Troy and Greek MA

[Skeptic 2004]

I don't know if this has already been asked (and I really don't want to dig through the several thousand back posts to check). I was watching something about the making of the movie Troy when one of the producers mentioned something that perked my interest: the unarmed combat style Brad Pitt (or his stunt double) uses in the movie-fu portrayal of Achilles was derived from drawings of various combat postures on Greek urns. Someone argued in another of the forums that either the Greeks or the Romans were the first to create kata or forms.

 

I wanted to know if anyone was familiar with the Greek martial arts or could point me in the right direction if I wanted to read more about it (I need something a little more credible than Wikipedia).

[Mr. Mike]

Pankration

 

Ancient Greek Combat Sport

 

Modern Mixed Martial Art

 

Pankration, pronounced in its modern derivative as "pan-cray-shun" as opposed to the classic "pan-grat-ee-on", is an ancient Greek combat sport dating back over 2500 years. Modeled after an earlier battlefield form called panmachia (Gr. "total fighting"), it was the cornerstone of the very first Olympic Games. It would vanish over time due to various factors until its revival as a mixed martial arts system geared to both street-fighting and competition in the late-1960s by Grandmaster Jim Arvanitis. World recognized as the "Father of Modern Pankration", Arvanitis made it his life's work to rebuild the concepts from what little remained of Greece's legacy. One of the earliest advocates of cross-training, Jim combined his extensive background in boxing and wrestling with techniques he extracted from other styles. The integration of these conceptual and technical elements became the foundation of Modern Pankration.

 

The rebirth would find its way to its native homeland in the mid-1990s as well as to many other parts of the world. Pankration is translated to mean "all-powers" and consists of all methods of striking and grappling including open hand blows, punches, kicks, elbows, knees, takedowns, throws, sweeps, and submission holds (joint locks and chokes). Equal preference is given to both upright fighting (ano pankration) as well as ground combat (kato pankration). History shows that many of the martial arts styles practiced today such as karate, kung-fu, jujitsu, etc. may have been influenced by this combat form of antiquity due to the conquests of Alexander the Great.

 

The Spartan Academy is an exclusive palaestra (Gr. "school") specializing in both sport and battlefield (street) pankration. It offers both short-term and continuing programs in Jim Arvanitis' system of contemporary Greek combat.

 

Key Points of Modern Pankration

 

Tactical positioning both upright and on the ground.

 

Elusive Mobility: Light, shifty footwork and body maneuvering to bridge the gap for explosive attacks and providing a difficult target to hit or grip.

 

Emphasis on attack.

 

Totality: Fluid integration of striking and grappling techniques. No stylized partiality as to one method over another. All ways and means are employed to terminate the conflict.

 

No rigid, passive defenses. Subtle parries and evasions rather than hard blocks.

 

Efficient techniques based on simplicity and economy of motion. There are no wasted, complicated movements.

 

Low-level kicks (below the waist). High kicks expend more energy and jeopardize balance.

 

Penetrating strikes: Hit through the target, not just at it.

 

Fights often end on the ground! In this position, one must be able to effectively defend and attack with strikes and submission skills.

 

Adaptability: The ability to instantly adjust to all possible angles, ranges, and circumstances encountered in combat.

 

The use of leverage and body force in all striking and grappling techniques rather than mere arm or leg strength.

 

No "fixed" forms. Applicability as opposed to memorized response. Productive learning is spontaneous and requires complete freedom of expression!!

 

No formality or rituals. The hereteesmos (salutation) is used at the start and end of class, or prior to sparring.

 

Continual promotion of physical fitness through scientific exercise and diet.

 

Use of specialized equipment to develop the striking tools.

 

Realistic interactive drills including ground grappling and sparring with contact to closely simulate actual combat conditions.

 

___________________________________________________

 

Course Content

 

ANO (UPRIGHT) SKILLS

 

Readiness Position (thesis machis)

 

Combat ranges

 

Footwork and Mobility

 

Precision Strikes

 

Punching Tools (pymis)

 

Kicking Tools (laktisma)

 

Elbow Strikes (agkohnizein)

 

Knee strikes (gonatizein)

 

Clinch Fighting (hamma)

 

Throws, Takedowns, and Sweeps (rassein apaly)

 

Joint Locks/Destructions

 

Chokes/Cranks

 

Defensive Blocks

 

Parries

 

Evasions

 

Leg Shoot Defenses

 

Combat Strategies A. Combinations

 

B. Setups

 

C. Counters

 

D. Transitions (standing to ground)

 

Training Methodology A. Conditioning Exercises

 

B. Skiamachia (shadow-fighting)

 

C. Equipment

 

1. Heavy bag (korykos)

 

2. DEB & speed bag

 

3. Focus gloves

 

4. Impact pads

 

5. Grappling dummy

 

 

 

D. Sparring (contact and protective gear)

 

KATO (GROUND) SKILLS

 

Top Control Positions

 

Ground Strikes

 

Leg Scissors Techniques

 

Submission Arm and Leg Locks

 

Joint Dislocations

 

Finger Locks

 

Chokes and Neck Cranks

 

Throws and Sweeps

 

Spartan Tactics

 

Passes, Reversals, and Escapes

 

Training Methods A. Conditioning Exercises

 

B. Breakfalls

 

C. Spinning Drill

 

D. Partner Drills

 

E. Free Rolling

 

F. Sparring

 

"CORE" TECHNIQUES

 

Includes all classic skills of original Olympic pankration such as klimakimos, gastrizein, piheo anhin, saroma, systasis, parathesis, etc.

 

 

 

_______________________________________________

 

The Spartan Academy of Greek Martial Art

 

(941) 685-2079

[Shorin Ryuu]

That's a pretty informative post, Mr. Mike. However (and I only say this because I saw Troy with Skeptic2004 and we pondered this before), I think he was focusing more specifically on the sword/spear and shield aspect of it. While it was obviously movie-fu, as he put it, there were a few instances in the fight scenes (I've only seen it once and it was a while ago) where we both kind of thought "wow, that's actually practical" or "wow, that looks somewhat like a legitimate technique". Since he is an actor, maybe he's just being a good mirror or he's posing rather well.

 

And Skeptic2004, feel free to smack me upside the head with a Greek helmet if I'm wrong.

[kzshin]

Ever seen a Japanese animate called "Saint Seiya"???

 

althought it's fake, but just can't help it when people talk about Greek Martial Art.

[Skeptic 2004]

Thanks, Mr. Mike for the info. Shorin-Ryuu is half correct in that I was more interested in the sword/spear/shield portion of it, but I am also interested in the information you just mentioned. If you know of any credible books I could get my hands on to read about the history of pankration (preferably dealing with the ancient version, such as its origins, if there were any known "masters" in ancient Greece, how it was disseminated, etc.) please let me know. If you have any knowledge of the sword/spear/shield portion that would definately be a bonus. Thanks.

[Mr. Mike]

http://www.hmckickboxing.com/html/pankration.html

 

Hawaii Martial Arts Center

 

King's Gate Plaza

 

555 N. King Street

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

 

96817

 

Voice:

 

(808)841-5144

 

Cellular:

 

(808)778-6372

 

good luck in all of your endeavors. I'm getting into pankration for this year's tournament circuit...need to work lke crazy on my conditioning.

[krzychicano]

That is some awesome info. That is why I love these forums