This is the original version of the book that became The First Mixed Martial Art: Pankration From Myths to Modern Times. Author and Black Belt Hall of Famer Jim Arvanitis, aka the “father of modern pankration,” has devoted his life to researching the martial art of his Greek ancestors, and no one is more knowledgeable on the subject. The book explains how the cornerstone of the earliest Olympic Games influenced the techniques of modern MMA. Topics include submissions and counters, grappling escapes, sweeps and reversals, takedowns and takedown defenses, ground-and-pound techniques and knee thrusts, as well as the myths and traditions of the Hellenic combat arts.