PANKRATION
PANKRATION COURSE
Sittingbourne March 12th 2010
When Martin Clarke was at the World Sambo Championships in Greece last years members of the International Pankration Federation ask him if he would start a section Great Britain. Although participation in Martial Arts in the UK is at an all time low, he reckoned there would be a change of Government in 2010 and the whole country would pick up .
Brief Summary of PANKRATION
The word Pankration is a Greek word which translated means "all powers" or "all powerful", both are acceptable translations by Greek scholars. Pankration was a sporting event in the ancient Greek Olympic games that was first introduced in the games of 648 BC. The rules of the sport were simple, no biting or eye gouging and victory was secured through knockout, submission or death. The historical records of the early Pankration are shrouded and mixed with Greek mythology and it is not known whether these accounts of championship bouts and feats of strength of the champions were myth or actual accounts
Modern Pankration is divided into 4 sections a)Striking and Grappling Full Contact b) Striking and Grappling Semi Contact c) Grappling d) Demonstration. The UK will be concentrating on B and C.
B)Striking and Grappling Semi contact for this you wear trouser similar to Judo Trousers and a tight T shirt, you gain points by throwing your opponent, kicking. Punching your opponent to the body and making a controlled Kick (touch only) to the head. You can finish the match by gaining a submission on the ground with Arm lock, Leg lock, Ankle Lock, Strangle or Choke. A match between two fighters is referred to as an Agon
c) Grappling the rules are the same accept there is no kicking and punching and for Juniors there are no submissions. The competitors wear a White or Blue Endyma (uniform) and the Hellanodikis (Referee) wears Red Endyma.
The course was given by the European President Evangelos Koutras, he started the course by stating why they had asked Martin Clarke to represent them in the UK , he said the answer was simple Martin was known throughout the World for his expertise in Grappling especially Judo and Sombo’
Most of the course was given over to the History of the Sport, followed by the rules which all have to be given in Greek at the end everyone had a go at sparring which was a great success. The Course was a great Success and we have made a date for our first PankrationUK British Championships to be held at Sittingbourne on July 4th
Martin Clarke has introduced many different styles of Combat to the UK and all have started in his home town of Sittingbourne, he introduced Judo, Free Style Wrestling, Sombo, CombatSombo, Kurash, Belt Wrestling, Sport CombatSombo, Jacket Wrestling, Submission Wrestling, Jiu Jitsu, Atemi Jitsu, Shiai Jutsu and now Pankration. Sittingbourne means Martial Arts, Grappling and the Clarke Family.
Anyone interested in what we do in Sittingbourne go to www. Sittingbourne.org or ibfbcsa@googlemail.com
YouTube - jethrograppler's Channel for pankration
http://combatarts.blogspot.com/2009/12/european-pankration-championships.html
PANKRATION is a World Heritage MARTIAL ART, with a unique distinction of being the only Martial Sport in existence today that can legitimately trace its roots to the Ancient Olympic Games from 648 BC to 393 AD . It is also the ONLY modern day martial sport with a recorded history spanning well back to over 3,000 years.The oldest written evidence of Pankration can be found in the 586 th lyric of Orfica in the ancient poem " Argonautica ", which researchers believe dates as far back as the 12th Millennium BC
The oldest Pankration relic is an ancient horn, found in Agia Triade Crete, depicted with pictures of ancient Pankration athletes, dating back to the 17th Century BC. In the Souidas, the Oldest Dictionary known to man, PANKRATION is defined as an unarmed combat training art and the PANKRATIASTIS is defined as one who fights with both hands and feet.
The name PANKRATION is derived from the Greek words, PAN and
KRATOS , meaning ALL POWER
or "the one who has power”
or “ the one
who wins with total power and knowledge."
Pankration can also be defined as the ORIGIN and Ancient Root of ALL modern day Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) contests and its ancient techniques can be easily found to be incorporated in most of the UNARMED combat techniques of modern day martial arts.
A Guide to the Rules
1. The contest of Pankration is a competition between two athletes or teams of athletes with the intention of one's victory over the other, or as a solo or group demonstration of Pankration techniques, in accordance to the current rules and regulations as set forth by the IFPA Hellanodikon Committee .
2. Competition events include Agon ( Bouts between Two Athletes ) , Team Agon ( Bouts between Teams comprising of Three Athletes ) , Polydamas ( Team Demonstration event with each team comprising of Four athletes), Aias ( Boys Duet Technique Demonstration event ) , Atalanti ( Girls Duet Technique Demonstration ) , Pyx Lax ( Pankration Kick Boxing bouts ) and Oplomachia ( Individual Weapons Techniques Demonstration Event )
3. Pankration Contests are conducted in an Arena termed as the Palestra , and is invigilated by One Hellanodikis ( Referee), supported by Four Krites ( Judges), a Timekeeper , a Scorekeeper and a Senior Referee as Paratiritis (Observer)
4. At the commencement of any bout , the Athlete or Team located to the Left of the Hellanodikis is named Lefkos and is attired in White Endyma (uniform). The Athlete or Team positioned to the right of the Hellanodikis is named Kianous and is attired in Blue Endyma. The Referee and Krites will be attired in Red Endyma .
5. Athletes are only allowed to utilize and execute Competition Techniques approved by the IFPA, incorporating the body , head, legs, hands, elbows, knees and feet. A variety of Punches, Kicks, Elbow Strikes, Knee Strikes, Head lock Techniques ,Throws, Sweeps, Choke Holds, Joint Locks, Pins, Grappling Maneuvers, Takedowns and Submission Holds are permitted.
6. All the above techniques may be permitted, provided adequate care is taken to not to inflict any kind of injury intentional or otherwise to either of the athletes, when either in standing position or when on the ground.
7. As per these present regulations, use of any kind of drattin [grab or pull] of the body or of the opponent's endyma [uniform] in the same manner as any kind of rassin [throw or sweep] , is considered a permissible technique so as to put the opponent on the ground . However any choke or strangulation techniques made by pulling on or jerking or snapping back the neck of the Endyma Hitonio [ uniform top ] against an athlete's throat or neck is prohibited.
8. Aponevrosis [pressure points tactics] and pushes may be used as long as they do target forbidden areas and do not bring about unconsciousness or serious injuries and are used only as a means to escape from holds and NOT for inducing submission.
9. The designated and permissible Target Areas in a Contest are the Chest Abdomen, Back, Shoulders and the Rib Cage Area and the Legs.
10. Kicks and Punches to the Head are allowed provided they are executed only with SKIN TOUCH or with NO CONTACT.
11. Deliberate attacks targeting the Face, Neck, Throat, Spine, Kidneys, Groin, Knee, Elbow and Ankle Joints and to the VITAL ORGANS are forbidden.
12. Strikes to the Shoulders, Thigh and Trunk Area are permitted but Do NO T score any Points