Shootfighting
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| Focus | (Combat Sport & Street Combat) |
|---|---|
| Country of origin |
 United States (ISFA) |
| Creator | Bart Vale (ISFA) |
| Famous practitioners | Ken Shamrock (Pancrase), Takanori Gomi (Shooto), Bart Vale (Shootfighting-ISFA), Kazushi Sakuraba, Alexander Gustafsson (UFC) |
| Parenthood | Catch Wrestling, Jujitsu, Muay Thai, Karate |
| Olympic sport | No |
Japan (General)
Shootfighting is a combat sport and martial art, with competitions governed by the International Shootfighting Association (ISFA). Shootfighting incorporates techniques from a multitude of traditional martial arts, the most principal of these being Muay Thai and catch wrestling.
Shootfighting was previously used synonymously with mixed martial arts competitions in Japan, as opposed to shoot-style professional wrestling competitions. This usage of the term is 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. 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 this was the discipline he was credited as using in the early days of the UFC.
Shootfighting's use as a synonym for mixed martial arts had its genesis in the 1970s, when Karl Gotch taught a group of Japanese professional wrestlers catch wrestling techniques, called "hooking" or "shooting". In 1976, one of these pro-wrestlers, Antonio Inoki, hosted a series of mixed martial arts matches. This led to an increased interest in real and effective technique, and eventually led to the creation of shoot wrestling, 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 Pancrase evolved into pure "shoot" organizations. The term "shootfighting" was frequently used to describe these events and styles.
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