Pankration

“All-powerful”

A term from the book A Crown of Feathers, by Persiflex, referring to a certain approach to adversity. An expert in pankration gets out of the way of trouble and re-directs it from the side, deflecting it from the side, using and requiring much less force than it has.

In more common usage, a martial art practised by devotees of Persiflex, somewhat resembling resembling aikido. It contains a lot of circular moves, holds, and throws, and depends on using the physical and psychological momentum of the enemy against him. It contains few blocks, the doctrine being that one should frustrate purpose rather than action, redirect rather than oppose momentum. In martial arts parlance, it is a ‘soft’ style.

See kick-boxing, wrestling, unarmed combat, and Vesper.


Copyright © 1991 by Brett Evill. All rights reserved.