From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shooto
 |
| Also known as |
Shoot Wrestling, Shoot Fighting |
| Focus |
Hybrid |
| Country of origin |
 Japan |
| Creator |
Sayama Satoru |
| Parenthood |
Catch Wrestling, Judo, JuJutsu, Sambo,
Muay Thai |
| Famous practitioners |
Shinya Aoki, Rumina Sato, Enson Inoue, Takanori Gomi, Caol Uno, Hayato Sakurai, Yuki Nakai, Joachim Hansen, Erik Paulson |
| Olympic sport |
No |
Shooto is a combat sport that is governed by the
Shooto Association and the International Shooto
Commission. Shooto was originally formed in 1985, as an
organization and as a particular fighting system derived from shoot
wrestling. Practitioners are referred to as
shooters, similarly to practitioners of
shootwrestling. Shooto competitions are often considered to be mixed martial
arts competitions, since they share similar rules to several
other mixed martial arts competitions.
The word shooto is an English transliteration
of 修斗 (pronounced shū-to), an ateji derived from the English word "shoot". The
word 修斗 can be translated as "learn combat".
Techniques and
strategies
The aim in a shooto match is to defeat the opponent by a knockout or a submission, but fights can also end in a
referee stoppage or by a judge decision. Legal techniques include
general grappling, chokeholds, joint locks, kicks, knee strikes, punches, takedowns and throws.
Illegal techniques include biting, elbow strikes, eye-gouging, forearm strikes, hair pulling, headbutting, kicking or kneeing the head of a downed
opponent, small joint manipulation,
strikes to the groin or throat and since September 1,
2008, strikes to the back of the head.[1]
Fighter
classes
Shooto fighters are categorized into four Classes.
- Class-D: Amateur (2x2min, Headgear, Special point system)
- Class-C: Amateur (2x3min, Headgear, Special point system)
- Class-B: Pro (2x5min)
- Class-A: Pro (3x5min)
Fighters start out as Class-D or Class-C fighters and enter
amateur competitions that Shooto hosts together with the help of
local gyms all over Japan. Class-D Shooto does not allow knee
strikes to the face or striking on the ground. Class-C Shooto does
not allow striking on the ground, but knee strikes to the head are
allowed. There are regional championship and once a year the
All-Japan amateur championships. Then a fighter can get a Class-B
pro license, these fights are 2x5 minute long and use the same
rules as Class-A fights. For new pros Shooto each year hold a
rookie tournament in each weightclass.
When a fighter has gathered enough wins and experience in
Class-B he will get awarded with a Class-A license, as a sign that
he's part of the elite professional fighters.
History
Shooto was established as an organization in 1985 by Satoru Sayama (also
known as "Tiger-mask"), a Japanese professional
wrestler trained in shoot wrestling, who wished to create a
sport that revolved around a realistic and effective fighting
system.[1][2]
Compared to the other professional wrestling organizations of the
time, such as the New Japan Pro Wrestling and the
Universal Wrestling
Federation (Japan), Shooto was aimed at having no predetermined
results. The first amateur event was held in 1986 and the first
professional event in 1989.[1][2]
The Shooto organization hosted the Vale Tudo
Japan tournament in the summer of 1994. Previously to this
tournament, Shooto did not feature punches to the face
in a ground
position, but after seeing effective usage of punching by
foreign participants, Sayama decided to incorporate these striking
techniques into shooto. In 1996, World Shooto, the
Shooto Association and the International Shooto
Commission were formed. This marked the end of Shooto as a
single organization, and turned it into a combat sport with governing bodies.
Vale Tudo Japan events were held annually from 1994 to
1999.[1] In May 2009, it
was announced that Vale Tudo Japan would return for the first time
in ten years on October 30, 2009.
There has been an ongoing effort to bring Shooto competition to
the United States and Canada that has been spearheaded by Rich
Santoro. He was officially named the Director of the International
Shooto Commission - SHOOTO Americas division (the North American
branch of the Shooto Association) in 2001. He has worked with both
U.S. event promoters and state officials to spread the Shooto brand
of competition throughout North America. As of 2006 Shooto has
taken place in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, Missouri,
Nevada, Hawaii, and Vancouver, British Columbia. Promoters of
Shooto events in North America have been HOOKnSHOOT, The Ironheart
Crown, Midwest Fighting, Tennessee Shooto, RSF Shooto
Challenge, TUFF-N-UFF, World Freestyle Fighting, SHOOTO Hawaii and
Mannidog Productions.
Previous to 2009, Shooto's rules included a knockdown rule
giving knocked down fighters a eight-count to recover as well as
allowing strikes to the back of the head. Shooto had argued that
the potentential for a knocked out (and thus unconsious) fighter to
receive unnecesarry damage while on the ground necessitated the
rule, but with Shooto being one of the lone organizations still
having the rule, consideration of the potential for injury allowing
a knocked down fighter time to recover thus allowing additional
blows, and with the original vision of Shooto's founder being a
synthesis of striking, throwing and submitting - the rulechange was
institued in mid-2008. The disallowment of strikes to the back of
the head was done for similar medical reasons.[1]
Current Shooto World
champions
Current Shooto Pacific
Rim champions
Shooto
Rookie champions
Shooto European Amateur
Champions 2008
Main article: List of
Shooto European Amateur Champions
| Division |
Weight limit |
Champion |
Gym |
| Name |
Country |
| Bantamweight |
below 56 kg / 123lbs |
Raby Williams |
 France |
Haute Tension |
| Featherweight |
below 60 kg / 132lbs |
Patrick Lengelo |
 Belgium |
Chaput |
| Lightweight |
below 65 kg / 143lbs |
Jani Ketolainen |
 Finland |
MMA Imatra |
| Welterweight |
below 70 kg / 154lbs |
Loic Korval |
France |
Kordaf |
| Middleweight |
below 76 kg / 167lbs |
Antti Toiviainen |
Finland |
MMA Imatra |
| Light-Heavyweight |
below 83 kg / 183lbs |
Sauli Heilimö |
Finland |
FFG |
| Cruiserweight |
below 91 kg / 200lbs |
Max Djumbo |
France |
BOCAO Team |
| Heavyweight |
below 100 kg / 220lbs |
Claude Hermann |
Belgium |
Shihaishinkai |
| Super-Heavyweight |
above 100 kg / 220lbs |
Josef Ali Mohamed |
 Sweden |
Brasa |
Notable
Shooto fighters
External
links
See also
References
Thailand
Brazil
Afghanistan
Top topics
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search
