Kila is a Russian folk ball game. Russian folk games

Russian traditional ball games go back at least a thousand years. 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 particular social group and the role they played in society: starting with educational games for children; games aimed at communication of young people with each other; leisure games for the elderly, etc.

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

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

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

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

“In the winter, in the evenings on the streets of large villages, they played the ball. Both young and rather elderly people took part in this game. The ball was made of leather, tightly packed with tows or moss, and was always of considerable size. Those who played the ball were divided into two. parties, acting one against the other. there were two: at both ends of the space that represented the field of this ball game. The winning side started the game again, and thus, it lasted two or three hours. "

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

"On the left side of the courtyard, about eighty people are playing a keel - a leather ball stuffed with hair the size of a human head. Two parties converged wall to wall; one of the students led the keel, slowly moving it with his feet, which was the top of the art in the game, because from strong blow the ball could go in the opposite direction, to the enemy's camp, where they would have taken possession of it. It was forbidden to hit from a toe - while it was possible to strike an opponent in the leg. It was forbidden to hit with a spike, that is, having run into the enemy's camp and having waited for the ball to go over to his side, drive it to the city - the designated line. Those who violate the rules of the game have their neck washed. - Keela! - shouted the students; this meant that the city was taken. The winners returned to their places with delight and pride. They are having fun".

Yampolsky in their comments to "Sketches of the Bursa" cites an article by a certain V.L., who met with Pomyalovsky's comrade from Bursak, N.P. Petropavlovsky.

Petropavlovsky gives interesting details about the Bursatsky game of keel (Yampolsky I.G. Comments. // Pomyalovsky N.G. PSS. Vol. 1. P. 283. Yampolsky's reference to V.L.'s article: "Birzhevye vedomosti", 1908 , No. 10739. VL, apparently, is the author of the article "School years of N. G. Pomyalovsky" ("Historical Bulletin, 1896, No. 7):

“Pomyalovsky possessed a great physical strength, and his favorite school game was the keel game, something like modern football... The keel was made of boot tops, which were cut off for this from the bursats boots by lot, and sometimes boots for this purpose were stolen by common forces from the bursa's clothing warehouse. The keel was cut out of eight bootlegs and was a large ball stuffed with hay or wool from Bursak mattresses, which could only be thrown with feet in the game. The keel game 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 keel over the heads of their opponents with their feet. "

He writes about the school ball game P.S. Kazantsev:

“In winter, they played on a pond with a leather ball stuffed with hay, the size of a large head; wall to wall, beat him off from each other. "

From the Tenishevsky archive (Vytegorsky u. Olonets province. 1899) we learn another version of the keel, which formed the basis of the modern keel with its distinctive feature of separation gameplay on two levels "ground" and "air":

"In Nikulinskaya volost on the last day of oil ... a real battle is being held, which is called a ball game. Representatives of two or more villages converge.<…>And now two crowds of men and adult guys, about 30-40 people each, come out onto the river, designate the places to which the ball should be driven. The ball is sewn from leather and stuffed with hair; the size of a ball is usually the size of a large watermelon. Crowds of fighting, stand on the river opposite the middle of the village, one crowd tries to drive the ball out of the village in one direction, and the opposite crowd ... behind the village in the opposite direction. The ball is thrown, everyone rushes at it and begins to kick it with their feet. The players converge chest to chest. But then the ball jumped out to the side, some daring man picks it up and tries to run away to the goal with it, but everyone rushes after it and if they catch up, then opponents kick it with their fists, party members defend it and beat opponents. The ball is knocked out of the hands - they kick it again. All players at the end of the village, not far from the target; the victorious side triumphs, their patron walks along the shore and arrogantly says to his opponent: "And what, brother Ivan Fedorovich, with KILA we will do you this year." The defeated retreat, and the winners shout to them: "KILA, KILA, KILA!" This is how they call the conquered all year round. This is a very offensive, derogatory nickname ... ".

V recent history Russia about keel was written by Doctor of Historical Sciences. B.V. Gorbunov in his historical and ethnographic research "Military competition-game tradition in the Russian folk culture"(1999):

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"According to the news from Demyansk uyezd, Novgorod province, here in the game of ball" with all its might one party tries to defeat the other, they shout, encouraging or blaming each other, try to overthrow the enemy, and each time the victorious party shouts furiously and for a long time: "Keela! "

Russian historian, ethnographer and ethnopedagogue Kolchev Viktor Yurievich the main historical information about keel 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 I met Kila Dmitry Chernyak, later bursting with the idea of reviving the traditional Russian game already as modern look sports and develop to the level national species sports.

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

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

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

Proceeding from this, kicks or punches on the opponent, which took place in the tradition, were prohibited, however, they sharply increased the risk of injury and reduced the dynamism of the game, while leaving the methods of wrestling and power confrontation permitted.

A unique uniform for players has also been developed, including elements of traditional clothing such as onuchi and robe.

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

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

On August 15, 2015, the first major open keel championship was held in Moscow at the Leader stadium in Sokolniki Park "Heroic battle", in which 8 mobs (teams) from different cities of Russia participated and the title of champions was won by the mob "Titan" (Ramenskoye).

1 open keel championship "Bogatyrskaya Sich"

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

So what is unique about keels from similar team sports?

The methods of playing the game are divided into two levels: "air" and "ground". The bottom line is that while the ball is on the ground, play is allowed only with 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;
-An attack of any opponent is allowed in the keel, not just the one in possession of the ball;
-The ball is entered into the game from the city line, and not from the center of the field;
-No offside provisions;
-The game uses unique terms, such as: city, mob, chieftain, fight, onuchi, obory, ports, keel (designation of the capture of the "city" by analogy with the "goal" in football).

Svetoslav Foundation | Traditional Russian Shrovetide Games - Moscow - 2016

Keela. Highlights tournament "Sober Russia"

REGULATIONS.

1. Terms:

Kila "- the name of the traditional male game into the ball. Pronounced correctly with emphasis on the last syllable.
Kila - the designation of the capture of the "city" (analogue of the "goal" in English language)
City - two opposite lines of the playing field for which the opponents need to bring the ball.
Wataga - team
Ataman - team captain
Oh nochi - white elastic bandage wrapped around the ankle up to the knee
About ry - a rope (lace) tied over the onuch

2. Field for the game:

It is a rectangle with variable dimensions depending on the number of players. Size for a 7 by 7 game: length 40m, width 18m (for a 5 by 5 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 lines of the city.
- Used herbal, artificial turf football field, sandy, earthen or snow cover.

3. Ball:

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

4. Equipment:

On the feet are sneakers (or "boots-centipedes"), pants of a traditional Russian cut, a white elastic bandage (onuchi) is wound over the pants over the entire ankle up to the knee, on top there is a "rashguard" in the color of the mob.
- It is not allowed to use clothing or jewelry that could injure an opponent.
- ALWAYS use soft knee pads (like volleyball), elastic white bandages for the entire ankle up to the knee. It is also recommended to use elastic bandages on elbow joints, protective shorts with soft inserts under pants, mouthguard, bandage on the groin area ("shell").
- Boots and hard protection are not allowed.

5. The essence of the game:

Capturing the opponent's city: that is, bringing the ball over the city line;
- Taking the city is considered when the player carrying the ball steps over the enemy 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 on the territory of the city does not count as capturing the city.

6. Duration of the game:

The game is played in two (or four) fights. Each battle is limited to capturing the city of one of the opponents five times.

7. Start of the game:

Before the start of the game, a toss is drawn between two chieftains to whom to start the game.
- The mob starts the game "on the ground" from the line of their city.
- Opponents of the playing mob must not go beyond the midline of the field until the ball comes into play.

8. Ways of playing the game:

The methods 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 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;
- Hand grabbing the ball is allowed only when it is in the air. It is forbidden to touch the ball that is on the ground with your hands. If this rule is violated, the ball goes to an opponent who kicks it off the ground from the place of the violation.

9. Released Ball:

The outgoing ball is considered to be: A - when the ball crosses the field boundary on the ground or in the air; B - when the player carrying the ball stepped on the field boundary with at least one foot or stepped over the field boundary with at least one foot; at the same time, if the player with both feet is within the boundaries of the playing field, 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 gone;
- The ball that crossed the city line is not in the hands of the attacker on the city, is considered to have gone out of the field and is played from the ground: A - if the ball came out from the player defending the city, then from the side border 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 of the city line.
- The ball released is played by the opponent of the player who left the ball (that is, who was last touched by the ball before going out of the playing field), with his foot on the ground from the point where the ball crossed the border of the field.

10. A dropped ball:

A dropped ball is a situation where a player with the ball falls to the ground and does not release the ball for 5 seconds. In this case, the ball passes to an opponent who does not release the ball.

11. Drawing of violations:

All infractions are played off the ground from the place of the infraction.

12. Permitted actions:

All actions are permitted 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 grip the opponent with his hands;
- Low-amplitude throws of the opponent are allowed;
- It is allowed to play the ball: kick or punch, take or knock the ball away from the opponent;
- The player with the ball can block the opponent with his hand (criterion: only open palm and pre-straightened hand).

All actions are prohibited in relation to any player.

Pushing with hands in the back is prohibited;
- It is forbidden to sweep, trip and hooks with feet to the opponent's legs;
- Any intentional injury to an opponent is prohibited;
- Grips by 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 against the opponent are prohibited;
- When a player uses one of the prohibited actions, a warning is issued to the player; in case of a repeated violation, the player is removed from the field.

14. Fighting on the ground:

Any fight on the ground is limited to 5 seconds. After 5 seconds, players must get off the ground and continue playing.

We managed to discuss both, and rugby, and, but bypassed our own folk ball game, which had been practiced in Russia for many 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, there is no future without the past. There is no doubt that it will not be possible to catch up with football and rugby keel in popularity, but at least it is quite possible to find new followers of the game who will pass on the rules of the keel to their children. So, today we are getting acquainted with the keel.

Origin and pronunciation

You might think. that the word "keela" sounds analogous to the English word "killer". Although after playing a little game, having a couple of hard stops in the corps at full speed, you can make sure that there is something in common. But in fact, the stress is on the last syllable of the word. KeelA. Kila appeared in Russia a long time ago, as well as any ball games in our country. The people loved to play the ball from one village to another so much that they sometimes missed church services, for which the clergy cursed their negligent parishioners. So in Russia they loved to play ball even before the arrival of the British with their proverbial football.

Despite the fact that rumors about 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 newspaper "Vologda province". A detailed description of similar rules can also be found in the "Sketches of the Bursa" by the writer N.G. Pomyalovsky, where students loved to play a leather ball during recess.

Most of the analogs of the keel and herself are 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 the keel. A 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 rather tough methods, sometimes growing into a frank scuffle. That is why keela is so popular during Shrovetide festivities and weddings. At weddings, by the way, the teams were divided not according to the classical territorial principle - residents of one village into residents of another. The teams were recruited men from the families and guests of the bride against men from the families and guests of the groom. A great addition to the general mood of fun. Nobody wants to try to diversify their wedding?

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

Keel rules

You don't need a lot of intelligence to quickly understand the rules of the game. But it will take time to get used to, because the keel has 2 levels of play. Both are equivalent and in both levels you need to be able to play. It is about earth and air. At first, you do not understand anything, before your eyes there is a continuous flickering. 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 in the hands of your partner to capture the city (base). In the same way, it is worth playing competently with the ball in your hands in order to accurately transfer passes to your partners and catch a weighty leather bag during its flight in your direction. But in addition to these fundamental points in modern rules there are many nuances:

If the game is played on the ground, then the ball (keel) cannot be picked up.
If the ball (keel) fell out of the hands, or there was an inaccurate front, the ball (keel) can hit the ground just once to pick it up again. Otherwise, you will have to play with your feet.
Thrusts to the body (no hands), grips (except for the neck and genitals) and throws are allowed.
Grips by clothing are allowed.
The ball (keel) can be knocked out and snatched out, there are no restrictions here.
It is forbidden to hit the opponent with hands and feet.
It is forbidden to play football boots Oh.

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

For the rest, 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. When one team is throwing the ball from their own city, the second is not allowed to cross the middle of the common area. In this case, the introduction of the ball from any standard positions is made strictly from the ground. As a recommendation, advice is often mentioned to play with a naked torso or in vests. The thing is that, as already mentioned, grabs for clothes are allowed, which means that unpleasant twitching right on the go due to a developing T-shirt is 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 pick up clothes that are corny and do not mind.

For those with experience of playing rugby, the keel will be understandable. We'll have to delve a little into some features, for example, the ball can be passed in any direction. But in general, everything is extremely clear and understandable. We suggest that you gather your friends within the framework 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 a soccer, basketball, or rugby ball first.

The ancient game of keel is a primordially Russian game of a leather ball stuffed with hair or straw (similar balls were found in Novgorod excavations of the 10-11th centuries). The game involves two teams. The goal of the game is to throw the ball into the "city", the enemy's zone. In the past, the rules were pretty tough, and the game often escalated into a fight. She was very popular at Maslenitsa and wedding celebrations. Over time, the 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 second birth.

How did keela appear?

Kila (stress on the second syllable) is a primordially Russian game. It has been known about its appearance in Russia for a long time, judging by the Novgorod excavations of the 10-11th centuries, as a result of which the 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". Most detailed description the rules of the game were given by the Russian writer N.G. Pomyalovsky in his work "Sketches of the Bursa", in which he tells about his student period of life and about entertainments in the form of a game of keel.

Keela has analogues with others game types sports. It involves two teams 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 - 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 jumpiness, lightness. Each participant passed the projectile to a comrade by means of a pass. In the older version of the rules, it was allowed to play the game using tough techniques, which sometimes escalated into real fights. As a result, keela gained the greatest popularity in Pancake Weeks, wedding festivities. At weddings, the rivals in the game were not residents of different villages, but male representatives of two families, whose children were 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 caring activists: historians, philologists, athletes, who, starting from the 90s of the last century, began to care for the revival of the keel. Universal rules were derived, the main attributes were restored. It is noteworthy that in different periods the game was called Russian, buzball, scanball. And only in 2012 the original name was returned, the event was marked by a keel match in Moscow.

How to play keel?

The rules of the keel game are pretty simple. However, you will need to get used to it, it will take some time. Keela is a two-tiered 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 in order to advance it to the scoring area, after that, in the final part, be able to hit the opponent's hands with an accurate shot in order to capture the “city”.

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

These are the main provisions, in addition to them there are a number of nuances: 1. When playing on the first level (ground), it is forbidden to take the ball in hand. 2. If the keel fell out of the hands (in particular, with inaccurate transmission), then to pick it up, a single blow to the ground is necessary, 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 being caught by clothing, players are advised to play with a naked torso. 4. There are no ball tackle restrictions. 5. You cannot hit the opponent using the limbs (arms, legs). 6. Dress code - loose, but without the use of football boots.

The area 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 its “city”, the other is prohibited from entering the middle of the entire area.

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

Hardly in modern stores sporting goods you can find a leather bag filled with straw or hair. A football or rugby ball is quite suitable for playing keel (although, according to the rules, the ball should weigh 2 kg, for comparison, a rugby ball weighs 400 grams).

How is keela 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 - forward passing (prohibited in rugby), special equipment (used in American football), the ability to pick up the ball from the ground (allowed in rugby), attacking 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 concerning both Russian terminology and the rules of the game. In general, an outside observer can notice the main difference, which is striking, regarding the tactics of the game - there are no pauses in the keel, everything is subordinated to the achievement of a single goal - the capture of the "city" and no matter which way: whether it will clear the players for free passage of the attacker, whether there will be it is broadcast in any direction an unlimited number of times, whether the game is on the ground or in the air.

Keela

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

Keela- a kind of team sport, the Russian ball game, whose roots go back to the times of the Novgorod Republic. Keela contains elements of strength martial arts techniques, unlike traditional football, keel 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 scoring zone, which is located behind one of the lines of the playing field and is defended by the opponent's side.

History

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

The modern description of the kila was given by Professor Boris Vladimirovich Gorbunov in 1999 in his historical and ethnographic study "The military competitive play tradition in the Russian folk culture".

On May 18, 2015 in Moscow Dmitry Alekseevich Chernyak founded the Interregional Public Organization for the Development of Russian traditional game"Kila Federation". The Kila Federation became a laureate of the Moscow Region Governor's prize "Our Moscow Region" in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

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

V recent times the game of keel has become quite widespread during folk festivals in different regions of Russia.

Rules of the game

The game is played with leather medicine ball with a diameter of 25 cm and a thickness of 12 cm, weighing 1.5 kg.

The field for the game is a rectangle with variable dimensions depending on the number of players. Field boundaries are marked with lines or a rope fixed to the ground. A line is drawn in the middle of the field. Various field coverings can be used, including football, earth, sand, snow, etc.

The players are equipped with sneakers, traditional Russian pants, elastic bandages on the legs, T-shirts and protective shirts with the team number.

The goal of the game is to capture the opponent's “city”, in other words, to bring the ball into the end zone behind the “city” line. The city is considered taken if the player is completely in a standing or lying position behind its line (all parts of the body must be behind the line).

The game is played in 2 or 4 bouts. One fight - five-time capture of the "city" of one of the opponents. In the event of a tie, an additional scrum is appointed 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 on the ground can only be touched with your feet, but when it is in the air you can use your hands.

The ball is considered out of bounds if it crosses the boundary line on the ground or in the air, or the player carrying the ball in his hand goes out of bounds with his foot, or the player with the ball in his hands touches the ground with any part of his body outside the bounds of the playing field.

Actions allowed during the game include the following: meeting and pushing an opponent with the body, holding and grabbing an opponent with his hands, low-amplitude throws by an opponent, kicking or punching the ball, taking or knocking the ball out of an opponent; pushes with hands to the chest.

Actions prohibited during the game include: actions outside the field, pushing with hands in the back and shoulder, sweeping, tripping and hooking the opponent's legs, deliberately injuring the opponent, grabbing the genitals, grabbing a running player by the neck and head, throwing the ball with lands in your hands or from hands to your feet, blows to your opponent. For violations, warnings are issued, repeated violations lead to removal from the field. The fight on the ground is limited to 5 seconds, after this time, the players must get up and continue the game, if the attacking player does not get up in 5 seconds, the ball goes to the opposing team.

Competitions

Kila Federation composition

President - Dmitry Chernyak

Notes (edit)

In Velsk, a folk festival "Heroic Fun" took place. State TV and Radio Company Pomorie.
Zaintsy play the oldest Slavic game. Zainsk news.
Maslenitsa festivities took place in Veshnyaki. Administration of the Veshnyaki district.
A Brief History of the Game Archived June 4, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Keela Federation.
Keel's old game. Slavic tradition.
Boris Vladimirovich Gorbunov. Military competition-game tradition in the Russian folk culture: a historical and ethnographic study. Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology RAS, 1999.379 p.
Russia is Alive! Park of culture and rest "Zagorodny"
Cruel keel: three centuries ago in Russia they invented their own rugby. 24World.
... 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 "Ilynitsa" (unspecified) (unavailable link)... Date of treatment March 27, 2017.

How did keela appear?

Kila (stress on the second syllable) is a primordially Russian game. It has been known about its appearance in Russia for a long time, judging by the Novgorod excavations of the 10-11th centuries, as a result of which the 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 "Sketches of the Bursa", in which he tells about his student period of life and about entertainments in the form of a game of keel.

Keela has analogues with other playing sports. It involves two teams 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 - gate, zone) of the opponent. The game shell itself gave the name to the game.

The rules of past years allowed rather tough methods, sometimes growing into a frank scuffle. That is why keela is so popular during Shrovetide festivities and weddings. At weddings, by the way, the teams were divided not according to the classical territorial principle - residents of one village into residents of another. The teams were recruited men from the families and guests of the bride against men from the families and guests of the groom. A great addition to the general mood of fun.

“In the winter, in the evenings, they played a ball in the streets of large villages. This game was attended by both young and quite elderly already, the villagers. The ball was made of leather, tightly packed with tows or moss, and was always of considerable size. Those who played the ball were divided into two parties, acting one against the other. They kicked the ball, 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 the one and the other the end of the space that represented the field is the ball game. The winning side started the game again, and thus, it lasted two or three hours. ”Vologda Gazette (1867)

Geisler: A Picturesque Image of the Mores of the Russians and Tatar 1803. The Ball Game / Das Ballspiel

From the Tenishevsky archive (Vytegorsky u. Vologda province. 1899) we learn distinctive feature keel 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 kick it. The players converge chest to chest. But then the ball jumped out to the side, some daring man picks it up and tries to run away to the goal with it, but everyone rushes after it and if they catch up, then opponents kick it with their fists, party members defend it and beat opponents. The ball is knocked out of the hands - they kick it again. "

How to play keel?

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

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

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

It is unlikely that you will find a leather bag filled with straw or hair in modern sporting goods stores. A football or rugby ball is quite suitable for playing keel (although, according to the rules, the ball should weigh 2 kg, for comparison, a rugby ball weighs 400 grams).

How is keela different from American football and rugby?

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

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

1. Terms:

Kila 'is the name of the traditional men's ball game. Pronounced correctly with emphasis on the last syllable.

Keela - the designation for the capture of “city” (analogue of “goal” in English)

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

Wataga - team

Ataman - team captain

O'nuchi - a white elastic bandage that can be wrapped around the ankle up to the knee

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

2. Field for the game:

It is a rectangle with variable dimensions depending on the number of players. Size for a 7 by 7 game: length 40m, width 18m (for a 5 by 5 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 lines of the city.

Grass, artificial football pitch, sandy, earthen or snow cover are used.

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

The mass of the ball must be 2 kg.

The dimensions of the ball are 26 cm in diameter and 14 cm in thickness.

4. Equipment:

On the feet are sneakers (or "boots-centipedes"), pants of a traditional Russian cut, a white elastic bandage (onuchi) is wound over the pants over the entire ankle up to the knee, on top there is a "rashguard" in the color of the mob.

The use of clothing or jewelry that could injure an opponent is not allowed.

It is MANDATORY to use soft knee pads (like volleyball), elastic white bandages for the entire ankle up to the knee. It is also recommended to use elastic bandages on the elbow joints, protective shorts with soft inserts under pants, mouthguard, bandage on the groin area ("shell").

Boots and hard protection are not allowed.

5. The essence of the game:

Capturing the opponent's city: that is, bringing the ball over the city line;

Taking the city is considered when the player carrying the ball steps over the enemy'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 enemy's city line.

Catching a ball thrown by a partner or opponent on the territory of the city does not count as capturing the city.

6. Duration of the game:

The game is played in two (or four) fights. Each battle is limited to capturing the city of one of the opponents five times.

7. Start of the game:

Before the start of the game, a toss is drawn between two chieftains to whom to start the game.

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

The opponents of the playing mob must not go beyond the midline of the field until the ball comes into play.

8. Ways of playing the game:

The methods 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 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;

Grabbing the ball with your hands is allowed only when it is in the air. It is forbidden to touch the ball that is on the ground with your hands. If this rule is violated, the ball goes to an opponent who kicks it off the ground from the place of the violation.

9. Released Ball:

The outgoing ball is considered to be: A - when the ball crosses the field boundary on the ground or in the air; B - when the player carrying the ball stepped on the field boundary with at least one foot or stepped over the field boundary with at least one foot; at the same time, if the player with both feet is within the boundaries of the playing field, 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 gone;

The ball that crossed the city line is not in the hands of the attacker on the city, it is considered to have gone out of the field and is played from the ground: A - if the ball came out from the player defending the city, then from the side border 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 of the city line.

A ball released is played by the opponent of the player who left the ball (that is, who was last touched by the ball before going out of the playing field), kicking off the ground from the point where the ball crossed the edge of the field.

10. A dropped ball:

A dropped ball is a situation where a player with the ball falls to the ground and does not release the ball for 5 seconds. In this case, the ball passes to an opponent who does not release the ball.

11. Drawing of violations:

All infractions are played off the ground from the place of the infraction.

12. Permitted actions:

All actions are permitted 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 your hands;

Low-amplitude throws of the opponent are allowed;

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

The player with the ball can block the opponent with his hand (criterion: only open palm and pre-straightened hand).

All actions are prohibited in relation to any player.

Pushing with hands in the back is prohibited;

It is forbidden to sweep, trip and toe the opponent's legs;

Any intentional injury to an opponent is prohibited;

Grips by 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 against the opponent are prohibited;

When a player uses one of the prohibited actions, the player is given a warning; in case of a repeated violation, the player is removed from the field.

14. Fighting on the ground:

Any fight on the ground is limited to 5 seconds. After 5 seconds, players must get off the ground and continue playing.