The Martial Arts of Ancient Greece
Title | The Martial Arts of Ancient Greece PDF eBook |
Author | Kostas Dervenis |
Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
Total Pages | 256 |
Release | 2007-10-22 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 1594777403 |
An in-depth guide to the modern practice of Greek martial arts and their beginnings in ancient Greece and Egypt • Examines the correlation between ancient depictions of one-on-one combat and how martial arts are practiced today • Explores the close relationship between Greek martial arts and spiritual practice • Distinguishes between Pammachon (martial arts) and Pankration (combat sports) The ancient friezes and decorative motifs of ancient Greece contain abundant scenes of combat, one-on-one and hand-to-hand. In The Martial Arts of Ancient Greece, the authors offer close inspection of these depictions to reveal that they exactly correlate to the grappling and combat arts as they are practiced today. They also show that these artifacts document the historical course of the development of both the weaponry of the warrior classes and the martial responses those weapons required when fighting hand-to-hand. The depiction of each ancient technique is accompanied by sequenced step-by-step photos of modern practitioners performing the various stances of one-on-one combat. In addition, the authors explain how the development of Hellenic combat arts was tied at its heart to a spiritual practice. The centeredness, clear mind, and consequent courage that develops from a spiritual practice was considered a martial strength for a warrior, enabling him to be at his best, unobstructed inwardly by conflict or inertia. The Martial Arts of Ancient Greece provides a practical and comprehensive approach to the techniques and philosophy of the martial arts of the ancient Mediterranean that will be welcomed by modern fighters.
Combat Sports in the Ancient World
Title | Combat Sports in the Ancient World PDF eBook |
Author | Michael B. Poliakoff |
Publisher | Yale University Press |
Total Pages | 228 |
Release | 1987-01-01 |
Genre | Sports & Recreation |
ISBN | 9780300063127 |
A comprehensive study of the practice of combat sports in the ancient civilizations of Greece, Rome and the Near East.
Game of the Gods
Title | Game of the Gods PDF eBook |
Author | Jim Arvanitis |
Publisher | |
Total Pages | 0 |
Release | 2006 |
Genre | Sports & Recreation |
ISBN | 9780897501552 |
Shows how the cornerstone of the earliest Olympic Games directly influenced the modern techniques of today's fiercest mixed-martial arts fighters. This book contains such topics as submissions and counters, grappling escapes, sweeps and reversals, take downs and take down defense, as well as the myths and traditions of the Hellenic combat arts.
Pankration
Title | Pankration PDF eBook |
Author | Jim Arvanitis |
Publisher | Paladin Press |
Total Pages | 160 |
Release | 2003-05-01 |
Genre | Sports & Recreation |
ISBN | 9781581603972 |
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.
Pankration
Title | Pankration PDF eBook |
Author | Jim Arvanitis |
Publisher | CreateSpace |
Total Pages | 164 |
Release | 2015-04-29 |
Genre | |
ISBN | 9781508893110 |
PANKRATION: The Unchained Combat Sport of Ancient Greece is a fully illustrated guide to what was the cornerstone of the early Olympic Games and Panhellenic festivals. It examines the brutal blood sport based on the author's more than forty-five years of research and practice. Considered the precursor of today's mixed martial arts cage competitions, many historians also contend that pankration laid the groundwork for the development of Asian karate and kung-fu, as well as other fighting styles throughout the world. The content traces pankration's historical origins in mythology and on the battlefield where it was known as pammachon, to its transformation and prominence as an Olympic spectacle. It also explores combat sports of earlier civilizations such as Egypt, Minoa, and Crete as well as the adoption of pankration by the Romans. Greek boxing, wrestling, and hoplomachia (weapons competition) along with the bloody gladiatorial contests of the Imperial Period are also detailed. Tournament rules, an analysis of pankration techniques, and training methods are covered along with a listing of all the Olympic pankration champions from its inception in 648 B.C. until the last documented contest on record. Emphasis is given to the role that pankration played in Hellenic culture and its religious connection to the gods themselves. The book includes numerous works of art depicted on vases, frescoes, sculptures, and coins showing pankratiasts in heated action and other combat scenes. This definitive work adds new information to the author's previous books, and brings to light the importance of pankration as not only the Original MMA, but as the missing link in martial arts evolution.
Ancient Greek Martial Arts
Title | Ancient Greek Martial Arts PDF eBook |
Author | Jim Arvanitis |
Publisher | Independently Published |
Total Pages | 184 |
Release | 2018-06-08 |
Genre | |
ISBN | 9781983116179 |
ANCIENT GREEK MARTIAL ARTS: Warfare and Combat Sports in the Classical World is a fully-illustrated guide to the battlefield tactics of the hoplite soldier and the athletic competitions that evolved from them. The author examines the heavy events of wrestling, boxing, and the all-encompassing pankration in great depth, in addition to weapons competition (hoplomachia). Topics include arms and armor, the phalanx formation, the pyrrich war dances, tournament rules, a functional analysis of techniques, and training methods along with a complete listing of all the Olympic combat sports champions from their inception in 708 B.C. until the last documented contest on record. Emphasis is given to the role that combat played in Hellenic culture and its spiritual connection to the gods themselves.The book features photos of modern-day reenactors demonstrating hoplite skills and numerous works of art depicted onvases, architectural friezes, frescoes, sculptures, and coins showing combat athletes in heated action. A comprehensive glossary of relevant military and sport terms is also included.
The Philosophy of Mixed Martial Arts
Title | The Philosophy of Mixed Martial Arts PDF eBook |
Author | Jason Holt |
Publisher | Routledge |
Total Pages | 320 |
Release | 2021-09-09 |
Genre | Sports & Recreation |
ISBN | 1000450449 |
Mixed martial arts (MMA)—unarmed fighting games permitting techniques derived from a variety of martial arts and combat sports— has exploded from the fringes of sport into a worldwide phenomenon, a sport as controversial as it is compelling. This is the first book to pay MMA the serious philosophical attention it deserves. With contributions from leading international scholars of the philosophy of sport and martial arts, the book explores topics such as whether MMA qualifies as a martial art, the differences between MMA and the traditional martial arts, the aesthetic dimensions of MMA, the limits of consent and choice in MMA and whether MMA can promote moral virtues. It also explores cutting-edge practical and ethical topics, including the role of gender in MMA, and the question of whether trans athletes should be allowed to compete in the women’s divisions. The contributors to this anthology take down, ground and pound, and submit many essential questions about this fascinating recent development in the culture of sport and spectacle. This is important reading for anybody with an interest in combat sports, martial arts, or the philosophy, sociology, culture or history of sport.