Pankration, meaning "all techniques," is purported to date back to the ancient Greeks. Some say that it was the wrestling practiced at the original Olympic Games. Like many martial arts legends, this is possibly apocryphal and definitely hard to prove. What is definitely known is that pankration has seen a resurgence since the popularity of mixed martial arts has brought some of its practitioners into the spotlight.
Punching
A major difference between pankration and wrestling is that it allows punches. Modern competition allows closed-fist body blows and open-hand strikes to the head. It's common to defend against an attempted leg grab with a slap to the skull or ear. Because closed hand strikes to the head are illegal, it's difficult to land a finishing punch. Because of this, pankration stylists usually use punches as a way of distracting or softening up an opponent before going in for a takedown or lock.
Kicking
Kicks similar to those used in muay thai and savate are also part of the pankration stylists arsenal. As with closed-hand strikes, kicks aren't thrown to the head, nor are they considered a finishing technique on their own. Aside from softening up a target, kicks are also used to control an opponent's position. For this reason, push kicks to the midsection or torquing kicks to the leg are common and popular techniques.
Takedowns
The takedown is a staple of modern wrestling and its pankration forebears. Although there is a literally infinite variety of possible takedowns, the double- and single-leg takedowns are two of the most common. For a double-leg takedown, the aggressor "shoots" in and grabs and pulls the backs of both legs while butting his opponent's hips or midsection with a shoulder. A single-leg takedown involves capturing one of the opponent's legs and tripping the single leg he's standing on. In both cases, the goal is to drop your opponent to the ground so you can follow up with a finishing technique.
Submission Holds
Like modern mixed martial arts, pankration uses submission as a method for determining victory. If one stylist can choke another out, or force him to tap out with a lock, he wins the match. Choke holds, arm bars and leg bars are three of the most common submission holds used in pankration. The choke holds are blood chokes -- meaning the aggressor restricts blood flow to the brain rather than air flow. Arm and leg bars both involve bending a joint in the wrong direction until an opponent experiences enough pain or fear of injury to surrender.
References
- Team USA Pankration
- Dave Coffman; Martial arts historian; Hillsboro, Oregon
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