Shootfighting
A hybrid martial art combining wrestling and kenpo techniques.
Shootfighting is a martial art and combat sport governed by the International Shootfighting Association (ISFA), incorporating techniques primarily from wrestling and kenpo. The term was once used synonymously with mixed martial arts in Japan but became a registered trademark of Bart Vale, who uses it for his hybrid fighting system derived from shoot wrestling. It is still sometimes used colloquially.
Quick Facts
- Focus
- Hybrid (Combat Sport & Street Combat)
- Country
- Japan (in general) and United States (ISFA only)
Facts from the source article.
History
The use of shootfighting as a synonym for mixed martial arts began in the 1970s, when Karl Gotch taught catch wrestling techniques, called hooking or shooting, to Japanese professional wrestlers. In 1976, pro-wrestler Antonio Inoki hosted matches against practitioners of other martial arts; most were predetermined, but a high-profile shoot against Muhammad Ali increased interest in effective technique, leading to shoot wrestling. Some shoot-style professional wrestling organizations hosted legitimate mixed martial arts bouts called shoots, and by the 1990s organizations like Shooto, Pancrase and RINGS evolved into pure shoot organizations, with the term shootfighting frequently used to describe them. Bart Vale, an American with a professional wrestling background and champion of the Japanese Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi (PWFG) for nearly three years, returned to America and opened the Tiger & Dragon Kenpo Karate Academy, using the term shootfighting for his hybrid system combining shoot wrestling, kenpo, jujutsu and Muay Thai. He founded the International Shootfighting Association (ISFA) to promote it as a combat sport. By 1992, events involving Vale's students were held in Miami as part of a PWFG show, and Vale promoted the Shootfighting World Championships, later trademarking the term. Ken Shamrock, a Pancrase champion and former Fujiwara Gumi alumnus, entered UFC 1 representing shootfighting. Bart Vale later used a worked victory against Shamrock at Fujiwara Gumi, claiming it was a real fight to promote himself in the United States; his actual MMA record is 1-2-0.
Rules
Shootfighting is a hybrid combat sport with rules that are more restrictive than those of mixed martial arts. Professional bouts are contested only in a heavyweight class for fighters weighing 200 pounds or more, while lighter weight classes exist for amateurs. A professional match lasts a full thirty minutes without any breaks; amateur bouts are ten minutes long. The action takes place in a standard wrestling ring. Competitors can strike with kicks, knees, and elbows to any area except the groin, and headbutts are allowed. Body punches are permitted, but because no gloves are worn, punches to the head are illegal—though open-hand slaps and palm strikes are fine. All throws and takedowns are legal, and fighters may strike an opponent who is on the ground. Any joint lock is allowed, as are chokes applied to the side of the neck. The only fouls are punches to the face, eye gouges, attacks to the windpipe, and groin strikes. A win comes from a ten-count knockdown, five knockdowns total, or a submission. A fighter in a submission hold can grab the ropes to escape, but that counts as one-third of a knockdown; fifteen rope grabs result in a loss. If the full time limit expires, the bout is ruled a draw.
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