Men and women jabbed, kicked, tossed and pinned into submission. People fighting to be more skillful and swift than their opponent.
You would think you were watching the latest Ultimate Fighting cage match. But this is Pankration, the oldest martial art in the world, and it is happening at ASU.
"These individual moves," instructor Jeff Funicello, 32, tells his students, "are all part of the larger picture."
The 20 or so male and female students surround him, listening, their eyes fixed on Funicello. Some bleed while others limp. They push themselves to the maximum, like ancient gladiators.
According to Funicello, Pankration originated in ancient Greece and was introduced to the Olympics in 776 B.C. The martial art focuses on ground battle and stand-up competition.
"In the Olympics all facets of fighting were broken down in the beginning of the games, but in the last event it was all brought together in one event: Pankration," said Funicello, the founder of the American Pankration club. "Emperors would travel from all over the world just to see this one competition."
Funicello said the hybrid martial art was eventually banned when power was passed from the Greek to the Roman Empire, but was still practiced in secret and passed down through the gladiators.
Following the ban, Pankration was broken down into several different martial arts, and those fragments spread into other countries. This led to the development of martial arts that people have come to know today.
Funicello claims Pankration is the same fighting that is practiced in the Ultimate Fighting matches. The only difference is that in ancient Pankration competitors fought to the death. In the Ultimate Fighting of today there is no biting or eye-gouging; everything else is legal according to Funicello.
There has been a revival of the martial art with people like Funicello at the reins. Funicello has been wrestling since he was 8 years old and was a two-time alternate on the U.S. wrestling team at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. He is currently training for the Olympic trials coming up in May 2004.
Funicello began teaching the Pankration class at ASU in 1990 with 30 students.
"I have 120 students now, and the number grows every year," Funicello said.
"People are learning how important it is to defend themselves."
Funicello said that part of the reason for the popularity of Pankration is the growing trend of Ultimate Fighting.
The class is a martial art but is not limited to hard-nose fighters. Funicello claims he has students in the military, cage fighters, cops and even women looking to learn self-defense. Whether an amateur or a professional, all students are taught in the same class.
"My class is for everyone," Funicello said. "You will never be in better shape than you will be when you take my class."
Justin Durning, 33, a former Marine, said Funicello's class is tougher than the military.
"I was surprised how little I knew my first day of class, even after being in the military for so long. The level and intensity surpasses anything that the military teaches, and I was the elite in the Marines," he said.
Funicello and his students said that if a person is ever assaulted and has no weapon, Pankration would be the best defense.
Funicello's class is taught year-round every Tuesday and Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the Student Recreation Center.
Reach the reporter at robin.leininger@asu.edu.
