Battlefield Pankration The Book

"MOLON LABE!" "Come and get it," the battlefield cry of the ancient Spartan warriors. When Jim Arvanitis resurrected the ancient Greek martial art of pankration and updated it with the most effective concepts and techniques from other combative systems, he developed what many acknowledge to be one of world's first mixed martial arts (MMA). Now, Arvanitis has delved further into Greek martial history and revived the lost art of pammachon, or "battlefield pankration"—the military predecessor of pankration that takes the art out of the sporting arena and into the streets, where the objective is not competing to win a prize but fighting to save your life. Battlefield Pankration: The Book is a complete course in the nasty business of hard-core "conflict resolution." The techniques require no athleticism to perform but are based purely on raw animal instinct. The instruction blends the brutal competitive training of the MMA arena with the intensity of reality-based scenario drills. Its goal is not to show you how to engage in an uncontrolled brawl but to teach you dozens of tactical means to end an altercation quickly. Whether the fight is stand up or on the ground, whether your assailant is armed or unarmed, whether you are facing one or more opponents, Battlefield Pankration: The Book will show you how to handle all stages of a violent encounter with streetwise strategies, vicious techniques, and the warrior spirit of the ancient Spartans!

PANKRATION: The Unchained Combat Sport of Ancient Greece is a fully illustrated guide to what was the cornerstone of the early Olympic Games and Panhellenic festivals. It examines the brutal blood sport based on the author's more than forty-five years of research and practice. Considered the precursor of today's mixed martial arts cage competitions, many historians also contend that pankration laid the groundwork for the development of Asian karate and kung-fu, as well as other fighting styles throughout the world. The content traces pankration's historical origins in mythology and on the battlefield where it was known as pammachon, to its transformation and prominence as an Olympic spectacle. It also explores combat sports of earlier civilizations such as Egypt, Minoa, and Crete as well as the adoption of pankration by the Romans. Greek boxing, wrestling, and hoplomachia (weapons competition) along with the bloody gladiatorial contests of the Imperial Period are also detailed. Tournament rules, an analysis of pankration techniques, and training methods are covered along with a listing of all the Olympic pankration champions from its inception in 648 B.C. until the last documented contest on record. Emphasis is given to the role that pankration played in Hellenic culture and its religious connection to the gods themselves. The book includes numerous works of art depicted on vases, frescoes, sculptures, and coins showing pankratiasts in heated action and other combat scenes. This definitive work adds new information to the author's previous books, and brings to light the importance of pankration as not only the Original MMA, but as the missing link in martial arts evolution.

Jim Arvanitis, world-acclaimed Father of Modern Pankration and MMA pioneer, presents an in-depth analysis of this ancient fighting art and its modern derivative. Pankration is one of the oldest martial arts on record and the first to integrate striking, grappling, and submission techniques. The book examines the concepts, tactics, and training to their adaptation by the author in the 20th Century. Also discussed is pankration's development from its mythological roots to its sports inclusion in the Panhellenic festivals, and dynamic rebirth after it had vanished for several thousand years. Hundreds of illustrations and photos depict one-on-one combat action and training throughout the text. Greek pankration is the only fully-documented total fighting system of the Pre-Christian era and the precursor to MMA.

Black Belt Magazine called Pankration "the most practical street combat form of the martial arts that I have ever seen". Throughout this fascinating and completely updated volume, Jim Arvanitis provides extensive insight into the facts and myths of pankration's early history (including its inclusion in the earliest Olympic Games), its techniques and strategies, and its impact on today's martial arts.

Jim Arvanitis, internationally-renowned as the Father of Modern Pankration and MMA pioneer, presents an in-depth analysis of this ancient fighting art and its contemporary derivative. Pankration is one of the oldest martial arts on record and the first to integrate striking, grappling, and submission techniques. The book examines the tactics and training methodologies traceable to the earliest Olympic Games to their adaptation by the author in the Twentieth Century. Also discussed is pankration's development from its mythological roots to the sport's inclusion in the Panhellenic festivals, and dynamic rebirth after it had vanished for several thousand years. Hundreds of lavish artifacts and photos depict one-on-one combat action throughout the text. Greek pankration is the only fully-documented total fighting system of the Pre-Christian era and the missing link in martial arts evolution.

ANCIENT GREEK MARTIAL ARTS: Warfare and Combat Sports in the Classical World is a fully-illustrated guide to the battlefield tactics of the hoplite soldier and the athletic competitions that evolved from them. The author examines the heavy events of wrestling, boxing, and the all-encompassing pankration in great depth, in addition to weapons competition (hoplomachia). Topics include arms and armor, the phalanx formation, the pyrrich war dances, tournament rules, a functional analysis of techniques, and training methods along with a complete listing of all the Olympic combat sports champions from their inception in 708 B.C. until the last documented contest on record. Emphasis is given to the role that combat played in Hellenic culture and its spiritual connection to the gods themselves.The book features photos of modern-day reenactors demonstrating hoplite skills and numerous works of art depicted onvases, architectural friezes, frescoes, sculptures, and coins showing combat athletes in heated action. A comprehensive glossary of relevant military and sport terms is also included.

Detailing the evolution of the Hellenic combat arts, this handbook chronicles the history behind the art of pankration. Beginning with the myths and traditions behind the art’s development, this examination also touches on pankration's modern methodology and techniques, fully explained in illustrative photographs and easy-to-follow captions. Revealing and informative, this exploration is a must-have for mixed martial arts and pankration practitioners as well as Ultimate Fighting Championship fans.

In the ancient Greek city-state of Plataea, teenage warriors trained in the ways of the battlefield long before they reached the age of eighteen. They also trained in the vicious, no-holds-barred form of unarmed combat called pankration. Similar to today's Ultimate Fighting and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), this extreme style of man-on-man battle was featured in the original Olympic games. And sometimes, those pankration techniques were used not just for glory on the battlefield or in the Olympic stadium, but in the fields outside the city gates to settle personal, deep-seated grudges between fighters. The short story The One-Armed Warrior introduces the young pankrator Nikias, the hero of Noble Smith's forthcoming novel Sons of Zeus, a work of historical fiction that will appeal to fans of Steven Saylor, Steven Pressfield, and Simon Scarrow.