The Pankration Fighting Stance - Part I
By Mike Cartier (Dec 2004) |
The Classical Pankration fighting stance is similar to those of other modern combat-oriented sporting arts (Muay Thai, NHB, MMA, etc.), yet at the same time, with the rear hand often chambered much higher and further back, it is also slightly but noticably distinct from them.
It has been suggested that this stance is similar to those of American boxers posing for photographs, and that perhaps it is a pose, not a fighting stance. However, the overwhelming presence of the stance in Classical artwork depicting both training and fighting scenes suggests that it was not just for show, but a common stance of great utility in an open combative environment with minimal rules.
In fact, its mechanics provide critical insights into how Pankratiasts fought. There are several variations of the stance, and they all appear to facilitate fluid footwork and movement, a strong defense, and powerful counter-punches, kicks, clinches, and throws.
To truly understand the dynamic nature of each stance, one must examine the source artwork in a historical context. Early Greek art typically featured stylized images, while the more exact and detailed versions are from later periods. For a brief overview of Greek art history, click here
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In Image A, the right figure is in a defensive stance, his leg pulled back in the same way that a Muay Thai practitioner would protect against a kick. His lead hand is raised high to ward blows to the head.
The figure on the left is in a transition from a defensive stance to a more offensive stance. His lead leg and lead hand are thrust outward in strikes.
Note the very specific hand position of both fighters.
| (Click on the images to view archived item in detail)
Image A |
In Image B, a Pankratiast trains on a hanging pig, his leg outstretched in a thrusting kick with the ball of the foot that is reminiscent of a traditional front kick or Muay Thai push kick. Again, the rear hand is deliberately portrayed as being cocked back and ready to strike.
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Image B |
Image C features a fighter transitioning from the push kick stance. Having missed the opponent's leg, his foot is on the ground, and his lead hand is striking as he lands from his forward movement. An alternate interpretation is that the left figure is striking as the right figure lunges in with a strike.
Note that the rear hand is held further back than in previous plates. Because such a stylized perspective was probably easier for the artist to paint, it may not be representative of the actual stance used.
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Image C |
In Image D, a Pankratiast trains on a bag with his right hand in the characteristic rear chamber for a powerful counter strike. Though it is not held as far back as those in more stylized depictions of this posture, the hand is again very specifically placed.
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Image D |
| In Image E, two boxers square off with their rear hands behind the head in the typical chamber. If one of the fighters were to attack, the other would either withdraw into a defensive position, preparing for a counter attack, or drive forward with his own attack. | 
Image E |
| In Image F, Theseus battles the Lapiths by stepping step forward with the left foot and striking with the lead hand. His right hand is held close to the head instead of behind it, as seen in more stylized artwork. | 
Image F |
| In Image G, the right figure executes an unusual palm strike with his fingers slightly curled and his rear hand chambered beside the head. It is not clear why this particular palm strike is being used when both figures are clearly wearing himantes to protect their hands. | 
Image G |
| In Image H, two fighters face each other in a Forward Stance that resembles the traditional Muay Thai stance. | 
Image H |
| In Image I, the left figure is in an Action Stance with his rear hand cocked back as he strikes. | 
Image I |
| Image J also features the left figure in an Action Stance with his rear hand flung back as he strikes with the left. | 
Image J |
These images provide a wealth of information about the stances used during Pankration, boxing, and wrestling bouts throughout Classical Greece and Rome.
It is clear from the numerous depictions of two fighters in the same stance-one attacking, the other defending-that while the stances facilitate defensive movements with the hand and leg, they also have immediate offensive applications.
THE REAR CHAMBER
The frequent chambering of the right hand behind the head reflects the inherently defensive nature of the Pankration stance. The genius in this posture is that it provides an instant defense against all strikes; it allows the defender to guard against head strikes, raise the leading leg while stepping or hopping backward to block a kick, or leap forward and deliver a powerful punch with the rear hand from any number of angles.
This reactive use of the leading leg and fist as counter-striking weapons is in keeping with the realities of modern no-holds-barred and MMA sport fighting, where loss of balance after an attack often results in the attacker being wrestled to the ground. Playing defensively keeps you on both feet to counter-strike or initiate a clinch and gain the advantage by throwing the opponent. It can be deduced that in Classical Pankration, too, power was valued over excessive technicality, with jabs being less effective than blows with the full weight of the body behind them.
In fact, Pankration was primarily a striking art even on the ground, where instead of focusing on submission holds, the goal was often to pin the opponent and beat him into submission or unconsciousness from a dominant wrestling position.
Thus, the seemingly inefficient Pankration stance makes perfect sense in context. While this hand position would be too far back (and therefore too telegraphic) for a modern boxer, it was necessary in Pankration due to the close proximity of the opponent when grappling. Chambering behind the head and above or below the shoulder puts your hand in a safe position to deliver your strongest punches at the most opportune moments.
At the same time, the distance between the rear fist and the opponent also means that, when striking, you must make greater leaps forward than a boxer would.
PUNCHES
Pankration may have included more than one type of punch. In addition to the ubiquitous closed-fist strike with the knuckles, there appear to be several instances of hammer-fist strikes in period artwork. The Pankration stances are highly conducive to such a strike, and I will discuss these punches and their cultural significance in another article.
STANCES
The Pankration fighting stances are as follows:
- Back Stance
- Forward Stance
- Medium Back Stance
- Ground Stance
- Action Stance
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Back Stance
The right hand is held back behind the head (as shown in Image E) to keep it free in the event of a grapple or clinch, while still able to deliver straight, uppercut, hooking and overhand blows. The forward hand may be held in either a closed fist or an open palm. |  |
Forward Stance
This position is almost identical to the traditional Muay Thai stance. Both hands are held forward to guard against blows. The forward hand may be held in either a closed fist or an open palm, and the forearms may be turned slightly outwards.
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Medium Back Stance
This position is similar to the Back Stance, except that the rear hand is held closer to the chin or side of the head (as shown in Images A, D, F, G). The forward hand may be held in either a closed fist or an open palm. .
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Ground Stance
This is not so much a stance as a way of using the body on the ground. Striking was clearly the primary method of submission in Pankration, and thus wrestling holds were used to tie up the opponent's limbs and pin him while delivering a barrage of undefendable strikes.
The rear hand may be pulled back for an unobstructed blow or held in the same way as the Back Stance. From this position, a skilled Pankratiast can constantly change position as he presses down with his full body weight and delivers strikes free from obstruction. The leverage and fluid nature of this position make it difficult for the opponent to set up an effective ground defense.
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Action Stance
This is a transitional position common in artwork that depicts live combat. The attacker's rear hand is thrown back as he strikes, instead of chambered high (as shown in Images I, J, and to the right).
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TRAINING
The artwork and literature of the period also reveal several important aspects of Pankration training.
Scenes of fighters drilling to music, as in Image A, show that attention to rhythm was a key training concept. This apparent emphasis on rhythm suggests that training drills, like "hoplite dances", were free flowing imitations of the actual movements used in combat.
In Sparta and other Greek cities, gymnopaedia, or "naked dancing", was crucial aspect of warrior training, and in it was mirrored many of the athletic pursuits of the Greeks, from wrestling and Pankration to phalanx techniques.
In his 360 BC work Laws, Plato describes the Pyrrhic "War Dance" as follows:
"The war dance has a different character, and may be properly called the Pyrrhic. It depicts the motions of eluding blows and shots of every kind by various devices of swerving, yielding ground, leaping from the ground or crouching, as well as the contrary motions which lead to a posture of attack, and aim at the reproduction of the shooting of arrows, casting of darts, and dealing in all kinds of blows. In these dances the upright, well-braced posture which represents the good body and the good mind, and in which the bodily members are in the main kept straight, is the kind of attitude we pronounce right, that which depicts their contrary, wrong."
The apparent similarity between Pankratiast rhythm training and warrior performances is corraborated by the Roman historian Claudius Galen (130 -200 A.D.), who notes in his De Sanitate Tuenda, or Hygeine, that shadow boxing was a valuable training tool. Even Socrates himself once remarked that "the best dancer is also the best warrior."
In The Warrior Dance Performance, Allen Pittman writes that "based on ancient Greek texts, ceramics and sculpture, these performances present three aspects of the Greek battle experience. The first action reconstructs military drills intended to perfect a wide array of massed battle techniques. The second solo pyrrhic dance demonstrates offensive and defensive positions characteristic of individual combat. The third action features a re-enactment of the day of battle, including homage to the gods, the clash of phalanxes and weapon-to-weapon combat."
 Hoplite Dancing |
Continued in part II of this Article:
The Pankration Stance Style Part II - Defensive stance and Footwork
Coming Soon!
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