Two teams of 15
12 play, 3 wait on the bench
Each squad has 15 players. Twelve take the court during a match, in four batches of three defenders, and three are substitutes.
How to play Kho Kho
Two poles, a long lane, and a chase that never stops. Learn the court, the rules and the tricks, then watch real games from Uganda.
9 Chasers on court
3 Defenders at a time
8 Video lessons
The game at a glance
Six things to know before you start
A court of 27 by 16 metres
Two poles and a central lane
The court is a rectangle with a wooden pole at each end of a narrow central lane. Eight short cross lanes cross it, and a seated chaser sits on each side of the lane.
Nine chasers, three defenders
Eight sit, one runs
The chasing team has nine players on the court. Eight sit in the central lane, each facing one half of the court. The ninth is the active chaser. Three defenders run at a time.
One point for every tag
Touch a defender, score
The chasing team scores a point each time a defender is put out: tagged by a legal touch, stepping fully off the court, or entering late as a new batch.
Nine-minute turns
Each side chases twice and defends twice
In the standard format every turn lasts nine minutes. The team with more points at the end wins.
Almost no equipment
A flat space and two poles
Kho Kho needs no ball and no special kit. That is why schools and communities can start with a marked field and two poles.
The court
A long lane, two poles and eight cross lanes
The court is a rectangle of 27 by 16 metres. A narrow central lane joins two wooden poles, and eight short cross lanes cut across it. Behind each pole is a free zone where the active chaser starts.
- Seated chaser: eight of them crouch in the central lane, each facing one half of the court
- Active chaser: the ninth, who runs and tags
- Defenders: three at a time
- Poles: 120 to 125 cm tall, at either end of the lane
Drawing simplified and not to scale. The central lane is 30 cm wide and the cross lanes 35 cm wide.
Batch 1
0 of 3 Out
0 Kho
A match seen from above: three defenders run while the chasers sit along the lane. The running chaser gives Kho to a seated teammate, who stands and takes over.
Rules and scoring
How a turn unfolds
Six steps cover almost everything you will see in a match. Coaching courses teach the full rulebook, including every foul.
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Set up the turn
Who sits and who runs
One team chases and the other defends. Eight chasers sit crouched along the central lane, each facing one half of the court, and the seated players alternate their facing direction. The ninth chaser, the active chaser, starts in a free zone behind a pole. The first batch of three defenders takes the court.
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Chase in one direction
No turning back mid-run
The active chaser may enter either half of the court to tag defenders. Once running towards a pole she cannot suddenly turn around, and she cannot cross the central lane. She may change direction only by touching a pole.
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Give Kho
Hand the chase to a teammate
To switch roles the active chaser touches a seated teammate on the back and calls out Kho. The call must happen before the active chaser passes that teammate's cross lane. The seated player must not move or stand until Kho is given. The new active chaser may only enter the half she faced when sitting, and the player who gave Kho sits in the empty place.
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Put defenders out
Three ways to score
A defender is out when the active chaser tags her with a legal touch, when she steps fully out of the court, or when a new batch is late to enter. Each defender put out scores one point for the chasers. A new batch of three comes on only after all three of the previous batch are out, and a Kho is required after each batch is dismissed.
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Fouls
No tagging until the foul is cleared
Breaking any rule is a foul. While a foul stands the chasing team cannot tag any defender. To clear it, the active chaser moves away from the defenders until she gives a Kho or reaches the appropriate free zone behind a pole.
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Swap roles and finish
Highest score wins
When a turn ends the teams swap. Each team chases twice and defends twice, and the team with the higher total wins. Some matches settle a tie with a minimum chase: each team gets one extra turn and stops once it scores a point, and the faster team wins.
Skills and tactics
What makes a great chaser and a slippery defender
Chasers
Explosive starts and pole turns
A chaser wins ground with a fast first step and a sharp turn around the pole. Practise sprinting to a pole, touching it and exploding in the new direction without losing balance.
Kho timing
Giving Kho at the right moment hands a fresh pair of legs to the chase and changes the angle of attack. Seated chasers stay still and low, ready to spring up the instant they are touched.
Reading the defenders
Good chasers watch where the three defenders stand and push them towards the corners of the court where they have less room to dodge.
Defenders
Dodging and changing pace
Defenders stay alive by changing speed and direction suddenly, using the poles and the lanes to make the chaser commit to one side, then slipping away to the other.
Working as a trio
The three defenders in a batch work together. One draws the chaser while the others move into space, so the active chaser cannot follow all three at once.
Everyone
Fitness and focus
Kho Kho builds speed, agility, stamina and quick thinking. A strong warm-up, short sprints and balance drills prepare the body for sudden stops and turns.
Video lessons
Learn from real games in Uganda
Press play and watch for the point in each lesson. Videos load only when you start them, so the page stays quick.
Start here
Lesson 1: A first game
Rahma plays Kho Kho for the first time. Listen for what she enjoys most: dodging, and resting at the pole. It shows how quickly a beginner picks up the game.
Pole turns
Lesson 2: Chasing round the pole
A close-up practice clip of players in Khokho Uganda bibs chasing around the pole. Watch how the runner touches the pole and swings round to keep the chase going.
Giving Kho
Lesson 3: Kho and the race to the pole
Players in bright bibs run, give Kho and race to the pole in a practice game. Watch the hand-over: the touch on the back and the new chaser springing up.
Match day
Lesson 4: Match atmosphere
Players in orange kit before and during a game, with spectators around the field. See how a real match looks and sounds.
Whole game
Lesson 5: A full match
Orange against light blue, filmed from the side of the court. Watch the chasers seated along the central lane facing alternate ways, and the defenders dodging around the poles.
Coaching
For coaches: the Level 1 course
Classroom and field sessions from the Level 1 coaching course, where teachers and coaches learn the full rules, fouls and teaching methods.
Coaching
For coaches: a participant's view
Chemayek Shauline talks about the Level 1 coaching course, with practical sessions on the field.
In the news
UBC News Tonight: 30+ certified
The broadcaster's report on the end of the first Level 1 coaching course in Mukono, with certificate presentations.
Game formats
One sport, three ways to play
Standard format
The classic game
Nine chasers and three defenders on a 27 by 16 metre court, nine-minute turns, one point for each defender put out. This is the game taught in Uganda's Level 1 courses.
SourceFast format
Seven-a-side
The International Kho Kho Federation also recognises a faster, seven-a-side format. It is the format the federation uses for the Kho Kho World Cup. In the Ultimate Kho Kho league its turns last seven minutes.
SourceUltimate Kho Kho
The franchise league
Played in India since 2022 on a shorter court of 22 by 16 metres, with two points for each tag. A batch that survives at least three minutes earns a Dream Run bonus point, and a Wazir may run in any direction. In a Powerplay, two Wazirs chase together.
SourceReady to try it?
Register your school, club or yourself and join a coaching course near you.