Bøger af Jim Arvanitis

Wrestling is the oldest combat sport in the history of mankind. The ancient Greeks refined it and included it in its PanHellenic festivals and in the early Olympic Games. Grappling was also a major component of pankration, considered the Original Mixed Martial Art, which became the most spectacular of all the athletic competitions throughout the old world.Jim Arvanitis, world recognized as Greek pankration's Renaissance Man, reveals the inner workings of the grappling and ground fighting elements of the art. Arvanitis covers it all in depth - from the art's origins and techniques to practical applications that even the most experienced martial artists can benefit from. Commencing with isolated skill development tools, the content progresses to a complete set of tactics and fight plans, where you will learn to attack and react to an opponent. A comprehensive section on specialized training methods and drills is also included.Whether you're standing or on the ground, Arvanitis presents takedowns and throws, clinching, joint locks, chokes and cranks, strikes, and key strategies designed to give you the upper hand in close quarter combat. Numerous artistic renderings from ancient Greek vases and sculptures, and hundreds of photos supplement the text.

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.

TAKING IT TO THE STREETS: Combat Essentials for Real-World Self-Defense examines high-risk conflict resolution by applying key principles and brutally-effective techniques and strategies. Jim Arvanitis' methods of opposing a serious threat will enable you to react under duress to either avoid a physical confrontation or meet it head-on. This book is complete with: *Practical strikes, kicks, and grappling maneuvers *Ground fighting *Defenses against unarmed and armed assaults *Developing a warrior mindset for facing life-or-death situations *Conditioning exercises and Drills for Combat Preparedness. 8x10", 227 pages, hundreds of b&w photos and illustrations.

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 extensive 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. Boxing (pyxmachia) and wrestling (pale), which formed the foundation of pankration's diverse skill-set are also detailed.Event 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 published books, and brings to light the importance of pankration as not only the Original MMA, but as the missing link in martial arts evolution.

Jim Arvanitis, internationally-renowned as the Father of Modern Pankration and MMA pioneer, presents an in-depth analysis of this ancient fighting art and its contemporary derivative. Pankration is one of the oldest martial arts on record and the first to integrate striking, grappling, and submission techniques. The book examines the tactics and training methodologies traceable to the earliest Olympic Games to their adaptation by the author in the Twentieth Century. Also discussed is pankration's development from its mythological roots to the sport's inclusion in the Panhellenic festivals, and dynamic rebirth after it had vanished for several thousand years.Hundreds of lavish artifacts and photos depict one-on-one combat action throughout the text. Greek pankration is the only fully-documented total fighting system of the Pre-Christian era and the missing link in martial arts evolution.

Jim Arvanitis, world-acclaimed Father of Modern Pankration and MMA pioneer, presents an in-depth analysis of this ancient fighting art and its modern derivative. Pankration is one of the oldest martial arts on record and the first to integrate striking, grappling, and submission techniques. The book examines the concepts, tactics, and training totheir adaptation by the author in the 20th Century. Also discussed is pankration's development from its mythological roots to its sports inclusion in the Panhellenic festivals, and dynamic rebirth after it had vanished for several thousand years. Hundreds of illustrations and photos depict one-on-one combat action and training throughout the text.Greek pankration is the only fully-documented total fighting system of the Pre-Christian era and the precursor to MMA.

Pankration was the mixed martial arts of antiquity and the most spectacular event of the PanHellenic festivals. There were two distinct forms: ano pankration which was standup fighting that featured striking with the closed fist and open hand, kicking, elbows, knees, clinching, takedowns, throws, trips, and submission holds. The other was kato pankration which Plato tells us was more favored in the Olympic Games and emphasized grappling techniques and groundwork. Ano pankration was preferred in training or served as preliminary matches to the rougher and longer kato contests that were held later in the day. Pankration vanished in 393 A.D. but would be reconstructed in the Twentieth Century (circa 1969) by Greek-American combat athlete Jim Arvanitis. It was his vision that history would repeat itself and the essence of pankration - integrating various martial arts techniques for fierce combat competition - would come full circle and become as popular as it was in ancient Greece some 2500 years before. In 1973 he was featured on the cover of Black Belt magazine, which was the first exposure to pankration's history and its modern derivative to the global martial arts community. This book, Arvanitis' thirteenth, focuses on the ano pankration skill-set. It covers Jim's development of the tools and their tactical applications for the modern world from his continued research and analysis of ancient remnants combined with his formal studies of both Western and Asian combat systems. Numerous photographs and ancient Greek renderings supplement the informative text throughout.