edouble
31st March 2005, 01:15 AM
Training MMA in Japan III
by Hody Jae Huh, Moderator at www.IronLife.com
For full original article, please click here. (http://www.ironlife.com/mag/issue6/japan.shtml)
This is the final installment of Training MMA in Japan. Although I will be focusing on Shooto, you can use this information as a general guide line for other MMA organizations in Japan.
http://www.ironlife.com/mag/issue6/images/japan1.jpg
THE ROAD FROM AMATEUR TO PRO
Not everyone has what it takes to become a pro fighter. There’re some people that really shine in the gym but when it comes to competitions, they seem to fold for some reason or another. Trying to become a pro in Shooto is no different but you have the added cultural and language differences to mix in. Hopefully you have read my previous articles to have a better understanding of this.
Unless you’ve already made a name for yourself back home, you’re probably going to have to enter amateur Shooto tournaments if you want to become a pro. It’s very rare for someone who isn’t already a pro fighter to be granted pro status in Shooto, without fighting in the amateur tournaments. From memory, Enson Inoue is the only person who wasn’t a pro fighter to be granted automatic pro status without ever fighting in amateur Shooto.
Shooto is divided into 3 classes. “C” class is amateur, “B” Class are beginning Pros, “A” Class are the established Pros. Aside from the Win/Lose records, the difference between “A” and “B” Class is the time. “B” Class is only 1 round – 5 minutes. “A” is 2 rounds – 5 minutes each. In the cases where an “A” Class fighter fights against a “B” Class fighter, they will fight under “B” Class restrictions. Within “A” Class there are the elite who are called rankers. They are the headliners and are ranked in the top 10 in their weight class, such as Sato, Sakurai, and Nakao.
AMATEUR SHOOTO
Ok, you’ve paid your dues at the gym and your coach has given you the ok to compete. If you haven’t been given permission to compete by the head of your gym, you will not be able to represent your gym, meaning you will have to enter as an independent. Chances are -- no one from your gym will be in your corner during the fight, especially your coach if you haven’t been give permission.
There are 2 kinds of amateur Shooto fights. One is pure grappling, like ADCC and the other is grappling and striking mixed.
The rules and time limits of both can be found here. http://www.shooto.net/data/ruleae.htm
For amateur Shooto, you will need to have a foul cup, tights both in red and blue (loose shorts are not allowed), leg guards (the kind that look like leg warmers and not the Muay Thai style), athletic tape, and a mouth piece. The tournament will provide you with official Shooto gloves and headgear. The headgear is similar to boxing headgear but less bulky. I highly recommend you practice with headgear prior to your fight, to get accustomed to wearing it. You will quickly discover that the headgear shifts easily during the course of the fight and you will want to compensate for that. I have seen many fights where one fighter is adjusting his headgear and in the heat of the fight, the other opponent either struck him or got a takedown, due to this distraction.
http://www.ironlife.com/mag/issue6/images/japan2.jpg
You are allowed 2-3 people in your corner. One person will usually help keep track of time and let you know during the course of the fight. Another person will hold all your stuff, including towel and water. The last person will most likely be your coach or one of the top guys at the gym.
It’s really helpful if you can learn some Japanese as the ref. and officials will also be talking in Japanese. Be aware of your conduct during the course of the fight and at the tournament. The judges and officials are all either pro Shooto fighters or Shooto officials. The ref. is usually the same ref. that you see on TV during the Pro Shooto fights. In short, despite having the physical skills of a pro, if they feel you don’t have the right attitude, you dreams could be cut short.
There are several fights held through out the year but the 2 biggest are the regional All West, East, South, and North Japan tournaments and the All Japan tournament. Placing in the top 3 in the regionals will get you to the All-Japan tournament. Placing in the top 3 here will get you pro status. Again, your attitude will determine if you will become pro, despite your stellar performance. Your coach and/or the Shooto commission can block you from becoming pro, but it’s rare.
The other tournaments are local one match fights and local tournaments. These are pretty much for experience and to build up your record. It is possible to become a pro if someone in the Shooto Commission is really impressed with you, despite not having many fights, but again, this is rare. Most likely, you will have to fight in many of the local events and try your best to make regionals and All Japan.
For each fight you will have to fill out 2 sets of papers. One is filed with the Shooto commission and the other is kept for the tournament that you will be competing in. If you don’t understand Japanese, you will need to find someone to help you fill this out, don’t expect your coach to always help you. However, once you fill out these forms, make a copy and this will help save time the next time you have to fill out another set of forms. If you have competed in tournaments back home, you have probably filled out similar forms.
You will have to pay an annual registration fee to the Shooto Commission if you plan on competing. I forget the exact amount but I think it’s around 2,000 Yen. For each event you fight in, you will have to pay around 4,000 Yen. Each form will require a passport sized photo of you.
The rules in amateur Shooto favor positioning and points, however, fighters who often win by these means do not always make good Pro Shooto fighters. The reason being, Pro Shooto allows striking on the ground whereas Amateur Shooto does not. In addition, at the Pro level, it is much faster paced and fighters are penalized for in activity.
Here are the rules and conditions for Pro Shooto. http://www.shooto.net/data/rulee.htm
As you can see, training MMA in Japan is not for everyone. There are many cultural and language barriers in your way. However, with the right attitude, money, and a bit of luck you will have great time. The road from amateur to pro is difficult but rewarding. I wish you all the best in your pursuits.
Hody:cool:
by Hody Jae Huh, Moderator at www.IronLife.com
For full original article, please click here. (http://www.ironlife.com/mag/issue6/japan.shtml)
This is the final installment of Training MMA in Japan. Although I will be focusing on Shooto, you can use this information as a general guide line for other MMA organizations in Japan.
http://www.ironlife.com/mag/issue6/images/japan1.jpg
THE ROAD FROM AMATEUR TO PRO
Not everyone has what it takes to become a pro fighter. There’re some people that really shine in the gym but when it comes to competitions, they seem to fold for some reason or another. Trying to become a pro in Shooto is no different but you have the added cultural and language differences to mix in. Hopefully you have read my previous articles to have a better understanding of this.
Unless you’ve already made a name for yourself back home, you’re probably going to have to enter amateur Shooto tournaments if you want to become a pro. It’s very rare for someone who isn’t already a pro fighter to be granted pro status in Shooto, without fighting in the amateur tournaments. From memory, Enson Inoue is the only person who wasn’t a pro fighter to be granted automatic pro status without ever fighting in amateur Shooto.
Shooto is divided into 3 classes. “C” class is amateur, “B” Class are beginning Pros, “A” Class are the established Pros. Aside from the Win/Lose records, the difference between “A” and “B” Class is the time. “B” Class is only 1 round – 5 minutes. “A” is 2 rounds – 5 minutes each. In the cases where an “A” Class fighter fights against a “B” Class fighter, they will fight under “B” Class restrictions. Within “A” Class there are the elite who are called rankers. They are the headliners and are ranked in the top 10 in their weight class, such as Sato, Sakurai, and Nakao.
AMATEUR SHOOTO
Ok, you’ve paid your dues at the gym and your coach has given you the ok to compete. If you haven’t been given permission to compete by the head of your gym, you will not be able to represent your gym, meaning you will have to enter as an independent. Chances are -- no one from your gym will be in your corner during the fight, especially your coach if you haven’t been give permission.
There are 2 kinds of amateur Shooto fights. One is pure grappling, like ADCC and the other is grappling and striking mixed.
The rules and time limits of both can be found here. http://www.shooto.net/data/ruleae.htm
For amateur Shooto, you will need to have a foul cup, tights both in red and blue (loose shorts are not allowed), leg guards (the kind that look like leg warmers and not the Muay Thai style), athletic tape, and a mouth piece. The tournament will provide you with official Shooto gloves and headgear. The headgear is similar to boxing headgear but less bulky. I highly recommend you practice with headgear prior to your fight, to get accustomed to wearing it. You will quickly discover that the headgear shifts easily during the course of the fight and you will want to compensate for that. I have seen many fights where one fighter is adjusting his headgear and in the heat of the fight, the other opponent either struck him or got a takedown, due to this distraction.
http://www.ironlife.com/mag/issue6/images/japan2.jpg
You are allowed 2-3 people in your corner. One person will usually help keep track of time and let you know during the course of the fight. Another person will hold all your stuff, including towel and water. The last person will most likely be your coach or one of the top guys at the gym.
It’s really helpful if you can learn some Japanese as the ref. and officials will also be talking in Japanese. Be aware of your conduct during the course of the fight and at the tournament. The judges and officials are all either pro Shooto fighters or Shooto officials. The ref. is usually the same ref. that you see on TV during the Pro Shooto fights. In short, despite having the physical skills of a pro, if they feel you don’t have the right attitude, you dreams could be cut short.
There are several fights held through out the year but the 2 biggest are the regional All West, East, South, and North Japan tournaments and the All Japan tournament. Placing in the top 3 in the regionals will get you to the All-Japan tournament. Placing in the top 3 here will get you pro status. Again, your attitude will determine if you will become pro, despite your stellar performance. Your coach and/or the Shooto commission can block you from becoming pro, but it’s rare.
The other tournaments are local one match fights and local tournaments. These are pretty much for experience and to build up your record. It is possible to become a pro if someone in the Shooto Commission is really impressed with you, despite not having many fights, but again, this is rare. Most likely, you will have to fight in many of the local events and try your best to make regionals and All Japan.
For each fight you will have to fill out 2 sets of papers. One is filed with the Shooto commission and the other is kept for the tournament that you will be competing in. If you don’t understand Japanese, you will need to find someone to help you fill this out, don’t expect your coach to always help you. However, once you fill out these forms, make a copy and this will help save time the next time you have to fill out another set of forms. If you have competed in tournaments back home, you have probably filled out similar forms.
You will have to pay an annual registration fee to the Shooto Commission if you plan on competing. I forget the exact amount but I think it’s around 2,000 Yen. For each event you fight in, you will have to pay around 4,000 Yen. Each form will require a passport sized photo of you.
The rules in amateur Shooto favor positioning and points, however, fighters who often win by these means do not always make good Pro Shooto fighters. The reason being, Pro Shooto allows striking on the ground whereas Amateur Shooto does not. In addition, at the Pro level, it is much faster paced and fighters are penalized for in activity.
Here are the rules and conditions for Pro Shooto. http://www.shooto.net/data/rulee.htm
As you can see, training MMA in Japan is not for everyone. There are many cultural and language barriers in your way. However, with the right attitude, money, and a bit of luck you will have great time. The road from amateur to pro is difficult but rewarding. I wish you all the best in your pursuits.
Hody:cool: