Shootfighting is a martial art and combat sport, with competitions governed by the International Shootfighting Association (ISFA). It incorporates techniques from a multitude of traditional martial arts, the most principal of these being wrestling and kenpo. Shootfighting was previously used synonymously with mixed martial arts competitions in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, as opposed to shoot-style professional wrestling competitions. The term has been retired from common usage because it became a registered trademark of Bart Vale, who uses it to describe his hybrid fighting system derived from

shoot wrestling Shoot wrestling is a combat sport that originated in Japan's professional wrestling circuit of the 1970s. Professional wrestlers of that era attempted to use more realistic or even "full contact" moves in their matches to increase their exciteme ...

. However, it is still sometimes used colloquially. Examples which were once considered shootfighting styles, tournaments or organizations are Pancrase, Shoot boxing and Shooto, where many fighters still considered themselves to be ''shootfighters''. Ken Shamrock is possibly the most recognisable shoot fighter, as it was the discipline he used during the early days of the UFC.

History

Shootfighting's use as a synonym for mixed martial arts had its genesis in the 1970s, when Karl Gotch taught a group of

ese professional wrestlers catch wrestling techniques, called "''hooking''" or "'' shooting''". In 1976, one of these pro-wrestlers,

Antonio Inoki Muhammad Hussain Inoki (born ; February 20, 1943 – October 1, 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. He was best known by the ring name , a homag ...

, hosted a series of matches against practictioners of other martial arts, most of these were "worked" (predeterminated) but one particular high-profile one was against Muhammad Ali, which was in fact a shoot. This led to an increased interest in real and effective technique, and eventually led to the creation of

, with some shoot-style professional wrestling organizations hosting legitimate mixed martial arts bouts, called "''shoots''". In the 1990s the interest grew, and certain shoot-style organizations like Shooto, Pancrase and RINGS evolved into pure "shoot" organizations. The term "shootfighting" was frequently used to describe these events and styles. Bart Vale, an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

with a background in professional wrestling, champion of the Japanese '' Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi'' (PWFG, a Japanese shoot-style professional wrestling organization) for close to three years moved back to America and used the term "shootfighting", to describe his own hybrid fighting system, which was a combination of the

techniques he had learned in Japan, and his experience in kenpo, jujutsu and

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

. He also founded the ''International Shootfighting Association'' to promote shootfighting as a combat sport. He also would trademark the term, reserving the rights to use it for himself and his organization. Ken Shamrock, at the time Pancrase champion and former Fujiwara Gumi alumni, entered in UFC 1 representing "Shootfighting", describing his fighting style at Pancrase. With Shamrock's success in the early UFC, Bart Vale would use a worked victory at Fujiwara Gumi against Shamrock claiming it was a real fight to promote himself in the United States as a MMA legend in Japan. His actual MMA record is 1-2-0.

Rules

Shootfighting is a hybrid martial art, with similar but more limited rules compared to Mixed martial arts. Currently professional shootfighting matches consists only of a heavyweight (200 lb or more) division. But there are lighter divisions for amateur competitors. Pro matches run 30 minutes non-stop, amateurs 10 minutes. Held inside a standard wrestling ring, competitors are allowed to kick,

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

or elbow any part of the body except the groin, as well as headbutt. Punches are allowed to the body. Since no gloves are worn to facilitate wrestling, punches aren't allowed to the head, although open hand palms and slaps are allowed. Any type of throw or takedown is legal and competitors are allowed to hit a

downed opponent A downed opponent (also called a grounded opponent) is a combatant that is on the ground, as compared to a combatant that is in a standing position. This commonly implies that the downed combatant is lying on the ground, but can technically refer ...

. Additionally, any type of joint lock is legal as are chokes against the side of the neck. The only foul consists of punches to the face,

eye-gouges __NOTOC__ Eye-gouging is the act of pressing or tearing the eye using the fingers or instruments. Eye-gouging involves a very high risk of eye injury, such as eye loss or blindness. Eye-gouging as a fighting style was once a popular form of s ...

, techniques against the windpipe and groin strikes. Fights are won when a competitor is knocked down for a 10 count, knocked down 5 times or forced to

submit ''Submit'' is an EP by the British band Pitchshifter, released on 23 March 1992 by Earache on LP, cassette and CD. French black metal band Blut aus Nord Blut Aus Nord (, ) is a French black metal band from Mondeville, Calvados, that ...

. A fighter caught in a submission hold may grab the ropes to break the hold, but this counts as a 1/3 of a knock down. Grabbing the ropes 15 times equals a loss. Bouts that go to the full time limit are declared a draw.

References

* Chan, Sam
The Japanese Pro-Wrestling: Reality Based Martial Art Connection
''bjj.org''. URL last accessed January 7, 2006. * Herzog, Paul

''www.mindspring.com''. URL last accessed January 7, 2006. * International Shootfighting Association

''www.shootfighting.com''. URL last accessed January 7, 2006.

External links

International Shootfighting Association
The homepage of the International Shootfighting Association.
Official Shootfighting information & training in Vallejo, Fairfield, Vacaville & Davis, CA

American Kenpo & Shootfighting

Swedish Shootfighting Association
{{Martial arts Combat sports Hybrid martial arts Japanese martial arts Sports originating in Japan Sports originating in the United States North American martial arts Martial arts in the United States

History

Rules

See also

References

External links