THE HISTORY OF SHOOTO & THE I.S.C.
The term Shooto
is derived from the Japanese words shu and to,
which taken together mean learned combat. Sometimes
referred to as Shootfighting in the Western World,
the art of Shooto is a comprehensive fighting style founded by
Master Sotoru Sayama in Japan during the early 1980s. A
life-long practitioner of the Martial Arts, Sensei Sayama drew
from his background in judo, karate, sambo, muay thai, and submission
wrestling to create a comprehensive fighting system made up of
the most effective techniques taken from these core martial arts
disciplines.
Master Sayama sought not only
to establish Shooto as a recognized fighting system, but also
as an organized form of martial arts competition. In 1986, after
founding the International Shooto Commission to oversee mixed
martial arts competition, Master Sayama sanctioned the first
amateur Shooto event. From these humble beginnings, the Shooto
organization quickly spread throughout Japan and has now become
the primary sanctioning body for Japanese mixed martial arts
competition.
The spread of Shooto across the
sea to the United States is credited to Yorinaga Nakamura, Master
Sayamas student and the first ever Shooto World Champion.
With the help of American martial arts legend, Dan Inosanto,
Nakamura founded the first American Shooto school in Los Angeles,
California at the Inosanto Academy of Martial Arts.
Shooto competition spread rapidly
throughout the United States and events are now held regularly
in Hawaii, Nevada, Indiana, Illinois, and Tennessee, with affiliates
currently working to develop Shooto in Colorado and in Florida
as well. Worldwide, the International Shooto Commission oversees
competitions held in Australia, Holland, Finland, Latavia, Norway,
Switzerland, Lithuania, Denmark, Canada, and Brazil, in addition
to the many events featured regularly in Japan.
Established in the mid 1980s,
the International Shooto Commission is the oldest mixed
martial arts organization in the world. With over 70
events sanctioned annually througout the world, the ISC has also
grown to become the worlds largest Mixed Martial Arts organization.
SHOOTO-RELATED LINKS:
CURRENT SHOOTO
RANKINGS
OFFICIAL SHOOTO WORLD & REGIONAL RANKINGS
FROM X-SHOOTO.JP
SHOOTO
RANKINGS BLOG
SHOOTO IN
NORTH & SOUTH AMERICA
SHOOTO AMERICAS WEBSITE
HOOK-n-SHOOT (PIONEER IN U.S. SHOOTO)
SHOOTO HAWAII
INTERNATIONAL
SHOOTO
SHOOTO JAPAN / SHOOTO JAPAN ENGLISH VERSION
X-SHOOTO.TV (JAPAN)
SHOOTO AUSTRALIA
SHOOTO SWEDEN
SHOOTO HOLLAND
SHOOTO SWITZERLAND
SHOOTO FINLAND
SHOOTO LITHUANIA
VIKING FIGHT (SHOOTO EVENT IN DENMARK)
MIXED BATTLE (EUROPEAN SHOOTO EVENT)
SUSUMU'S SHOOTO PHOTO GALLERY (JAPAN)
KO GYM IN JAPAN