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Mixed Martial Arts (adults &
teens): First introduced into
the Olympic
Games in 648
B.C. during the 33rd Olympiad, pankration was considered the ultimate
combat sport of ancient Greece. However, it was more than just a
sport. Called by Philostratos the "Worthiest contest in the Olympiads and the
most important preparation for warriors", pankration was the martial
training of the Greek armies and was taken to India with the legions of
Alexander the Great, where it became the accepted ancestor of the Asian
martial arts.
Today, pankration is experiencing a worldwide re-birth, with an increasing
number of martial artists and athletes being drawn to this ancient "King
of Olympic Sports" known know as Mixed Martial Arts. "MMA" as it has
become known, re-assembles the fragments of Pankration in it's forms of
striking in Western Boxing, Muay Thai kickboxing, along with takedowns
from Greco-Roman and Freestyle Wrestling, and submission locks and chokes
from Russian Sambo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and American Catch Wrestling. |
