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82-507: The English term melee originated in the 1640s from the French word mêlée ( French: [mɛle] ) and means a confused struggle or fight among several people, especially in hand-to-hand combat and battles among many combatants. The French term is derived from the Old French mesler , which survives in medley and meddle . The 1812 tabletop war game Kriegsspiel referred to

164-402: A keikogi (" gi ") or training uniform. The choke has two variations. In one version, the attacker's arm encircles the opponent's neck and then grabs his own biceps on the other arm (see below for details); in the second version, the attacker clasps his hands together instead after encircling the opponent's neck. These are very effective moves. A counter to the choke from behind involves

246-483: A "pile driver" or, alternatively, with a simple release of the opponent so that he falls to the ground. The athlete passes to the back of his opponent, secures a regular waist lock, lifts and throws/drops the opponent backwards and sideways. As a result of these moves, the opponent would tend to land on his side or face down. The athlete can follow the opponent to the ground and place himself on his back, where he could strike him or choke him from behind while holding him in

328-465: A circle. He then joins the athlete holding the alpha to the other who has drawn the alpha for wrestling or pankration, the one who has the beta to the other with the beta, and the other matching inscribed lots in the same manner. This process was apparently repeated every round until the finals. There would be a bye ( ἔφεδρος – ephedros "reserve") in every round containing an odd number of athletes, which could potentially be in every round until

410-588: A club and defeated Coragus without killing him, making use of his pankration skills. Later, however, Dioxippus was framed for theft, which led him to commit suicide. In an odd turn of events, a pankration fighter named Arrhichion ( Ἀρριχίων ) of Phigalia won the pankration competition at the Olympic Games despite being dead. His opponent had locked him in a chokehold and Arrhichion, desperate to loosen it, broke his opponent's toe (some records say his ankle). The opponent nearly passed out from pain and submitted. As

492-466: A grip would have been considered gouging and thus illegal in the Panhellenic Games. The athlete grabs the throat of the opponent with the four fingers on the outside of the throat and the tip of the thumb pressing in and down the hollow of the throat, putting pressure on the trachea. The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. Depending on the context,

574-451: A pankration competition could even result in the death of one of the opponents, which was considered a win for the surviving combatant. However, pankration was more than just an event in the athletic competitions of the ancient Greek world; it was also part of the arsenal of Greek soldiers – including the famous Spartan hoplites and Alexander the Great 's Macedonian phalanx . It is said that

656-510: A persistent aspect of modern warfare. Hand-to-hand combat is the principal form of combat during skirmishes between Indian Army and Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers along the disputed Himalayan border between India and the People's Republic of China. While Chinese and Indian soldiers carry firearms, due to decades of tradition designed to reduce the possibility of an escalation, agreements disallow usage of firearms along this border. In

738-553: A supplement to armed combat. Soldiers in China were trained in unarmed combat as early as the Zhou dynasty (1022 BCE to 256 BCE). Despite major technological changes such as the use of gunpowder, the machine gun in the Russo-Japanese War and the trench warfare of World War I , hand-to-hand fighting methods with the knife and bayonet remain common in modern military training, though

820-513: A tie. Pankration competitions were held in tournaments, most being outside of the Olympics. Each tournament began with a ritual which would decide how the tournament would take place. Grecophone satirist Lucian describes the process in detail: A sacred silver urn is brought, in which they have put bean-size lots. On two lots an alpha is inscribed, on two a beta, and on another two a gamma, and so on. If there are more athletes, two lots always have

902-516: A tournament without being an ephedros in any of the rounds ( ἀνέφεδρος – anephedros "non-reserve") was thus an honorable distinction. There is evidence that the major Games in Greek antiquity easily had four tournament rounds, that is, a field of sixteen athletes. However, there is clear evidence from Plato , who refers to competitors in the Panhellenic Games , with opponents numbering in

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984-539: A very wide variety of methods, most of which would be immediately recognizable by the trainers of modern high level athletes, including competitors in modern mixed martial arts competitions. These methods included among others the periodization of training; a wealth of regimens for the development of strength, speed-strength, speed, stamina, and endurance; specialized training for the different stages of competition (i.e., for anō pankration and katō pankration ), and methods for learning and engraining techniques. Among

1066-483: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Hand-to-hand combat Hand-to-hand combat is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range ( grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of ranged weapons . The phrase "hand-to-hand" sometimes include use of melee weapons such as knives , swords , clubs , spears , axes , or improvised weapons such as entrenching tools . While

1148-493: Is a stance in which the athlete is ready at the same time to give a kick with the front leg as well as defend against the opponent's low-level kicks by lifting the front knee and blocking. The back leg is bent for stability and power and is facing slightly to the side, to go with the slightly sideways body position. The head and torso are behind the protecting two upper limbs and front leg. Pankration uses boxing punches and other ancient boxing hand strikes. Strikes delivered with

1230-535: Is mentioned in the Tailteann Games dating back from somewhere between 1839 BC to 632 BC (academics disagree) to the 12th century AD when the Normans invaded. Other historical forms of close combat include the gladiator spectacles of ancient Rome and medieval tournament events such as jousting or medieval martial arts . Military organizations have always taught some sort of unarmed combat for conditioning and as

1312-411: Is nearly fully extended but not entirely so; the rear arm is more cambered than the front arm, but more extended than a modern-day boxer's rear arm. The back of the athlete is somewhat rounded, but not as much as a wrestler's would be. The body is only slightly leaning forward. The weight is virtually all on the back (right) foot with the front (left) foot touching the ground with the ball of the foot. It

1394-662: Is the most ancient form of fighting known. A majority of cultures have their own particular histories related to close combat, and their own methods of practice. The pankration , which was practiced in Ancient Greece and Rome , is an example of a form which involved nearly all strikes and holds, with biting and gouging being the only exceptions (although allowed in Sparta ). Many modern varieties of martial arts and combat sports, such as some boxing styles, wrestling and MMA , were also practiced historically. For example, Celtic wrestling

1476-407: The 2020 China–India skirmishes , hand-to-hand combat involving stones, batons, iron rods, and other makeshift weapons resulted in the deaths of over 50 soldiers on both sides over six hours of fighting. Pankration Pankration ( / p æ n ˈ k r eɪ t i . ɒ n , - ʃ ən / ; Ancient Greek : παγκράτιον [paŋkráti.on] ) was an unarmed combat sport introduced into

1558-591: The Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC. The athletes used boxing and wrestling techniques but also others, such as kicking, holds, joint locks , and chokes on the ground, making it similar to modern mixed martial arts . The term comes from the Ancient Greek word παγκράτιον ( pankrátion ), meaning "all of power" (from πᾶν ( pân )  'all' and κράτος ( krátos )  'strength, might, power'). In Greek mythology , it

1640-637: The International Settlement (1854–1943) of Shanghai in the 1920s, widely acknowledged as the most dangerous port city in the world due to a heavy opium trade run by organized crime (the Chinese Triads ). CQC was derived from a mixture of judo , jujutsu , boxing , savate , wrestling and street fighting . After the May Thirtieth Movement , Fairbairn was charged with developing an auxiliary squad for riot control . After absorbing

1722-640: The Iraq and Afghanistan wars found that the majority of hand-to-hand combat involved grappling techniques instead of striking. Most combat sports involve hand-to-hand combat. A 2014 study found that, amongst US soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan between 2004 and 2008, 19% reported the use of hand-to-hand techniques in at least one encounter, in a variety of circumstances and contexts (such as close combat, prisoner handling, crowd control and security checkpoints), supporting prior research that indicated that, despite advances in technology, hand-to-hand combat remained

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1804-712: The Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae fought with their bare hands and teeth once their swords and spears broke. Herodotus mentions that in the battle of Mycale between the Greeks and the Persians in 479 BC, those of the Greeks who fought best were the Athenians, and the Athenian who fought best was a distinguished pankratiast, Hermolycus, son of Euthynus. Polyaemus describes King Philip II ,

1886-514: The "grapevine" body lock (see above), stretching him face down on the ground. This technique is described by the Roman poet Statius in his account of a match between the hero Tydeus of Thebes and an opponent in the Thebaid . Tydeus is described to have followed this takedown with a choke while applying the "grapevine" body lock on the prone opponent. As the pankration competitions were held outside and in

1968-596: The Christian Byzantine Emperor Theodosius I . Pausanias mentions the wrestler Leontiscus ( Λεοντίσκος ) from Messene . He wrote that Leontiscus's technique of wrestling was similar to the pankration of Sostratus the Sicyonian because Leontiscus didn't know how to throw his opponents; he won by bending their fingers instead. There were neither weight divisions nor time limits in pankration competitions. However, there were two or three age groups in

2050-413: The afternoon, appropriately positioning one's face in relation to the low sun was a major tactical objective. The pankratiast, as well as the boxer, did not want to have to face the sun, as this would partly blind him to the blows of the opponent and make accurate delivery of strikes to specific targets difficult. Theocritus, in his narration of the (boxing) match between Polydeukēs and Amykos , noted that

2132-416: The armpit of the athlete. To trap the left arm, the athlete has pushed (from outside) his own left arm underneath the left elbow of the opponent. The athlete's left hand ends up pressing down on the scapula region of his opponent's back. This position does not permit the opponent to pull out his hand from the athlete's armpit and puts pressure on the left shoulder. The right arm of the athlete is pulling back at

2214-412: The athlete has the option of either dropping his opponent head-first to the ground, or driving him into the ground while retaining the hold. To execute the latter option, the athlete bends one of his legs and goes down on that knee while the other leg remains only partially bent; this is presumably to allow for greater mobility in case the "pile driver" does not work. Another approach emphasizes less putting

2296-410: The athlete sets a waist lock by encircling, from the back, the torso of the opponent with his arms and securing a "handshake" grip close to the abdomen of the opponent. He then heaves the opponent back and up, using the muscles of his legs and his back, so that the opponent's feet rise in the air and he ends up inverted, perpendicular to the ground, and facing away from the athlete. The throw finishes with

2378-408: The beginning of the competition and as long as the athletes remained standing. The decision to remain standing or go to the ground obviously depended on the relative strengths of the athlete, and differed between anō and katō pankration. However, there are indications that staying on one's feet was generally considered a positive thing, while touching the knee(s) to the ground or being put to

2460-506: The competitions of antiquity. In the Ancient Olympic Games specifically there were only two such age groups: men ( andres – ἄνδρες ) and boys ( paides – παῖδες ). The pankration event for boys was established at the Olympic Games in 200 BC. In pankration competitions, referees were armed with stout rods or switches to enforce the rules. In fact, there were only two rules regarding combat: no eye gouging or biting. Sparta

2542-424: The competitor. The pankratiast faces his opponent with a nearly frontal stance—only slightly turned sideways. This is an intermediate directional positioning, between the wrestler's more frontal positioning and the boxer's more sideways stance, and is consistent with the need to preserve both the option of using striking and protecting the center line of the body and the option of applying grappling techniques. Thus,

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2624-513: The efforts of Savvidis E. A. Lazaros, founder of modern Pankration Athlima, the technical examination programma, the endyma, the shape of the Palaestra and the terminology of Pankration Athlima, in 2010 the sport was accepted by FILA, known today as United World Wrestling (UWW), which governs the Olympic wrestling codes, as an associated discipline and a "form of modern Mixed Martial Art ". Pankration

2706-410: The father of Alexander the Great, practicing with another pankratiast while his soldiers watched. The feats of the ancient pankratiasts became legendary in the annals of Greek athletics. Stories abound of past champions who were considered invincible beings. Arrhichion , Dioxippus , Polydamas of Skotoussa and Theogenes (often referred to as Theagenes of Thasos after the first century AD) are among

2788-400: The final (but also potentially in none of the rounds, if the number of competitors was a power of 2 and none of the winners quit before fighting their next round, or any other irregularities). The same athlete could be an ephedros more than once, and this could of course be of great advantage to him as the ephedros would be spared the wear and tear of the rounds imposed on his opponent(s). To win

2870-405: The ground and rolling, the athlete steps with his left leg over the left leg of the opponent and wraps his foot around the ankle of the opponent stepping on his instep, while pushing his body weight on the back of the opponent. In this technique, the position of the bodies is very similar to the one described just above. The athlete executing the technique is standing over his opponent's back, while

2952-508: The ground was overall considered disadvantageous. It has been suggested that in antiquity, as today, falling to one's knee(s) was a metaphor for coming to a disadvantage and putting oneself at risk of losing the fight. Regarding the choice of attacking into the attack of the opponent versus defending and retreating, there are indications, e.g. from boxing, that it was preferable to attack. Dio Chrysostom notes that retreat under fear tends to result in even greater injuries, while attacking before

3034-453: The hand grip to be used with this choke, the web area between the thumb and the index finger is to be quite high up the neck and the thumb is bent inward and downward, "reaching" behind the Adam's apple of the opponent. The main fingers which do much of the squeezing, is the thumb, index and middle finger, with the ring finger putting minimal force and, the pinky having no impact. It is unclear if such

3116-530: The hand-combat stage of the game as a melee . Later war games would follow this pattern. From there, gamers would eventually begin to call the weapons used in that stage melee weapons . H.G. Wells ' 1913 Little Wars was the first to specifically outline a "melee" rule in his eponymous war game. Many later wargames (and video games) can trace their origins to the rulesets first laid out in Little Wars . In 1968, Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren adopted and modified

3198-446: The heel" and "the one who wrestles with the ankle", which indicates early knowledge of what is now known as the straight ankle-lock, and the heel hook . In executing this choking technique ( ἄγχειν – anchein ), the athlete grabs the tracheal area ( windpipe and " Adam's apple ") between his thumb and his four fingers and squeezes. This type of choke can be applied with the athlete being in front or behind his opponent. Regarding

3280-466: The importance of formal training declined after 1918. By 1944 some German rifles were being produced without bayonet lugs. Close Quarters Combat (CQC), or World War II combatives , was largely codified by William Ewart Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes . Also known for their eponymous Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife , Fairbairn and Sykes had worked in the Shanghai Municipal Police of

3362-431: The latter is down on his right knee. The left leg of the athlete is straddling the left thigh of the opponent—the left knee of the opponent is not on the floor—and is trapping the left foot of the opponent by stepping on it. The athlete uses his left hand to push down on the side/back of the head of the opponent while with his right hand he pulls the opponent's right arm back, against his midsection. This creates an arm bar on

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3444-407: The left side of the body is slightly forward than the right side of the body and the left hand is more forward than the right one. Both hands are held high so that the tips of the fingers are at the level of the hairline or just below the top of the head. The hands are partially open, the fingers are relaxed, and the palms are facing naturally forward, down, and slightly toward each other. The front arm

3526-438: The legs were an integral part of pankration and one of its most characteristic features. Kicking well was a great advantage to the pankratiast. Epiktētos makes a derogatory reference to a compliment one may give another: " μεγάλα λακτίζεις " ("you kick great"). Moreover, in an accolade to the fighting prowess of the pankratiast Glykon from Pergamo, the athlete is described as "wide foot". The characterization comes actually before

3608-410: The major games could include upwards of hundreds of competitors, of which a select few will qualify to compete in the most important games. The athletes engaged in a pankration competition – i.e., the pankratiasts (sg. παγκρατιαστής , pl. παγκρατιασταί – employed a variety of techniques in order to strike their opponent as well as take him to the ground in order to use a submission technique. When

3690-521: The methods and techniques used by different athletes varied, i.e., there were different styles. While specific styles taught by different teachers, in the mode of Asian martial arts, cannot be excluded, it is very clear (including in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics ) that the objective of a teacher of combat sports was to help each of his athletes to develop his personal style that would fit his strengths and weaknesses. The preparation of pankratiasts included

3772-435: The most appropriate elements from a variety of martial arts experts, from China , Japan and elsewhere, he condensed these arts into a practical combat system he called Defendu . He and his police team went on to field test these skills on the streets of Shanghai; Fairbairn himself used his combat system effectively in over 2,000 documented encounters, including over 600 lethal-force engagements. The aim of his combat system

3854-464: The most highly recognized names. Their accomplishments defying the odds were some of the most inspiring of ancient Greek athletics and they served as inspiration to the Hellenic world for centuries, as Pausanias , the ancient traveller and writer indicates when he re-tells these stories in his narrative of his travels around Greece. Dioxippus was an Athenian who had won the Olympic Games in 336 BC, and

3936-475: The multitude of the latter were also training tools that appear to be very similar to Asian martial arts forms or kata , and were known as cheironomia ( χειρονομία ) and anapale ( ἀναπάλη ). Punching bags ( kōrykos κώρυκος "leather sack") of different sizes and dummies were used for striking practice as well as for the hardening of the body and limbs. Nutrition, massage, and other recovery techniques were used very actively by pankratiasts. At

4018-606: The need for expression in violent sport increased, pankration filled a niche of "total contest" that neither boxing nor wrestling could. However, some evidence suggests that pankration, in both its sporting form and its combative form, may have been practiced in Greece already from the second millennium BC. Pankration, as practiced in historical antiquity, was an athletic event that combined techniques of both boxing ( pygmē / pygmachia – πυγμή / πυγμαχία ) and wrestling ( palē – πάλη ), as well as additional elements, such as

4100-453: The opponent backward. The athlete executing the counter has to lean forward to avoid hand strikes by the opponent. This counter is shown on a Panathenaic amphora now in Leiden . In another counter, the athlete sidesteps, but now to the outside of the oncoming kick and grasps the inside of the kicking leg from behind the knee with his front hand (overhand grip) and pulls up, which tends to unbalance

4182-526: The opponent in an inverted vertical position and more the throw; it is shown in a sculpture in the metōpē ( μετώπη ) of the Hephaisteion in Athens, where Theseus is depicted heaving Kerkyōn . The opponents are facing in opposite directions with the athlete at a higher level, over the back of his opponent. The athlete can get in this position after making a shallow sprawl to counter a tackle attempt. From here

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4264-463: The opponent so that he falls backward as the athlete advances. The back hand can be used for striking the opponent while he is preoccupied maintaining his balance. Arm locks can be performed in many different situations using many different techniques. The athlete is behind the opponent and has him leaning down, with the right knee of the opponent on the ground. The athlete has the opponent's right arm straightened out and extended maximally backward at

4346-406: The opponent strikes is less injurious and could very well end in victory. As indicated by Plato in his Laws , an important element of strategy was to understand if the opponent had a weak or untrained side and to force him to operate on that side and generally take advantage of that weakness. For example, if the athlete recognizes that the opponent is strictly right-handed, he could circle away from

4428-494: The opponent's right wrist (or forearm). In this way, the athlete keeps the right arm of his opponent straightened and tightly pulled against his right hip/lower abdomen area, which results in an arm bar putting pressure on the right elbow. The athlete is in full contact on top of the opponent, with his right leg in front of the right leg of the opponent to block him from escaping by rolling forward. Pankratiasts would refer to two different kinds of athletes: "the one who wrestles with

4510-621: The pankratiasts fought standing, the combat was called Anō Pankration ( ἄνω παγκράτιον , "upper Pankration"); and when they took the fight to the ground, that stage of pankration competition was called Katō pankration ( κάτω παγκράτιον , "lower Pankration"). Some of the techniques that would be applied in anō pankration and katō pankration , respectively, are known to us through depictions on ancient pottery and sculptures, as well as in descriptions in ancient literature. There were also strategies documented in ancient literature that were meant to be used to obtain an advantage over

4592-571: The referee raised Arrhichion's hand, it was discovered that he had died from the chokehold . His body was crowned with the olive wreath and returned to Phigaleia as a hero. By the Imperial Period , the Romans had adopted the Greek combat sport (spelled in Latin as pancratium ) into their Games. In 393 AD, the pankration, along with gladiatorial combat and all pagan festivals, was abolished by edict by

4674-510: The reference to his "unbeatable hands", implying at least as crucial a role for strikes with the feet as with the hands in pankration. That proficiency in kicking could carry the pankratiast to victory is indicated in a sarcastic passage of Galen, where he awards the winning prize in pankration to a donkey because of its excellence in kicking. The straight kick with the bottom of the foot to the stomach ( γαστρίζειν / λάκτισμα εἰς γαστέραν – gastrizein or laktisma eis gasteran , "kicking in

4756-537: The restrictions imposed by civilian law , military rules of engagement , or ethical codes . Close combat using firearms or other distance weapons by military combatants at the tactical level is referred to in contemporary parlance as close-quarters battle . The United States Army uses the term combatives to describe various military fighting systems used in hand-to-hand combat training, systems which may incorporate eclectic techniques from several different martial arts and combat sports . Hand-to-hand combat

4838-422: The right arm with the pressure now being mostly on the elbow. The fallen opponent cannot relieve it, because his head is being shoved the opposite way by the left hand of the athlete executing the technique. In this technique, the athlete is again behind his opponent, has the left arm of his opponent trapped, and is pulling back on his right arm. The trapped left arm is bent, with the fingers and palm trapped inside

4920-669: The right hand of the opponent and towards the left side of the opponent. Moreover, if the opponent is weak in his left-side throws, the athlete could aim to position himself accordingly. Training in ambidexterity was instrumental in both applying this strategy and not falling victim to it. The basic instruction of pankration techniques was conducted by the paedotribae ( παιδοτρίβαι , "physical trainers" ), who were in charge of boys' physical education. High level athletes were also trained by special trainers who were called gymnastae ( γυμνασταί ), some of whom had been successful pankration competitors themselves. There are indications that

5002-446: The rules for Siege of Bodenburg , a medieval war game, and expanded on rules for one-on-one melee combat and specific melee weapon rules. This modified ruleset was published as Chainmail and included a fantasy supplement which would later be known as Dungeons & Dragons . The popularity of Dungeons & Dragons , which featured a "melee phase" to represent the fighting of characters outside of bows and magic, would help spread

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5084-477: The same letter. Each athlete comes forth, prays to Zeus, puts his hand into the urn and draws out a lot. Following him, the other athletes do the same. Whip bearers are standing next to the athletes, holding their hands and not allowing them to read the letter they have drawn. When everyone has drawn a lot, the alytarch, or one of the Hellanodikai walks around and looks at the lots of the athletes as they stand in

5166-446: The shoulder joint. With the opponent's right arm across his own torso, the athlete uses his left hand to keep the pressure on the opponent's right arm by grabbing and pressing down on it just above the wrist. The right hand of the athlete is pressing down at the (side of) the head of the opponent, thus not permitting him to rotate to his right to relieve the pressure on his shoulder. As the opponent could escape by lowering himself closer to

5248-443: The stomach") was apparently a common technique, given the number of depictions of such kicks on vases. This type of kick is mentioned by Lucian. Counter : The athlete sidesteps the oncoming kick to the inside of the opponent's leg. He catches and lifts the heel/foot of the planted leg with his rear hand and with the front arm goes under the knee of the kicking leg, hooks it with the nook of his elbow, and lifts while advancing to throw

5330-409: The strength of his hips and legs ( ἀναβαστάσαι εἰς ὕψος – anabastasai eis hypsos , "high lifting"). Depending on the torque the athlete imparts, the opponent becomes more or less vertically inverted, facing the body of the athlete. If however the reverse waist lock is set from the back of the opponent, then the latter would face away from the athlete in the inverted position. To finish the attack,

5412-472: The term "hand-to-hand combat" originally referred principally to engagements by combatants on the battlefield , it can also refer to any personal physical engagement by two or more people, including law enforcement officers , civilians , and criminals . Combat within close quarters, to a range just beyond grappling distance, is commonly termed close combat or close-quarters combat. It may include lethal and non-lethal weapons and methods depending upon

5494-405: The term may refer to one of two variations of the technique, either arm can be used to apply the choke in both cases. The term "rear naked choke" likely originated from the technique in jujutsu and judo known as the hadaka jime or "naked strangle". The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of

5576-474: The thousands. Moreover, in the first century A.D., the Greco-Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria —who was himself probably a practitioner of pankration—makes a statement that could be an allusion to preliminary contests in which an athlete would participate and then collect his strength before coming forward fresh in the major competition. Therefore, we can assume regional and preliminary contests leading up to

5658-667: The time of the revival of the Olympic Games (1896), despite the efforts of Pierre de Coubertin , pankration was not reinstated as an Olympic event. Neo-Pankration (modern pankration) was first introduced to the martial arts community by Greek-American combat athlete Jim Arvanitis in 1969 and later exposed worldwide in 1973 when he was featured on the cover of Black Belt magazine . Arvanitis continually refined his reconstruction with reference to original sources. His efforts are also considered pioneering in what became mixed martial arts (MMA). The International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not list pankration among Olympic sports , but

5740-447: The twisting of one of the fingers of the choking arm. This counter is mentioned by Philostratus. In case the choke was set together with a grapevine body lock, another counter was the one applied against that lock; by causing enough pain to the ankle of the opponent, the latter could give up his choke. From a reverse waist lock set from the front, and staying with hips close to the opponent, the athlete lifts and rotates his opponent using

5822-407: The two opponents struggled a lot, vying to see who would get the sun's rays on his back. In the end, with skill and cunning, Polydeukēs managed so that Amykos' face was struck with sunlight while his own was in the shade. While this positioning was of paramount importance in boxing, which involved only upright striking (with the eyes facing straight), it was also important in pankration, especially in

5904-402: The use of "melee" as a phrase for other table-top and video games regarding any form of combat involving close proximity to and direct physical contact with an opponent, whether unarmed, using weapons or, occasionally, through other methods besides typical strikes and grappling , such as certain status effects that require physical contact to implement. This military -related article

5986-445: The use of strikes with the legs, to create a broad fighting sport similar to today's mixed martial arts competitions. There is evidence that, although knockouts were common, most pankration competitions were decided on the basis of submission (yielding to a submission or joint lock). Pankratiasts were highly skilled grapplers and were extremely effective in applying a variety of takedowns , chokes and joint locks . In extreme cases

6068-653: The war, training was provided to British Commandos , the Devil's Brigade , OSS , U.S. Army Rangers and Marine Raiders . Other combat systems designed for military combat were introduced elsewhere, including European Unifight , Soviet/Russian Sambo , Army hand-to-hand fight , Chinese military Sanshou / Sanda , Israeli Kapap and Krav Maga . The prevalence and style of hand-to-hand combat training often changes based on perceived need. Elite units such as special forces and commando units tend to place higher emphasis on hand-to-hand combat training. Although hand-to-hand fighting

6150-552: Was accorded less importance in major militaries after World War II , insurgency conflicts such as the Vietnam War , low intensity conflict and urban warfare have prompted many armies to pay more attention to this form of combat. When such fighting includes firearms designed for close-in fighting, it is often referred to as Close Quarters Battle (CQB) at the platoon or squad level, or Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT) at higher tactical levels. A 2023 study using data from

6232-569: Was adopted for use by British and American Special Forces . In 1942, he published a textbook for close quarters combat training called Get Tough . U.S. Army officers Rex Applegate and Anthony Biddle were taught Fairbairn's methods at a training facility in Scotland , and adopted the program for the training of OSS operatives at a newly opened camp near Lake Ontario in Canada . Applegate published his work in 1943, called Kill or Get Killed . During

6314-422: Was also referred to as pammachon or pammachion ( πάμμαχον or παμμάχιον ), meaning "total combat", from πᾶν- , pān- , "all-" or "total", and μάχη , machē , "matter". The term pammachon is older, and would later become used less than the term pankration . The mainstream academic view has been that pankration developed in the archaic Greek society of the 7th century BC, whereby, as

6396-500: Was brought back to Britain, and, after demonstrating the effectiveness of his techniques, was recruited to train the British commandos in his combat method. During this period, he expanded his 'Shanghai Method' into the 'Silent Killing Close Quarters Combat method' for military application. This became standard combat training for all British Special Operations personnel. He also designed the pioneering Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife , which

6478-470: Was said that the heroes Heracles and Theseus invented pankration as a result of using both wrestling and boxing in their confrontations with opponents. Theseus was said to have used pankration to defeat Cercyon of Eleusis in a wrestling match, as well as the minotaur in the labyrinth . Heracles too was often depicted in ancient artworks subduing the Nemean lion using pankration. In this context, pankration

6560-464: Was serving in Alexander the Great's army in its expedition into Asia. As an admired champion, he naturally became part of the circle of Alexander the Great . In that context, he accepted a challenge from one of Alexander's most skilled soldiers named Coragus to fight in front of Alexander and the troops in armed combat. While Coragus fought with weapons and full armour, Dioxippus showed up armed only with

6642-476: Was simply to be as brutally effective as possible. It was also a system that, unlike traditional Eastern martial-arts that required years of intensive training, could be digested by recruits relatively quickly. The method incorporated training in point shooting and gun combat techniques, as well as the effective use of more ad hoc weapons such as chairs or table legs. During the Second World War , Fairbairn

6724-406: Was the only place eye gouging and biting were allowed. The contest itself usually continued uninterrupted until one of the combatants submitted, which was often signalled by the submitting contestant raising his index finger. The judges appear, however, to have had the right to stop a contest under certain conditions and award the victory to one of the two athletes; they could also declare the contest

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