the game takes place at the second level, you need to handle the ball in the same way - accurately pass and be able to catch a heavy projectile when directed in your direction.

The site is measured taking into account the number of players, divided into two equal parts, the lines of “cities” are marked. When the ball is put into play (strictly from the ground) by one of the teams from their “city”, the other is prohibited from entering the middle of the entire area.

It may seem that the kila is a complete analogue of rugby. This is not entirely true, there are similarities, but the essential difference is that the ball is passed in any of the directions.

How is kila different from American football and rugby?

Rugby was invented in England in the 19th century, American football - in America much later.

These two games differ from each other in small nuances - passing forward (it is prohibited in rugby), special equipment (it is used in American football), the ability to pick up the ball from the ground (it is allowed in rugby), the attack of the players (in rugby - only the one with the ball ), the possibility of bringing the ball into play (not expected in American football).

Kila was born in Russia, long before rugby and American football, and accordingly has distinctive features regarding both Russian terminology and the rules of the game. In general, an outside observer can notice the main difference that is striking regarding the tactics of the game - there are no pauses in the keel, everything is subordinated to achieving a single goal - capturing the “city” and no matter which way: whether it will be clearing the players for the attacker to freely pass, whether it is a pass in any direction an unlimited number of times, whether the game is played on the ground or in the air.

1. Terms:

Qila' is the name of the traditional male ball game. Pronounced correctly with the accent on the last syllable.

Kila - the designation of the capture of the "city" (the analogue of "goal" in English)

City - two opposite lines of the playing field for which the opponents need to bring the ball.

Vataga - team

Ataman - team captain

O'nuchi - a white elastic bandage wound around the ankle to the knee

Ob'ry - a rope (lace) tied over the onuch

2. Field of play:

It is a rectangle with variable sizes depending on the number of players. Size for 7v7 game: length 40m, width 18m (for 5v5 game: 30m x 15m). The boundaries of the field are indicated by lines or a rope fixed to the ground. A line is drawn in the middle of the field parallel to the city lines.

Grass, artificial turf of a football field, sand, earthen or snow cover is used.

The game is played with a stuffed leather ball stuffed with goat hair or horse hair.

The mass of the ball must be 2 kg.

Ball dimensions: 26 cm diameter and 14 cm thickness.

4. Outfit:

On the feet are sneakers (or “centipede boots”), trousers of a traditional Russian cut, a white elastic bandage (onuchi) is wound over the trousers over the entire ankle to the knee, on top is a “rashguard” in the color of the gang.

Wearing clothing or jewelry that could injure an opponent is not allowed.

It is MANDATORY to use soft knee pads (volleyball type), elastic white bandages for the entire ankle to the knee. It is also recommended to use elastic bandages for the elbow joints, protective shorts with soft inserts for pants, a mouthguard, a bandage for the groin area (“shell”).

Boots and hard protection are not allowed.

5. The essence of the game:

Take the opponent's city: that is, bring the ball over the city line;

Taking the city is considered when the player carrying the ball steps over the opponent's city line with at least one foot or falls with the ball in his hands so that the ball and at least one leg (foot) is behind the opponent's city line.

Catching a ball thrown by a partner or opponent in the territory of the city is not considered to be a capture of the city.

6. Game duration:

The game is played in two (or four) fights. Each fight is limited to a five-time capture of the city of one of the rivals.

7. Start the game:

Before the start of the game, a lot is played out between two atamans to whom to start the game.

The mob starts the game “on the ground” from the line of their city.

Opponents of the point guard cannot go beyond the middle line of the field until the ball enters the game.

8. Ways of playing the game:

The ways of playing the game are divided into two levels: “air” and “ground”. The bottom line is that while the ball is on the ground: the game is allowed only with the feet, it is forbidden to touch the ball with the hands. But, as soon as the ball is in the air, you can grab it with your hands and then throw it in any direction or carry it to the very line of the city;

Grabbing the ball with your hands is only allowed when it is in the air. Touching the ball that is on the ground is prohibited. In the event of a violation of this rule, the ball passes to the opponent, who plays it with his foot from the ground from the place of the violation.

9. Released ball:

The ball that has gone out of bounds is considered to be: A - when the ball crosses the boundary of the field on the ground or in the air; B - when the player carrying the ball stepped on at least one foot on the field boundary or stepped on at least one foot outside the field boundary; at the same time, if the player is within the boundaries of the playing field with both feet, but holds the ball in his hands so that in the air the ball crosses the boundary of the field, the ball is not considered to have left;

The ball that crossed the city line not in the hands of the attacker on the city is considered to have gone beyond the boundaries of the field and is played from the ground: A - if the ball left the player defending the city, then from the side boundary of the field at a distance of 1 m from the corner closer to which the ball crossed the city line ; B - if the ball came out from the player attacking the city, then from any point on the city line.

The released ball is played by the opponent of the player from whom the ball left (that is, whom the ball last touched before it went out of bounds), with a foot from the ground from the point where the ball crossed the boundary of the field.

10. Drop ball:

A dropped ball is a situation where the ball carrier falls to the ground and does not release the ball from his hands for 5 seconds. In this case, the ball goes to the opponent of the player who does not release the ball.

11. Draw violations:

All violations are played with a foot from the ground from the place of violation.

12. Permitted actions:

All actions are allowed in relation to any player, not just the one in possession of the ball.

It is allowed to meet and push the opponent with the body;

It is allowed to hold or grab an opponent with hands;

Low-amplitude throws of the opponent are allowed;

It is allowed to play ball: kick or punch, take or knock the ball from an opponent;

The player with the ball can block the opponent with his hand (criteria: only an open palm and a pre-extended arm).

All actions are prohibited in relation to any player.

Pushing hands in the back is prohibited;

Undercuts, trips and foot hooks for the opponent's legs are prohibited;

Any intentional injury to an opponent is prohibited;

Grabs of the neck, head or genitals are prohibited;

It is forbidden to throw the ball from the ground into your hands or from your hands to your leg;

Any strikes on the opponent are prohibited;

When a player uses one of the prohibited actions, the player is warned, if the player repeats the violation, the player is removed from the field.

14. Fight on the ground:

Any fight on the ground is limited to 5 seconds. After 5 seconds, the players must rise from the ground and continue the game.

We managed to discuss both, and rugby, and, but bypassed our own folk ball game, which was practiced in Russia long years and sunk into oblivion with the advent of Soviet power. Many cultural traditions have been undeservedly forgotten, but they certainly need to be restored. After all, without the past there is no future. There is no doubt that it will not be possible to catch up with football and rugby in popularity, but it is quite possible to at least find new followers of the game who will pass on the rules of kila to their children. So, today we are getting acquainted with the kila.

Origin and pronunciation

You might think. that the word "kila" sounds similar to the English word "killer" (murderer). Although after playing the game a little, getting a couple of hard stops in the body at full speed, you can make sure that there is something in common. But in fact, the stress is placed on the last syllable of the word. KeelA. Kila appeared in Rus' a long time ago, as well as any ball games in our country. The people were so fond of chasing the ball from one village to another that they sometimes missed church services, for which the clergy pretty much scolded their negligent parishioners. So in Rus' they liked to play ball even before the arrival of the British with their notorious football.

Despite the fact that rumors about the keel have existed for a long time, documentary evidence of the existence of this type of ball game appeared only in 1867 in the issue of the Vologda Governorate newspaper. Detailed description similar rules can also be found in the "Essays of the Bursa" by the writer N.G. Pomyalovsky, where students at recess loved to drive a leather ball.

Most analogues of the kila and she herself is a competition between two teams of men according to agreed rules, the purpose of which is to bring a special leather ball into the city (village, zone, gate) of the enemy. This ball was called a kila. The leather projectile was stuffed with straw for lightness and jumping ability and flew from side to side, from hand to hand. The rules of past years allowed for quite tough tricks, sometimes developing into a frank scuffle. That is why the kila is so popular during Shrove Tuesday festivities and at weddings. At weddings, by the way, the teams were not divided according to the classical territorial principle - residents of one village against residents of another. Men from the families and guests of the bride were recruited into the teams against men from the families and guests of the groom. A great addition to the overall mood of fun. Nobody wants to try diversifying their wedding?

From the moment the rules of the game were completely forgotten, in the 90s of the last century, the restoration of lost cultural traditions began already in modern Russia, one of the steps towards which was the revival of the kila. Various social movements of historians, sportsmen, philologists and reenactors have developed universal rules of the game and restored its main attributes. Although until now the game was called differently: rusball, buzzball, scanball. And only in 2012 was the first keel match held in Moscow.

Kilu rules

To quickly understand the rules of the game, a lot of mind is not needed. But it will take time to get used to, because the killa has 2 levels of play. Both are equivalent and you need to be able to play in both levels. It's about land and air. At first, you do not understand anything, there is a continuous flickering before your eyes. The game starts on the ground and continues on it if the ball is dropped. You have to hit the ball hard and accurately in order to move forward to the end zone and at the end be able to accurately put the ball into the hands of your partner to take the city (base). In the same way, it is worth playing competently with the ball in your hands in order to accurately pass passes to partners and catch a heavy leather bag during its flight in your direction. But in addition to these fundamental points, there are many nuances in modern rules:

If the game is played on the ground, then the ball (keel) cannot be taken in hand.
If the ball (keel) fell out of the hands, or there was an inaccurate pass, the ball (keel) can hit the ground only once in order to pick it up again. Otherwise, you will have to play with your feet.
Pushes to the body (without hands), grabs (except for the neck and genitals) and throws are allowed.
Clothing grabs are allowed.
The ball (kilu) can be kicked and snatched, there are no restrictions here.
It is forbidden to hit the opponent with hands and feet.
It is forbidden to play in football boots.

You can learn more about the intricacies of the game from the video:

Otherwise, it is worth mentioning that the site is measured depending on the number of participants. After which it is divided in half, the lines of both cities are marked. During the throw of the ball by one team from its city, the second has no right to cross the middle of the common area. At the same time, throwing the ball from any standard provisions produced strictly from the ground. As recommendations, the advice to play bare-chested or in undershirts is often mentioned. The thing is that, as already mentioned, grabs for clothes are allowed, which means that unpleasant pulls on the go due to a developing T-shirt are guaranteed. Moreover, in such a situation it is easy to be left without a T-shirt at all, since it will be torn into shreds. In view of this, it is better to choose clothes that are not corny to be sorry for.

For those with rugby experience, the kila will be understandable. You will have to delve a little into some features, for example, the ball can be passed in any direction. But in general, everything is very clear and understandable. We offer you to gather your friends as part of an alternative Friday or at the weekend and try to play this traditionally Russian game. If you don't have a leather ball, try playing football, basketball, or rugby first.