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History of Martial Arts: Greek
The Greek Martial Art of Pankration was the first form of today's MMA Fighting. The Greeks were the Bad Boys of the ancient world. They lived to fight, and fought to live. Greece was a group of city states that would ban together to fight foreign invaders.
And when no other enemy was around, they would fight against each other.
Given their love for fighting, its no wonder that they developed a Greek Martial Art. It was called Pankration and it was the first all-encomposing fighting art in history: the first form of Mixed Martial Arts fighting.
Pankration literally means "All Powers" and it was the earliest documented no-holds-barred athletic competition. It was introduced to the Olympic Games in 648 B.C. but it may have started hundreds of years before.
The only rules were No Biting and No Gouging, just like the early UFC although the Spartans allowed these in their local tournaments.
Pankration
Pankration was a lot like today's Mixed Martial Arts fighting competitions, without the Ring Girls. These ancient Greek Martial Arts had all of the techniques of the different types of modern Martial Arts combined. It had the striking of Boxing and Karate; the Throws, Chokes and Joint Locks of Judo and Ju-jitsu; the Takedowns and Ground Fighting of Wrestling; and the Leg Kicks and Elbow Strikes of Muay-Thai.
There were three ways to win in Pankration. You could submit your opponent (tapping or raising your hand meant you submit), knock your opponent out, or kill him. Ancient Greek MMA Fights didn't go to the scorecard. And these Greek Martial Arts contests could go on for hours.
Sometimes they were won by a Knockout but usually they turned into a Grappling match and wound up on the ground and were won by a Choke or Joint Lock.
Specialization and various techniques
Most of the deaths occured when a fighter was caught in a Chokehold and refused to tap. The different City States were also known to have their favorite early "MMA fighting" techniques. One city's fighters would specialize in a certain Choke and another city's fighters in a certain Kick or Jointlock, etc., just like today's fighters.
Thai Boxers are known for their Leg Kicks and Knee Strikes. The Brazilians are known for Submissions and the American Wrestlers for their Takedowns and Ground and Pound.
These ancient Greek Martial Artists also knew how to harness their inner strength or Pneuma (later known as Chi in Chinese and Ki in Japanese) by breaking stones and planks with their hands and by kicking holes through battle shields with their bare feet.
The Basis of Greek Combat Training
Pankration formed the basis of combat training for the ancient Greek soldiers, from the Spartan Hoplites to Alexander's Macedonian Phalanxes. The Spartans at Thermopylae fought with their bare hands and teeth once their spears and swords were shattered. And one Olympic Champion, Polydamas, killed three fully-armed Immortals (elite Persian soldiers) with just a stick.
So it's no wonder that when Alexander the Great began his conquest of the world he employed these fighters trained in Pankration for his army. One of these Pankratiasts, Dioxippus, who won the Olympic Games in 336 B.C was in Alexander's army.
Dioxippus was so good at this ancient MMA fighting that he won the Olympic Games by default because no other Pankratiast would fight him.
Once at a banquet hosted by Alexander, Coragus who was one of Alexander's most skilled soldiers was drinking a little too much and getting a little out of control. Then he did something that he would soon regret. He challenged Dioxippus to a one-on-one fight. Dioxippus, one of the Greatest Greek Martial Arts Masters, happily accepted.
On fight night Coragus showed up wearing his bronze armor and carrying his shield. He also carried a javelin, a spear, and a sword. Dioxippus came to the fight almost nude with nothing but a purple robe in one hand and a club in the other. What a Pre-Fight Walk-Out that must have been.
When the fight started Coragus hurled his javelin towards Dioxippus, barely missing him as Dioxippus dodged it. Then Coragus pulled out his spear and lunged at Dioxippus but Dioxippus leaped towards Coragus and shattered the spear with his club. Then he grabbed Coragus's right hand before he could pull his sword out. Dioxippus then got Coragus in a Body Lock and Slammed him to the ground. Then Dioxippus stood over him with his foot on Coragus's throat.
Dioxippus could have killed him but Alexander stopped the fight. It was over so fast that it stunned the spectators watching. But if there were any doubts before (about the effectiveness of Pankration) there weren't now.
And as Alexander's army moved east towards India, conquering all of the armies in its path, it's easy to see that with Alexander's fame and winning percentage undefeated and untied the people he conquered would want to learn this Greek Martial Art.
It is thought by some that when Alexander's army reached India several of these Pankratiast trained the people there. And some historians believe that this was the beginning of Asian Martial Arts, as they became known after Alexander's army was in India.
Possibly this Greek Martial Art mixed with styles that were already being practiced there. However some of the Indian Martial Arts had simularities to Pankration.
Pankration as the beginning of Asian Martial Arts
And as Alexander's army moved east towards India, conquering all of the armies in its path, it's easy to see that with Alexander's fame and winning percentage undefeated and untied the people he conquered would want to learn this Greek Martial Art.
It is thought by some that when Alexander's army reached India several of these Pankratiast trained the people there. And some historians believe that this was the beginning of Asian Martial Arts, as they became known after Alexander's army was in India.
Possibly this Greek Martial Art mixed with styles that were already being practiced there. However some of the Indian Martial Arts had simularities to Pankration.
Vajra-Mushti is an ancient Indian Martial Art. It translates into Thunderfist. It contains strikes simular to Boxing, Karate and Kung-Fu, with Grappling similar to Ju-Jitsu and Pankration, and a study of Pressure Points thrown in for good measure.
It's another form of early MMA fighting, and an ancester of Tibetan White Crane Boxing. Dravidian Martial Arts are south-Asian fighting styles developed by the Dravidian people of southern India dating back to the 2nd or 3rd century B.C.
Kalarippayattus is a Dravidian Martial Art that's possibly one of the oldest known Fighting Systems. It included Strikes, Kicks, Grappling, weapons, and healing. In the Dravidian Martial Arts Marman are Pressure Points. It is said that expert practitioners could kill or main with a single touch, like Dim Mak. India also had many types of Wrestling and many other Fighting Styles.
From India some of these Fighting Arts spread south to the Indian sub-continent and into southeast Asia, possibly forming the origins of Indonesian-Malasian Silat, Filipino Escrima and Kali, Thai Krabi Krabong and Muay Boran, predocessor to Muay-Thai.
