A Japanese hybrid martial art and combat sport, derived from shoot wrestling, allowing strikes and submissions. The term is a proper noun for the specific competition format.
Shoot boxing is a related stand-up martial art that allows throws and standing submissions, while shooto includes ground fighting and is closer to mixed martial arts.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a broader category; shooto is a specific Japanese ruleset and organization within MMA.
Etymology
From English 'shoot', as in 'shoot wrestling', a style of professional wrestling that influenced the creation of this martial art. The kanji 修斗 are ateji applied phonetically.
