Shoot Boxing
シュートボクシングA Japanese standing combat sport founded by Caesar Takeshi in 1985 that adds throws, chokes and standing joint locks to strikes and kicks, and bans ground fighting.
Quick Facts
JapanCharacter & Origin
Training
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
About Shoot Boxing
Shootboxing is a Japanese standing combat sport that, according to the Shoot Boxing Association (SB), was founded in 1985 by Caesar Takeshi. Number Web also gives 1985. Number Web describes its concept as standing MMA in which throws, chokes and standing joint locks apply alongside strikes and kicks. The association states that its founder is a former Japanese welterweight kickboxing champion and is now its chairman, and that it adheres to bushido and to the principle of not attacking a downed opponent.
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According to Japanese Wikipedia, Caesar met Karl Gotch through Satoru Sayama, taught kickboxing to UWF members, and this experience led him to add throws and joint locks to standing fighting. The month of founding differs between sources: Japanese Wikipedia gives September 1985, English Wikipedia August 1985. The association states that it has held the S-Cup world tournament since 1995 and the women's Girls S-Cup since 2009. It is run by Caesar International, based in Tokyo. The SB rules of 2026 set a bout at 3 or 5 rounds of 3 minutes, decided by a KO from a strike or throw, a submission after a joint lock or choke in the standing position, or by points. Points are awarded for strikes, for throws, which the referee announces with the call shoot, and for standing joint locks and chokes with the call catch. The rules prohibit any ground fighting and permit elbows only in the expert class by agreement of both fighters.
History
According to Japanese Wikipedia, Caesar Takeshi, born on 17 August 1955 in Nagato in Yamaguchi Prefecture, made his debut as a professional kickboxer in 1972 and won the welterweight title of the Nihon Kickboxing Kyokai. Through Satoru Sayama he met Karl Gotch and taught kickboxing to UWF members, including Akira Maeda, which led him to add throws and joint locks to stand-up fighting. Number Web, the study by Hishida and Nakajima, and the association all give 1985 as the year of founding. Japanese Wikipedia gives September 1985, English Wikipedia August 1985, citing Tatsuo Nakano's autobiography. According to Japanese Wikipedia, the association was founded in 1986. The association states that the first S-Cup took place on 31 January 1995 at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium and that the second was the only one split into two events, in 1996 and 1997. According to Japanese Wikipedia, SB admitted female fighters from the dissolved Japanese women's kickboxing association from the start and in 1998 held the first all-women event in Japanese combat sports. According to the association, RENA won the first Girls S-Cup in Tokyo on 23 August 2009, and in 2015 it hosted the first women's world title bout in SB history.
How it differs
Unlike kickboxing, shootboxing under SB rules permits throws, chokes and standing joint locks besides punches and kicks, and scores throws. Unlike muay thai, the rules ban elbows, which apply only in the expert class by agreement of both fighters. Unlike MMA, it completely bans ground fighting and attacks on a downed opponent, and joint locks and chokes apply only standing. Number Web writes that the ground-fighting ban also disadvantages a grappler in shootboxing, and that in the SB ring a fighter leading on strikes can lose because of points for throws.
Technique
The 2026 SB rules give, as forward throws, for example kubinage and ippon seoi nage, and as backward throws the German suplex and the backdrop. Standing finishing techniques include the rear choke (sleeper hold), the front choke and armlocks. The rules define the standing position as one in which neither fighter touches the mat with anything other than the feet, and only in it are joint locks and chokes valid. According to Japanese Wikipedia, hit points are awarded for punches, kicks and knees. Number Web describes the tactics of a shootboxer who, when losing the striking exchanges, looks for a chance in throws and submissions, whereby unsuccessful attempts at joint locks are exhausting and open him to strikes. According to Number Web, both a pure kickboxer and a grappler are at a disadvantage in shootboxing.
Training
Hishida and Nakajima, in a 2019 study, report that an adult competitor trains skipping rope, shadow boxing, mass boxing, mass sparring, hard sparring, pad work, heavy bag, strength training and stretching, mostly in rounds of 3 minutes. According to them, basic training at the dojo under study is done with bodyweight only and no equipment, for example Hindu squats, jump squats, burpees, fist push-ups and neck bridges. According to the study, intensity rises three weeks before a fight and risky elements such as sparring are limited right before it. At the dojo under study, according to the study, older students teach younger ones, and unlike traditional budo, no formal bow or meditation is required at the beginning and end of training. Japanese Wikipedia lists amateur Young Caesar Cup tournaments in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, with a helmet, knee and shin guards and a T-shirt.
Competition
According to the 2026 SB rules, a bout runs 3 or 5 rounds of 3 minutes and is decided by a KO by strike or throw, a submission by joint lock or standing choke, or by points. A throw counts only if the opponent flies higher than the thrower's waist, both of his feet leave the mat and he lands on his back. For a forward throw the referee, calling shoot, awards 1 point, for a backward throw 2 points. For a standing choke or joint lock from which escape is difficult, he calls catch and awards 1 point, and a submission means a KO win. Three knockdowns in one round mean a technical KO. Three judges score the bout and the winner is whoever gets at least two votes, otherwise an extra round follows. The rules distinguish the classes expert, expert special, freshman and starting, and elbows are allowed only in the expert class by agreement of both fighters. The association states that the S-Cup is a world tournament of eight fighters in one evening held once every two years, originally at 70 kg and from 2014 at 65 kg.
Today
According to its website, SB is run by Caesar International, based in Tokyo, whose managing director is former champion Kenichi Ogata. SB states that its aim is to pass on, through shootboxing, courtesy, strength and a healthy spirit not only to competitors but also to young people and children who do not go to school. A 2019 study by Hishida and Nakajima describes a volunteer-run, free shootboxing dojo in one of the Tokyo wards as a place of social inclusion for children from poor families, bullied children, delinquents and children who do not go to school. According to the study, the organization also holds volunteer events and after the 2011 earthquake it cooked meals for those affected. Japanese Wikipedia states that as of April 2026 all SB world titles were vacant except the women's flyweight, held by RENA.
Did you know
According to Japanese Wikipedia, Caesar considered the name Shooting Boxing, but Sayama told him two -ing endings sounded odd, so the name Shoot Boxing came about. According to it, long leggings and shin guards are a hallmark of shootboxers but not mandatory, and Caesar introduced them because he disliked kicking with a bare leg. The association states that the Dutchman Andy Souwer won the S-Cup four times, in 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2012. According to Japanese Wikipedia, on 22 August 2015 Caesar faced Andy Souwer in an exhibition for his sixtieth birthday, at an event for the 30th anniversary of SB. Number Web describes a bout on 4 September 2009 at Korakuen Hall, where the Thai Boowie Sor Udomson lifted his SB opponent after a knee to the body in the fourth round, threw him backwards and, as a Thai boxer, earned a shoot point.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded shootboxing?
According to the SB association and a study by Hishida and Nakajima, it was founded by Caesar Takeshi, a former Japanese welterweight kickboxing champion. Both Number Web and the association give 1985.
Is ground fighting allowed in shootboxing?
No, the SB rules of 2026 prohibit any ground fighting and any attack on a downed opponent. Joint locks and chokes count only in the standing position.
How many points does shootboxing award for a throw?
According to the SB rules, the referee awards 1 point for a successful forward throw called shoot and 2 points for a backward throw. A throw counts only if the opponent flies above the thrower's waist, both feet leave the mat and he lands on his back.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.