Lagori/Pitthu is an outdoor game in which players use a ball to hit and break a stack of stones. This game originated mainly in South India.

But now, it is popular all over the country and in many parts of the world, covering about 30 countries. The International Lagori Federation governs the global community, sets rules, and organises tournaments.

This is known as Satoliya also which is equally popular in many parts of India, referring to the stacked seven stone discs. The name Pittu is more popular in Haryana, MP, UP and Bihar.

Other Names of the Lagori Game

Region	Names		Region	Names
Maharashtra	Lingorcha		Andhra Pradesh	Dikori, yedu ralluyedupenkulata
Haryana, Punjab	Pitthu garam		Gujarat	Nagolachu, satoliyu
Rajasthan	Sitoliya, pitthu phod, pittu garam		Tamilnadu	Ezhu kallu, sachakal silli
Bihar	Sitoliya, pitto		Kashmir	Garman
West Bengal	Pittu		Kerala	Dabba kali, chatti panth, chattikali
Canada	Teelo		Bangladesh	Satchara
Turkey	Seven tiles		Iran, Saudi Arabia	Haft sang
Bhutan, Uganda	Seven stones		Afghanistan	Santacon

How to play Lagori

After hitting the stack of stone discs,the members of the breaker team rearrange the stack hurriedly while the opposing team catches the ball to quickly hit the members of the breaker team before the Lagori is restacked. This game is founded on swift actions and well-timed responses.

Originating in Southern India, the game is now popular all over the country and in many parts of the world, covering about 30 countries.

The International Lagori Federation governs the global community, sets rules and organises tournaments. The name Satoliya is equally popular in many parts of India, referring to the stacked seven stone discs.

The Play

Two teams: breakers and defenders, are involved in the game. Seven flat discs of different  sizes are placed in decreasing order of size, and the goal of the breakers is to knock over the stack with a throw of the ball. 

They must collectively restore it quickly before the defenders can collect the ball and tag any team member.

The defending team’s objective is to hit any member of the breaker team with a throw of the ball, targeting below the knee level. If the ball touches any of the breakers, then that player and the entire team are declared out.

The ball then goes to the opposing team, and the next game begins with the defenders now as breakers.

Number of Players

In formal tournaments, there are two teams with six players each. The game can also be played with only two players on each side which is breaker and dedfender. While the more players, the more fun, we do not recommend more than seven members in each team.

Equipment Needed

1. Players need one soft ball that will not cause any injury if it hits someone. A regular rubber ball is good to go. Tennis balls are not the best choice but are sometimes used. Cricket or hockey balls are too hard and should not be used.

2. Seven discs of different sizes are required so that they can be stacked in decreasing size order. Flat earth tiles used for roofing are common. Floor tiles are suitable as well. Most of the discs used for informal games do not have any specific form or size, as they are just broken piecesthat can stand as a stack.

3. Professional tournaments held under the aegis of the International Lagori Federation use nine fibre discs of standard sizes.

The Playground For Lagori

Playground for lagori can be grass fields, sand, concrete or any open area in an informal setting. Any fixed boundary is not necessary, but the players must always be in the sight of all the other players and within reach of a ball throw.

For formal tournaments, the size of the playground is specified as follows:

1. Length of the ground = 81 ft., breadth of the ground = 45 ft.
2. There are four boxes in the four corners of the rectangular court measuring 3 ft. x 3 ft. We can ignore this for a casual game.
3. A centre line divides the rectangular court into two equal parts.
4. A small circle is drawn in the middle of the centre line in which the discs are stacked to make lagori.
5. A line known as the danger line is drawn on either side of the centre line at a distance of 10.5 ft.. Players from both sides must stand beyond this line.
6. The striker from the breakers’ team stands behind the crease line, which is 12 ft. from the centre line.

Configuration of the Field Just Before the Hit

Configuration of the Field Just Before the Hit

Playing Method

For playing lagori,  first set boundaries for the playing field. Draw a circle in the centre where the seven stones are stacked on top, with the smallest on the top, to make a lagori (stack).

1. The striker team is called the breakers, and the fielding team is called the defenders. A coin is tossed to determine which team will play the breakers’ role first.
2. After the selection, the stones are stacked to form the lagori. Any of the defenders can do this. The discs are stacked to provide maximum stability and resistance to the ball.
3. One of the defenders takes a position behind the stone stack at a distance of about four ft. to catch the ball thrown by the striker. Other players will take positions by scattering around the lagori to catch the ball from any direction.
4. All the breakers will take their position behind the crease line in the breakers’ part of the field.
5. One of the breakers, generally considered the best at aiming, starts the game by attempting to strike the lagori with a ball throw from the crease line. 
6. If the lagori is not disrupted and any defender catches the ball after the first bounce, then the striker will be declared out, and the next player of the breakers comes on strike.
7. If the lagori is not disrupted and the defenders do not catch the ball, the striker will get two more chances to knock over the stack. After three failed attempts, that striker’s turn is over, and the next player from the breakers will play.
8. The breakers get nine chances in total—three chances each from three players—to break the lagori.
9. After the lagori is broken, the defending players catch the ball and aim at the breakers to hit them below their knees or on their back.
10. At the same time, the breakers gather near the lagori and try to restack the discs quickly. They must stay alert to scatter rapidly because the defenders keep throwing the ball at them. The striker and rebuilders coordinate while dodging the ball that is thrown at them. This task is difficult because a defender team member stands near the lagori, waiting to get the ball from a teammate.
11. After restacking the lagori, the breakers trace a circle around it three times with their fingers and then shout ‘lagori’. Thus, they get one point and the chance to hit the stack again.
12. However, if the defenders succeed in hitting any breaker before they rebuild and shout lagori, then the breaker team is out. The ball will then go to the defenders; they will be the breakers in the next game.
13. When the defenders get the ball to hit the breakers, they must not run with it. Instead, the player with the ball must throw it either directly at the breakers or to a teammate with a better chance of aiming at them.
14. When the ball changes hands, the defenders play as the breakers.

Scoring of Lagori

1. If breakers can rearrange the discs before getting hit, they earn one point and get the next turn to play as breakers.
2. If the defenders hit any of the breakers before re-stacking the lagori, the breakers become the defenders and the previous defenders get to play as breakers next. Defenders do not score any points for this.
3. The team that scores seven points first will be the winner.

Rules Of Lagori

1. If a striker cannot knock down the stack, they are given two more chances—making a total of three strikes. After three unsuccessful strikes, the ball goes to another team member.
2. If the breakers cannot knock down the lagori in nine tries, the defenders get one point and will now get a turn to be the breakers.
3. In any of the three tries, if the striker’s ball does not disrupt the stack and is caught by an opponent after one bounce (a tip) behind the lagori, the striker is out.
4. Defending team members need help running with a ball in their hand. The ball should be kept from the player’s hands for over three seconds. Then, they must pass the ball to their teammates, who can conveniently tag breakers.

Position, Tasks and Techniques

Roles	Positions	Tasks	Strategy | Techniques
Striker	Stand with a ball, just behind the crease line in alignment with lagori, ready to hit.	Aim at the lagori to knock it down with a ball-throw. Join the other team members to restack the lagori immediately after knocking it down. Dodge the hit of the ball thrown by the defenders.	Try to knock over only one or two top discs of the lagori with a superficial hit to make it easier to restack rapidly. If the discs spread to far places with a powerful direct hit, then it would take longer to collect and rebuild the lagori.  The risk of a slow hit is that the ball stays close to the stack, increasing the chances of the opposing team hitting the breakers.
Breakers, other than the striker	Stand beyond the crease line, behind the striker.	Wait for the lagori to be disrupted and rush to rebuild it quickly once it is broken.	First, focus on the actions and body language of the striker. Team up to rapidly rebuild the lagori. At the same time, keep observing the moves of the defenders to avoid getting tagged out with the ball thrown by them.
Defenders	Take positions as fielders, covering the entire ground, and prepare to catch the ball thrown by the striker.	First, stack the lagori. After the striker throws the ball, try to catch the ball. Tag any of the opponents with a ball throw after the lagori is broken.	Be vigilant about all the moves on the playfield and keep passing the ball to the teammates nearest to the re-stackers. Keep the ball moving to divert the attention of the breakers to impede the rebuilding of the lagori.

Key Skills Required

The players have to aim, throw, catch, and run, which requires hand-eye coordination skills. Defenders must be swift to dodge a ball, and breakers should have steady hands and concentration to pile the discs quickly.

Individuals with no specific training but a reasonable fitness level sufficient to run a little and aim, as well as players with a ball throw, can play this game. Children aged six to eighteen are the most likely to be interested. The uniqueness of this game is that all the roles are situational and not fixed.

Caution while playing Lagori

• Do not use a hard ball like a tennis ball to avoid injuries.
• Defenders should stand appropriately from the stack to avoid a direct hit while the striker targets it.

Lagori Trends in India

People all over India know lagori or pittu as  merely a fun street game, but the game’s popularity is declining. We rarely find groups of children playing Lagori in the lanes.

Lagori is, however, now recognised as a team sport, and it is increasingly being played at international and national tournaments as organised events.

In India, official matches are organised by the Amateur Lagori Federation of India (ALFI), a national-level body that promotes the sport. It has about 300,000 players at the school level and over 500 match officials within the country.

 State Lagori federations affiliated with ALFI exist in 24 states. The International Lagori Federation, founded in 2010, has 17 member countries. The first championship was held in Bhutan in June 2013,with nine countries participating

Variations of Lagori

Lagori was originally played on grassy or sandy open fields, but the game has evolved into indoor facilities. The randomly picked flat stones that used to form a lagori have been replaced by nine specially made circular fibre discs.

The following are a few rules added by the International Lagori Federation:

1. Each team must consist of 12 players. However, only six players are on the field at any given time.
2. Each inning lasts 3 minutes, with a 30-second break given after each set.
3. The match consists of three sets, and the team that scores the most points in total is declared the winner
4. No player is allowed to run with the ball; they must throw it at the breakers or pass it to their teammates
5. Once the lagori is broken, the nine discs must be rearranged in the same order.

Glossary

Lagori: The stack of seven flat discs—nine for international competitions.

Breakers: The toss-winning team will get the first chance to strike the stack.

Defenders: The team will field to tag the breakers.

Striker: The breaker who is striking the stack at the given moment.
Breaking: To disrupt the stack of discs with a throw of the ball.