The Pankration Striking Style Part I - Punching
By Mike Cartier (Feb 2005) |
This is a hypothesis based upon examination of historical sources related to the methods and techniques of punching used in the Ancient Classical Pankration (and boxing) sport.
Just how did participants in the ancient classical Arts of Pankration and Boxing punch?
Can we simply assume they punched identically to today's modern Boxers ? I think the answer is NO for reasons that I will now outline in this article.
The purpose of this article is to put forth some small evidence towards the source of the Pankration and Boxing punching styles and their utility in ancient combat sports and self defense (civilian and military). With this evidence I have outlined a theory for why these punching styles were favored, how they were used and how they are linked to the stance by concept and application, and more importantly why modern boxing or even boxing's ancestor art of English Pugilism is not a good model for the Pankration and Boxing punching style which is quite unique in western history.
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In the Image A we see the fighter on the top striking downward with a hammerfist style blow on his semi-downed opponent who is then lifting the finger of submission. The striker is entering deeply with the overhand strike which is naturally setting up the next move of a grapple or clinch or more likely another strike as we can see from his rear hand held back. The position suggests that the fighter on the left has just leapt up in the air to come landing down upon his opponent with the Hammer fist and in close range with preparation to grapple. This raising up on the toes to strike or leap to strike is very characteristic of the Pankration and Ancient Greek Boxing style.
| (Click on the images to view archived item in detail)
Image A |
In Image B we see straight vertical fisted punching with perhaps even some more sophisticated parrying going on. The shoulder of the punching arm is thrust forward with the punch with both fighters showing they clearly understood the mechanics of power in punching.
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Image B |
If we look at Image C we see the fighter on the right using a lead hand punch while he retreats backwards. the fighter on left is using a circular parry as he advances with his arm back for a strike.
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Image C |
In Image D we see a kick & punch combo, with what looks like some sort of oblique or push kick on the top of the opponent's knee with a lead hand punch timed with the attack.
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Image D |
| In Image E we see a lead hand straight punch used as a stop-hit kind of power jab, throwing the opponents balance off. | 
Image E |
| In Image F we see the hammer style punching again this time as the fighter stands over the opponent preparing to rain down strikes. | 
Image F |
In Image G we see a palm-like punch with curled fingers, presumably to protect the hand. | 
Image G |
| In Image H the fighter on the left is using some sort of head control hold with his shoulder turned into the opponent to set up some punches. | 
Image H |
| In Image I we see an interesting use of the hammerfist across the body, this could suggest a double hammerfist type of strike with the same hand delivering two consecutive hammerfists. | 
Image I |
| In Image J the fighter on the right is delivering a strong lead hand corkscrew hook and using a leg shield kick defense. | 
Image J |
So we have clearly identified several punching styles here which can be generally split into 5 categories.
- Straight Fist or Open Hand
- Overhead/Hammer Fist or Open Hand
- Hooking
- Uppercuts (Implied by hooking and frequency of the action stance)
- Backfists/Backhands (implied by area of protection in Himantes)
All with lead hand and rear hand variants standing or on the ground. The hammer fist being especially useful on the ground . The overhead strikes are the stand out from other western punching styles and they could be highly significant to the Greeks for several reasons.
- All martial training was subordinated to battlefield training, the training of the Hoplite in Greek society took precedence over all other martial training and as such the battlefield arts were more than likely used as the reference point. We know that Pankration was the basic unarmed art of the Hoplite modified for battlefield purposes of course (called Pammachon). So in a situation like this one we could reasonably expect the Greeks to want their other Martial & Sporting endeavors to provide supporting attributes towards the battlefield arts which were paramount (infact there are many ancient sources which testify to the value of athletics to war). Therefore the concepts from one style of fighting or weapon to another were all highly similar so that one fed into the other. This is the norm in all existing total warrior training systems such as Bushido or Filipino martial Arts which have many fighting styles unified into a total combat art for every situation or weapon conceivable. Weapon training went hand in hand with the Unarmed training and the sporting aspects of the Unarmed arts as each type of trainng developed complimentary attributes all brought together by a set of similar underlying guiding concepts.
This is where the significance of 2 of the Pankration punching methods comes into play and are related to the primary weapons of the Hoplite. The hammerfist style mimics the spear thrust with a hammerfist grip. The straight punch mimics the thrust with the sword or spear with an overhand grip. The Pankration stance mimics the defensive motions of the shield and the footwork is all based upon the classic stance. So in Pankration we can see the attributes of the spear thrust and sword thrust being developed by training in the punching styles of Pankration, the footwork is similar, the shield defense is similar in context and the grappling lends itself to the Pammachon art of the battlefield. Using the defensive stance and a straight punch or hammer fist together mimics the whole action of sword/spear and shield work so culturally enmeshed in Greek civilization with the history of the Hoplite.
 Examples of the hammerfist and overhand Use of spear & shield
Why is this significant? Because this provides continuity of training concept from military to civilian application. Spending years training in Pankration, Boxing , Wrestling and other athletic pursuits but most especially the heavy athletics) provided skills & attributes directly relatable to battlefield application. Likewise years of military training would also have relevant applications in sporting or self defense Pankration applications because the concepts underlying all the fighting arts were unified into a total system bound by a set of guiding principles and concepts.
So we have clearly identified punching styles from sources along with the use of the Shield like defensive stance. Together this gives us some clues to the fighting style of pankration and ancient boxing. The peculiarities of the stance (described here) allows this punching style that strikes from every conceivable angle with maximum power. The defensive stance lends itself to long range punching from behind a solid defense and raising oneself up to strike down on the opponent with the hammer fist or strike or move directly using straight , hooking or uppercut fists. Sometimes using great leaps forward with the strikes.
The overhand Hammer fist style of punching has multiple depths of utility that go much deeper than the idea of striking your opponent and protecting the bones in your hand. The over hand strike could be followed by close clinch play or a throw as well as other strikes such as the knees , elbows or headbutts. The transition from the hammerfist to the clinch is seamless due to the end position of the hammerfist after a strike, hardly any movement at all is required besides a quick hand grip to clinch.
In Vergil's Aenid the veteran Entellus tries this blow unsuccessfully:
"pulling himself up high, he flashed his right fist and raised it high in the air, His opponent saw the blow coming from above and quickly slipped away with numble body, Entellus poured his strength out on the wind and his heavy frame fell heavily by its own momentum to the ground.
Amyksos rose up on the tips of his toes trying a downward smash on Polydeukes, like a man slaughtering an ox."
A fourth century author describes how boxers close upon each other on their toes, with small steps, shifting from one knee (foot) to the other.
In another description from the first century B.C.E by Philo (cher 80-81) we hear that:
"The boxer or pankratiast fighting for the victor's crown pushes away the punches coming at him with both hands and bends his neck this way and that, guarding against being struck. Often he stands on tiptoe and draws himself up to his full height, then drawing himself back he forces his opponent to throw idle punches as if he were shadow boxing"
Conclusions:
Ancient Greek Athletic pursuits of Boxing and Pankration were aware of the value of footwork, evasive actions and sound defense, this nimbleness of foot is describe in varied sources along with the evasions of the head and defensive application of the arms. Small wonder that they would know as these heavy atheltics had well over 1000 years of intensive, competitive interactions by the many city states of Greece and the Roman world, many athletes earned their livings soley from these athletic discplines, some being sponsored by this city or that to bring honor to them and attend any of the games held throught the Greek world. The most famous of these games being of course the Olympic, Pythian and Nemean games.
The application of no holds barred or no rules fighting system in a sporting contest has far reaching effects on the martial arts involved in these contests, theory behind these arts is no longer based upon one man's personal fighting prowess or an abstract collection of theories handed down through tradition. Everything is tested in the stress of combat, with no weight limits , no time limits and precious few rules, they are tested in a much more open environment than modern MMA which shed this aspect early on to pursue mainstream success, so rules against elbow while standing or kneeing on the ground have krept in along with rounds and weight limits. As all good UFC, Vale Tudo and Pride fans well know the rules make the game and consequently the art used in that game, if techniques don't find some general application across a significant portion of the contestants participating in that combat sport then that technique is not considered high percentage and therefore sees much less use. Modern MMA has developed a skillset in much the same way that Ancient Pankration developed its skillset, basing it all upon what worked in the contest. This has happened very few times in history, creation of a no rules environment for sport fighting allows all theories and aspects of combat to be openly tested against one another, showing their strengths and weaknesses to all with an eye to see them. this sort of open competition makes the art generated very practical and effective. this sort of open questioning quest for greater knowledge in various arts and sciences is the back bone of western culture.
So lets examine these punches in more depth.
Straight Punch This is a punch that goes directly to its target in a straight line, from either front or rear hand (in modern boxing the front straight punch is called a jab and the rear straight punch is called a cross) These are the longest range punches and use a shoulder/hip movement forward with the punch to create power. The straight punches are evidenced in many historical sources in both vertical vist style and the modern boxing palm down style.
Hammerfist This is a punch that comes from above and uses not only the bottom of the fist but the forearms to strike, the Pankration Back and medium back stances facilitate this strike, perhaps the most powerful strike. It can be done with front or rear hand but the rear is much more powerful. The hammerfist is evidenced in many sources and also strongly implied by the Pankration stance which is perhaps the most frequent historically evidenced element in the art.
Hooks Front or rear hand punches where the strike moves at a right angle to the opponent (straight punches move in a straight line through the opponent) Using a shifting or turning of the hip to create power. What modern boxing would call an over hand corkscrew hook is evidenced in several sources.
Uppercuts These punches strike from below and also use a shifting of the hips to create power, the hips shift upwards as the fighter dips down bringing power from the legs into the punch. very few pieces of evidence for this punch but it is strongly implied by the action stance with the hand low.
Backfist/Backhand These punches are thrown from across the body using the back of the hand/fist to strike. (right backhand is throw across the body from left to right). Not evidenced in any sources so far but strongly implied by the covering on the back of the hand in the Himantes (the leather coverings used in boxing)
Together these punches cover all possible striking angles of attack and can flow easily from one to another just like the stances.
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Continued in part II of this Article:
The Pankration Striking Style Part II - Kicking, Knees & Elbows
Coming Soon!
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