Pankration Fighting Techniques

Striking

• The first phase of any pankration match saw the two combatants face off in a standing position. Competitors did not throw closed fist strikes, instead they used open-handed blows to attack the opposition, striking at the head or body of the opponent with the heel of the hand to deliver a powerful blow. Fighters could also strike with the legs, delivering kicks.

Takedowns

• The ability to take a fight from the feet down to the ground allowed a competitor to drastically change the fight, and potentially move the fight from his opponent's strength to his own. Takedowns came in a variety of forms, both in wrestling takedowns as we are familiar with today as well as foot sweeps, with an individual kicking his leg out at the ankles of his opponent in an arcing motion to trip them to the ground.

Submission

• Once the fight was on the ground, the pankration fighters were still permitted to deliver strikes. However, this was often not the most effective way to win the bout. Submission holds were employed on the ground, with a fighter tapping his opponent on the shoulder one time to show that he yielded and acknowledged defeat. The most common choke involved climbing on an opponent's back then draping an arm across his neck, while also squeezing his body with the legs. Additionally, fighters would attempt to isolate one limb and pull it at an uncomfortable angle until the opponent submitted.

Modern Pankration

• Although pankration is no longer an Olympic event, it is still alive today in a variant known as mixed martial arts, most famously the Ultimate Fighting Championships organization. One of the first modern mixed martial arts organizations, Pancrase, borrowed its name from pankration. Additionally the Pancrase organization did not allow closed fist strikes, unlike other modern mixed martial arts organizations, making it most similar in practice to the original event.