Pankration: The Traditional Greek Combat Sport & Modern Martial Art [Paperback]

Jim Arvanitis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003

Black Belt Magazine called Pankration "the most practical street combat form of the martial arts that I have ever seen". Throughout this fascinating and completely updated volume, Jim Arvanitis provides extensive insight into the facts and myths of pankration's early history (including its inclusion in the earliest Olympic Games), its techniques and strategies, and its impact on today's martial arts.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jim Arvanitis is internationally renowned as the father of modern pankration. He has made it his life's work to rebuild the ancient Greek combat sport into a modern cross-training martial arts system. Grandmaster Arvanitis has been featured in all the top martial arts magazines, including Inside Kung-Fu, Official Karate and Black Belt.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581603975
• ISBN-13: 978-1581603972
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #599,563 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Demitrios "Jim" Arvanitis is world recognized as Greek pankration's "Renaissance man." The Greek-American has made it his life's work to rebuild the remnants of the ancient combat sport from its ashes.

Among the elite pioneers of mixed martial arts, Arvanitis cross-trained in a number of different styles before it was an accepted practice. Opposing the theory that martial arts originated in Asia, Arvanitis began an odyssey to discover the combat roots of his ancestors before he was twenty years old. From the ancient pankration, he carefully analyzed the descriptions of Greece's early writers, and the paintings and sculptures of its most influential artists. These sources became his "blueprint" in resurrecting pankration into a modern form. It was Arvanitis alone who would introduce it to mainstream martial arts as early as 1970 and popularize it throughout the world in the years that followed.

Arvanitis has received myriad awards and has been honored by numerous organizations. In 2001 he was nominated by his former home state of New Hampshire as its "Athlete of the Century", and in 2006 was given "Living Legend" status by his fellow grandmasters in the World Head of Family Sokeship Council. Black Belt magazine inducted him into their elite Hall of Fame as "Instructor of the Year" in 2009. In addition to his contributions to the martial arts world, Jim is also a former boxing and wrestling champion, and a multiple world record holder for thumb pushups.

Highly respected for his teaching prowess, Arvanitis opened the first pankration palaistra (school) in 1972 and has also conducted seminars in many parts of the world. His students include boxers, wrestlers, martial artists from various styles, professional bodyguards and stuntmen, law enforcement personnel, and military special forces. Jim continues to teach small classes and privately, and has new book and video projects in the works. Specializing in both combat sport and reality street-defense applications, many seek him out for his effective weapons defenses and handgun disarming techniques.

Today, Jim Arvanitis is legendary for his inspiring list of achievements and by beating the odds in restoring a legacy from antiquity. Through his athletic feats, books, videos, hundreds of television appearances, magazine articles and radio interviews, Arvanitis has truly earned the title of "Father of Modern Pankration."



Website: www.jimarvanitis.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Revision, September 6, 2003

By 

An MMA stylist (Providence, RI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pankration: The Traditional Greek Combat Sport & Modern Martial Art (Paperback)

This book is a rewrite and expanded version of Mr. Arvanitis's previous book on Greek pankration. There are additional photos and new sections included. The quality of the book matches that of the content presented. Although there are many fighting skills that can be found in other martial arts systems, Arvanitis emphasizes the "core" pankration techniques by their classic Greek terms. Nice touch!! This book is well laid out and easy to follow. There is a wealth of material here from a man who has been an innovative force behind MMA since the early-1970s. This is the best coverage of this ancient art to date.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book!!, January 18, 2004

By 

dylan (Lansing, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pankration: The Traditional Greek Combat Sport & Modern Martial Art (Paperback)

This latest book by Mr. Arvanitis is a work of art and certainly lives up to the legendary status that he has achieved over the past three decades. Obviously his knowledge on the art/sport that he alone revived reflects a very passionate individual. There are plenty of easy-to-follow photos of the techniques, thorough explanations of their execution, and excellent historical references on the ancient sport and battlefield form throughout. The artwork of ancient pankratiasts in the opening chapter gets the book off to a great start. Pankration was the precursor to mixed martial arts, practiced over 2500 years ago, and whose practice and traditions were perpetuated by the author since the late-1960s. He explains his lifelong dedication to rigorous physical training and researching the ancient concepts and skills. These experiences were used as a blueprint in reviving the modern derivative, integrating techniques and strategies from various sources (i.e. boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, submission grappling, etc.) to build its technical foundation. This is precisely how the ancient pankration was formulated ... by combining elements of Greek boxing and wrestling into one cohesive Olympic combat sport. The content also does a neat job covering various training equipment, and exercises and drills to prepare both mind and body for any situation, be it upright or on the ground. The material is well-organized and makes for a great read. My one concern is that I would have liked more advanced applications. However, it's mentioned in the intro that this will be covered in future books. For anyone looking to expand their knowledge of mixed martial arts, this one comes highly-recommended.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a diamond in the rough, November 12, 2005

By 

Aaron L. Morrissette "lord of chaos" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pankration: The Traditional Greek Combat Sport & Modern Martial Art (Paperback)

Paladin press publishes a lot of crap from charlatains and armchair, wanna- be tough guys. This book is an exception. Jim Arvanitis has been around for a long time and the techniques presented in this book are top notch. A lot of martial arts books suck because they are poorly written and have photos of techniques which are almost impossible to follow. Mr. Arvanitis' book however, has very good step by step photos of his applications, as well as very well articulated explainations for them. This book is worth every penny you'll pay for it an you'll keep it around for reference for many years. I suggest you buy it ASAP, or better yet- find a Pankration teacher ASAP! Pankration is effective for self defense, fitness AND the ring, and very few fighting arts can claim ALL of that.