History of Pankration
Ancient Greek Combat Sport/Modern Mixed Martial Art

Roots

Pankration, pronounced in classic Greek as "pa-gra-tee-on", is an ancient Greek combat sport dating back over 2500 years. Modeled after an earlier battlefield form called pammachon (Gr. "total fighting"), it was the cornerstone of the very first Olympic Games. Known as one of the "heavy events", pankration translates to "all-powers" and consisted of all methods of striking and grappling techniques. It included open hand blows, punches, kicks, elbows, knees, clinching, takedowns, throw, sweeps, and submission holds (joint locks and chokes). Equal preference was given to both upright fighting (ano machia) as well as ground combat (kato machia). Only biting and gouging were banned although the militant Spartans allowed these, too, in their local festivals.

From the beginning, pankration was criticized by Greece's military leaders as being useless in warfare. No one believed that a kick or punch was capable of penetrating the heavy armor worn by the hoplite (Gr. foot soldier). Nevertheless, its techniques are well-documented in the battles of Thermopylae and Marathon. Once a sword was lost or a spear was broken, the battle continued in close. Gouging the enemy's eyes out, throwing him forcefully to the ground where he could be finished off with a short bladed weapon, or strangulation were the most common tactics.
Pankration's popularity as an athletic competition would vanish after the fall of the mighty but sadistic Roman Empire in 391 A.D. History shows that many of the martial arts styles practiced today such as karate, kung-fu, jujitsu, and even savate and Thai boxing, may have been influenced by this combat form of antiquity due to the conquests of Alexander the Great.

Evolution

The original pankration would remain defunct for more than 1000 years. It is rumored that modifications would appear in Greece from time to time, but they paled in comparison. An attempt was made in 1896 to resurrect pankration for inclusion in the new Olympic games but it did not materialize. It was not until the late-1960s that a new derivative would undergo development by Greek-American combat athlete and martial arts innovator Jim Arvanitis. World recognized today as the "Father of Modern Pankration", Arvanitis made it his life's work to rebuild the concepts from the remnants of Greece's legacy. One of the earliest advocates of cross-training, he combined his extensive background in boxing and wrestling with techniques he extracted from other styles, most notably Muay Thai and combat judo. The integration of these conceptual and technical elements became the foundation of Modern Pankration. Even the pronunciation of the term was modified as "pan-cray-shun" by Arvanitis. He did this for two specific reasons:

Jim opened the first palaistra (school) for teaching Modern Pankration in 1971 in the greater Boston area. It was named Spartan Academy. Thanks to Jim's continuing efforts and international media presence, and with the important contributions of our endorsed affiliates, interest in pankration is flourishing globally.

A Matter of Record

From 1971 until the 1990s, Jim Arvanitis and his hardcore group of followers were the only active pankratiasts on record. Today, however, the term pankration seems to be everywhere. Although Jim was the first to bring attention to the ancient Greek combat sport to the martial arts community, many are attempting to take credit for his development. The Greeks fabricate tales of someone other than him who restored pankration while all along they have been doing Asian karate. Other non-Greeks make their own ludicrous claims. There are even the critics who make their clueless comments behind their computers on internet forums. However, the fact remains that there is no documented evidence of the practice of pankration as a modern mixed combat sport before Arvanitis' landmark 1973 cover story in Black Belt magazine. Regardless of the rantings of the Jim Arvanitis wannabes, the record speaks for itself.