Datlawakor – A well-preserved indigenous football game of Meghalaya: Datlawakor is a type of football played with a timber ball among two teams from the upper and lower regions of the Myntdu River. Those on the winning squad are said to be rewarded with a bountiful harvest.
This traditional sport is being practiced in Meghalaya as part of a cultural festival celebration.
Behdiengkhlam (chase away pestilence), the traditional religious feast of the Jaintiatribals, was commemorated with grandeur and delight in Jowai in Meghalaya’s Jaintia Hills region.
The event included religious observances and singing at a pool known as ‘eitnar,’ as well as a game known as ‘datlawakor,’ in which both teenage and elderly men played football to the rhythm of the drums. This game makes use of a wooden ball.
Returning to the indigenous game Datlawakor, the purpose of the game is to score more goals than your adversary in a set amount of time. Each squad has a specific number of players.
Datlawakor of Meghalaya
The pitch proportions differ from one ground to the next. A soccer match requires only two pieces of equipment: a pitch and a football. To score, the ball must enter the goal of your opponent. For it to be a genuine goal, the entire ball must cross the line. Apart from the hand or arm up to the shoulder, any part of the body can be used to score a goal.
The most crucial action in the game is dribbling. Dribbling is the act of controlling and maintaining hold of the ball while running. To dribble is to maintain the ball in your possession and the possession of your team. You must dribble properly so that you can touch the ball strongly enough to move it ahead, but you must also see the ball.
A well preserved indigenous football game
To pass a ball means to transfer it precisely to where you want it to be. To pass a ball, you must kick it in the area you want it to proceed. Passing a ball with the inside of your foot provides high accuracy while requiring less power. After you’ve mastered the process of passing the ball, you may improve it by slicing and hooking the ball and passing it to your teammates.
Shooting a ball enters the picture when you are getting closer to a goal and need to score. This will need a great deal of force and precision. Set your plantar foot, target at the target, and shoot.
It is critical to take the proper position on the field. When a participant is not near the ball, he must run a lot. In this case, the player must anticipate his teammate’s next move and adopt the space where his mate expects him to be.
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