Raymond Trigg is a law enforcement and fitness advocate who contributes to several online publications. In the article below Raymond Trigg discusses the origins, and curious revival of, the fighting sport known as pankration.
You may not have heard of the ancient art of pankration wrestling, but if you’re at all into mixed martial arts (MMA), you likely know about or use several of its techniques. Raymond Trigg explains the ancient Greeks created pankration, and it became a progressive combat training practice and an early Olympic sport. It typically used no weaponry but demanded a high level of strength and athleticism of its participants.
Raymond Trigg reports that the fighting genre had a controversial revival beginning in the late 1960s. Let’s explore more about this fascinating type of wrestling and how it has regained its foothold in modern MMA.
Pankration in History
Raymond Trigg explains that taken from the Greek word meaning “all of power,” pankration wrestling has a rich history that goes back over 3000 years. The sport was first introduced at the Olympics as far back as 648 BC. The martial arts form also makes its appearance in ancient Greek myth.
As the story goes, Greek heroes Theseus and Heracles invented the martial art form. Legend states that Theseus used his extraordinary pankration skills to achieve feats, such as defeating the Minotaur and subduing the Nemean lion. These victories are often depicted in ancient Greek art and literature according to Raymond Trigg.
The martial art form was also used by Greek soldiers, such as Alexander the Great’s arsenal and the Spartan hoplites. Raymond Trigg explains that it is said that at the legendary battle of Mycale, which left the Persians with a destroyed fleet, the Greeks used pankration techniques when their swords and spears were broken.
Several other pankration athletes became legendary for their skills as time went on. The Romans even adopted the sport into their games in the Imperial Period.
Raymond Trigg says that pankration and other combat sports like gladiatorial combat were abolished in 393 A.D. Christian Emperor Theodosius I banned the practice by edict. However, the sport experienced a revival much later in the late 1960s.
Pankration Fundamentals
Pankration was originally a weaponless submission sport with very few rules, according to Raymond Trigg. Participants would make use of a variety of techniques. These included techniques typical of wrestling and boxing, though they also employed holds, kicks, joint-locks, and chokes, often taken onto the ground. Opponents could attempt to win in a standing posture or grappling on the ground. Many of these techniques are used in modern mixed martial arts.
Evidence that historians have found suggests pankration was a submission sport. This means that one of the participants would choose to yield if caught in a position or lock they could not escape from, and thus the other sportsman would be the winner. Sometimes the result was established by the death of one of the opponents, usually during combat or other extreme circumstances.
The Revival of Pankration Techniques in Modern Times
Raymond Trigg explains that pankration experienced a revival when Greek American athlete Jim Arvanitis started introducing it to the martial arts community in 1969. It began to be known as neo-pankration or modern Pankration.
Arvanitis claimed Spartan heritage, which drove him to see the no-rule combat sport revived. He also added combat techniques from all he had learned in his own training to what he had studied on ancient Greek pankration, making it into a modern-day practice.
Arvanitis kept many of the standing and grounded moves, postures, and techniques and adapted them to modern-day fighting.
Arvanitis experienced a lot of criticism and difficulty on his journey. Many in the MMA community did not believe in his approach and preferred to follow traditional Eastern MMA practices strictly. However, through dedication and the publication of books, videos, and making numerous public appearances on the subject, he ultimately achieved what he set out to do: bring pankration into the modern era.
Raymond Trigg reports that he also developed his own neo-pankration school – the Spartan Academy of Modern Pankration. Arvanitis also eventually received accolades for his contributions and was inaugurated into many Halls of Fame.
Bruce Lee and Aris Makris were also instrumental in integrating pankration techniques into modern MMA practices. They both actively advocated for the revival of the fighting genre. Makris also opened his own pankration academy in Canada.
While the sport hasn’t made it back into the Olympic Games, it has been recognized by the United World Wrestling association as a form of modern mixed martial arts since 2010. Pankration contests were first held that same year at the World Combat Games.
Some Last Thoughts
Whether pankration has a place in MMA fighting is still up for debate. However, it’s thanks to Jim Arvanitis that the art of pankration is not lost forever. Now, Raymond Trigg reports that many MMA fighters study pankration to improve their own practice, and you will see many techniques used by the ancient Greeks thousands of years ago live on in modern-day fighting.
