Khong Kangjei, also called Hockey on Foot, is a popular game native to Manipur. This is an outdoor game played by dividing the players into two groups. Each team has seven players and each player plays with a cane stick (about 4.5 ft in length). The stick is shaped very much like the present day hockey stick.
The game is started with throw of a ball within the boundary of the court, an open space (around 200 x 80 yards in area) which is marked by lines. The ball for this game is made of bamboo root, called 'kangdrum'. The ball is white in color, with a diameter of about 3.5 inch.
Unlike Hockey, this traditional sport doesn’t possess a goal post. On the way to score a goal, the ball may be tackled by the opponent player. So the game requires physical strength, tempo and dexterity. Duration of this game is generally one and half hours. As one side or the other scores the agreed number of goals, the game come to end.
Each player in the team holds the following positions : Pun - Ngakpa (Full back), Pun - Ngakchun (Half back), Punlluk (Left wing), Langjei (Centre), Pulluk (Right wing), Pun - Jen (In) and Pun - Jenchun ( In). The opposing team acquires positions in the reverse order.
