There are several legends regarding the origins of Boxing in Ancient Greek. One claimed that Theseus invented a form of combat where two opponents took turns striking each other, undefended until one of them died. As silly as this sounds, there is a logic as to why this is considered the origin of Ancient Greek Boxing. Repeated alternating undefended strikes would become part of the actual sport of ancient Greek Boxing, particularly when the match was taking too long. Two boxers would exchange punches until there was a victor by knockout or submission. A story within the Iliad described Boxing as a way to commemorate the dead, most notably to honor Patroclus, a friend of Achilles. This commemoration was supposedly the reason why it was introduced into the Ancient Olympics as an official sport. Evidence shows that Boxing began as combat training, subsequently perfected by the Spartans. They found it necessary to train punches without helmets to simulate scenarios in battle. However, Spartans never competed in Boxing at the Olympic games because admitting defeat or " throwing in the towel " was “considered dishonorable." They refused to compete to protect their pride and promote the mystery of their fighting prowess. Practically, it was to preserve the health of their soldiers, who would have refused to quit regardless of the punishment. Therefore, they never competed in Boxing or Pankration, often leaving even the winning combatants scarred and maimed.

The training happened in an indoor facility called the Palaestra, a modern-day Olympic training gym and weight room. However, the games would always be held outside, so the boxers had to contend with direct sunlight. Athletes would use this to their advantage. Blinding their opponent by circling around so that their opponent would be looking at the sun was effective. Boxers had to train with good footwork to prevent this from happening. The boxers would practice on korykos, ancient punching bags filled with sand, flour, or millet. They may have also used smaller bags reminiscent of speed bags.

The hands were wrapped with ox hide to protect the knuckle but were nowhere as soft as a modern boxing glove. Additional padding would be introduced to further protect the hands and the knuckles. Fleece would be added outside as an armband to wipe away sweat, and braces would go up the forearm for additional stability. There is much debate about whether the Ancient Greeks or the Romans ever used “ a “sharp” version of their boxing wrap. This had spikes or broken glass designed to cut for more spectacular gore and injury. Many historians deny this was used since there were plenty of cuts and injuries without needing "sharp gloves."

While we do not know the rules for sure, the similarities to modern Boxing are that the sport consists of two opponents using punching strikes to hinder their opponent. Eye gouges, wrestling, or holds were not allowed, and if the rules were broken, the referee would use a switch or whip on the offending party. The differences to modern Boxing are substantial: no ring, no rounds or time limits, and no weight classes. The arena they fought in was called the skamma, inside the track where the running events occurred. The size of the opponent did not matter. A skilled boxer would find a way to win through overwhelming strength and size or quickness and speed, and it was probably fun to cheer on the little fighter. While there were no weight classes, there were age divisions for young boys to compete against each other. Boxers would have probably fought in a much more defensive manner to conserve energy and exploit the mistakes of their adversary since there were no rounds or time limits. If a boxer fell to the ground, their opponent could still punch them if no hold was employed. Suppose neither boxer could be incapacitated after a significant amount of time. In that case, both athletes could agree to exchange undefended blows until one could not continue. Damage, especially to the face, was unavoidable, and many matches ended in death, probably due to concussion and brain injuries. Boxing was considered the most dangerous of the th“ee “downing” sports. Boxing was part of “he "barea at”la," which meant "heavy events" because large, muscular men dominated.

Boxing was meant to symbolize the highest ideals of Greek dignity and perseverance. Part of this was never to show weakness or pain during the match. For example, Diagoras of Rhodes (who also had three successful Olympic boxing sons) was celebrated because he never tried to evade a punch. Instead, he took every shot while looking for his perfect counterpunch. Another brutal example of this belief was recorded about Euraydamas of Kyrene. During a match (which he would go on to win), he was hit in the mouth so hard that several teeth cracked and broke. To prevent showing the damage his opponent did, instead of spitting them out on the ground, he swallowed his broken teeth to hide his injury.

In this lesson, students will practice the fundamentals of Boxing, including footwork, guard positions, and punches. Besides being an overall great workout, these lessons will also help your student imagine what it was like to be Ancient Greek Olympian thousands of years ago utilizing similar training methods from today.

Materials: 

·      Enough space for the student to be able to comfortably move and throw punches without hitting themselves on anything else

Minimum Number of Students Needed: You could do these lessons with as few as one or two students. I did this series of lessons virtually, so they are adaptable to small or large classes.

Age: All Ages, but intended more for upper elementary