Pankration??

[Mr.Sleazy]

I have just recently started taking classes in this "art" and wondered if others' experience is similar to mine. At my school, pankration seems to mean a bunch of different arts mixed together. For me, these are muay thai, shootboxing, bjj, and escrima.

I know pankration is a very old greek sporting event, but the question I have for other members is:

1. If anyone else has taken pankration, is it made up of the arts I listed above, or others that are totally different?
2. If pankration just consists of a mixture of other arts, can it be considered a MA in its own right at all?

[yenhoi]

I dont see how an ancient greek emptyhand fighting method could be considered a mix of those various arts from all over the world.

Maybe. The greeks did get around.

[chen zhen]

That would be impossible. Shootfighting and BJJ didn't even exist 50 years ago ( well, I know shootfighting didn't).

That must be fake Pankration.

[Mr.Sleazy]

I'm not really asking about the historical makeup of pankration and I'm not really very concerned about that. I know BJJ could not possibly have been used in the original Greek Olympics.

Pankration is now a modern sporting event (some want it in the Olympics), and is one of the many variations on the NHB fighting scene.

Just asking if anyone else is studying this system, or is training for pankration events, and if so, what arts are involved?

Thanks.

[Badger]

Pancrase is the term Ken Shamrock uses for his system which is a mix of: Greco-Roman Wrestling, Catch wrestling,Folk wrestling, Judo, Sambo & Muay Thai.
Shootfighting is a term Bart Vale coined for the same thing.

I do not believe the original Pankration would be anywhere near as practical as the fighting today.

Its like Ancient Boxing & Boxing of today...Better methods of punching,footwork,conditioning,etc.

There are different styles of Pankration like there are different styles of Boxing...

Pankration mean "all powers" using all systems to fight,all ranges, everything that works.

So if it works in a fight who cares if its called Pankration or JabberWocky?

Badger

[Mr.Sleazy]

Good point Badger. I am now studying the deadly art of Jabberwocky.

This is kind of what I though, there is not really a specific set of techniques in an an art called Pankration, rather a mixture of different styles and arts in different schools, all aimed at one thing: fighting in all ranges (weapons, kicking, punching, trapping, grappling). Of course the weapons part is kind of separate and not part of Pancrase competition. What I find good about this is that the art is not monolithic, with only one right way to do something. There are also no forms, but lots of drills, some co-operative sparring, and lots of full sparring.

BTW I really like my training, I have been working at it for only 1.5 months but I feel already like I am a better fighter.

[dre]

"BTW I really like my training, I have been working at it for only 1.5 months but I feel already like I am a better fighter"

Thats what it's all about.
I'm considering taking a little (to crosstrain) of Vale Tudo from an instructor, another Mixed Art, like Pancration. I

[DragonzRage]

I got to work with this dude from Matt Hume's AMC Pankration gym on a ocuple occasions. Stylistically, their stuff is pretty much your average MMA blend (ie shoot, bjj, boxing, muay thai, wrestling). Those guys are very good tho.

I really don't think that anyone teaches Pankration in the same technical form that it existed in back in the days of the gladiators. Basically it seems that people simply use the term pankration to refer to the fact that they are practicing freestyle, multi-range fighting sport.