Who Invented The Sharpshooter

• Who Invented The Sharpshooter 1
• Who Invented The Sharpshooter Ii
• Who Invented The Sharpshooter 2
• Who Invented The Sharpshooter

While the term takes its name from the rifle invented by Christian Sharps, it was Hiram Berdan who made sharpshooters a force to be reckoned with during the Civil War.

The sharpshooter, originally named sasori-gatame, scorpion hold in English,^[1][2] is a professional wrestling submission hold. The move is similar to several other holds: cloverleaf leg-lace, Boston crab, standing reverse figure-four leglock, and, is also known by several other names, the most commonly known alternative being Scorpion Deathlock. The move was invented by Japaneseprofessional wrestlerRiki Choshu,^[3] and it was popularized by Sting who mostly does the standing variation rather than the sitting variation, but it is generally associated with Bret 'Hitman' Hart, who used the move extensively in his WWF career and gave it the now most commonly used name, the Sharpshooter.^[4]

The Sharpshooter hold begins with the opponent supine on the mat. The applying wrestler (A) steps between the opponent's (O) legs with their own left leg and wraps O's legs at shin level around that leg. If A decides to cross O's legs around A's own right leg, A has to cross O's right leg over O's left or the left leg over the right. Holding O's legs in place, A then grabs O's leg which he has crossed over the other and steps over O, flipping O over into a prone position before leaning back to compress O's lower back. This move is used more commonly by Canadian wrestlers, typically in Canada, to get a bigger crowd reaction, since the move is associated with Bret Hart and the Hart family.^[5][6][7]

• 1History and variations

History and variations[edit]

While Bret 'Hitman' Hart is the wrestler with whom the Sharpshooter is most often associated, Ronnie Garvin and Sting were the first wrestlers to prolifically use the hold in North America, during which time it was called the Scorpion Deathlock, deriving from the original Japanese name.^[8] In Hart's autobiography, he noted that prior to his first major singles push, Pat Patterson asked if he could do a 'Scorpion Death Lock', which he was familiar with from Japan, but did not know how to execute. Hart revealed that the only person in the locker room who knew how to execute the move was Konnan, who taught it to Hart.^[9] Its name was based on Hart's 'Hit Man' nickname (from the underworld slang hit, murder). In WWF publications of the era, Bret's father Stu Hart, long known as a trainer in the game, was generally given credit for devising the move. Edge innovated a variation where he would apply the hold normally, only to face the opposite direction and kneel on the opponent's legs.

The Sharpshooter was infamously used in the Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series in 1997. Shawn Michaels applied Hart's own Sharpshooter on him. Vince McMahondouble-crossed Hart by ordering referee Earl Hebner to ring the bell and award the match to Michaels, despite Hart never having submitted. This moment would be referenced within kayfabe through various future events; McMahon repeated the action at the next year's Survivor Series in 1998, as part of a storyline, during the 'Deadly Game' tournament final between The Rock and Mankind. Another occurred on Saturday Night's Main Event XXXII, during a Street Fight between Shawn Michaels and Shane McMahon.

Scorpion cross lock[edit]

Also known as an inverted sharpshooter combined with a double chickenwing, this hold sets up the same as the sharpshooter, with the opponent supine on the mat with the applying wrestler stepping between the opponent's legs with his/her right leg and wraps the opponent's legs at shin level around that leg. However, instead of stepping over the opponent to flip the opponent, the applying wrestler flips the wrestler over from left-to-right, keeping the opponent in front of him/her. The applying wrestler then leans over the opponent and grabs his/her arms, applying a double chicken wing to the opponent. The applying wrestler then squats back, lifting the opponent's torso into the air. The move was used by Bull Nakano and formerly used by the former SmackDown general manager Paige.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Chris Benoit (applying), The Great Sasuke (receiving), Tazz (commentating) (2004). Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story (DVD). World Wrestling Entertainment.
2. ^http://www.wwe.com/classics/sports-entertainment-maneuver-innovators-26099954/page-3 Who invented the Sharpshooter?
3. ^Heard, Robert (2007-11-27). 'Japanese Wrestling Moves'. Wrestling 101. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
4. ^http://www.complex.com/sports/2015/12/the-20-most-iconic-finishing-moves-in-wrestling-history/sharpshooter
5. ^http://bleacherreport.com/articles/854243-wwetna-the-rock-and-the-top-5-sharpshooter-masters-of-all-time
6. ^https://www.thesportster.com/wrestling/cesaro-sharpshooter-explained/
7. ^https://www.f4wonline.com/japan/masa-saito-passes-away-after-long-battle-parkinsons-disease-261771
8. ^Ross, Jim (2009-07-05). 'Sting used the Scorpion Deathlock before Bret Hart'. JR's BBQ. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
9. ^The Pink & Black attacks Inbox - WWE Inbox - Episode 71

A sharpshooter is one who is highly proficient at firing firearms or other projectile weapons accurately. Military units composed of sharpshooters were important factors in 19th-century combat. Along with 'marksman' and 'expert', 'sharpshooter' is one of the three marksmanship badges awarded by the U.S. Army.

• 1History
  • 1.2U.S. Civil War (1861–1865)

History[edit]

Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815)[edit]

Another use of units of marksmen was during the Napoleonic Wars in the British Army. While most troops at that time used inaccurate smoothboremuskets, the British 'Green Jackets' (named for their distinctive green uniforms) used the famous Baker rifle. Through the combination of a leather wad and tight grooves on the inside of the barrel (rifling), this weapon was far more accurate, though slower to load. These Riflemen were the elite of the British Army, and served at the forefront of any engagement, most often in skirmish formation, scouting out and delaying the enemy. Another term; 'sharp shooter', was in use in British newspapers as early as 1801. In the Edinburgh Advertiser, 23 June 1801, can be found the following quote in a piece about the North British Militia; 'This Regiment has several Field Pieces, and two companies of Sharp Shooters, which are very necessary in the modern 'Stile of War'. The term appears even earlier, around 1781, in Continental Europe, translated from the German Scharfschütze.

U.S. Civil War (1861–1865)[edit]

During the American Civil War, sharpshooters saw limited action, as tacticians sought to avoid the heavy casualties inflicted through normal tactics, which involved close ranks of men at close ranges. The sharpshooters used by both sides in the Civil War were less used as snipers, and more as skirmishers and scouts. These elite troops were well equipped and trained, and placed at the front of any column to first engage the enemy.

Union Army[edit]

Notable sharpshooter units of the Civil War included the 1st and 2nd United States Volunteer Sharpshooter Regiment (USVSR), composed of companies provided by numerous (primarily eastern) Union states. The U.S.V.S.R. were organized by Colonel Hiram Berdan, a self-made millionaire who was reputed to be the best rifle marksman in the nation at that time.^[1]

There was also an all-Native American company of sharpshooters in the Army of the Potomac. These men, primarily Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi from northern Michigan, comprised the members of Company K of the 1st Regiment Michigan Volunteer Sharpshooters.

In the Western Theater were the well known 66th Illinois Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Western Sharpshooters), originally known as 'Birge's Western Sharpshooters' and later the 'Western Sharpshooters-14th Missouri Volunteers'. The regiment was raised by MG John C. Fremont at St. Louis' Benton Barracks as the Western Theater counterpart to Berdan's sharpshooters. Members were recruited from most of the Western states, predominantly Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Missouri. Competitive induction required candidates to place ten shots in a three-inch circle at 200 yards. They were initially armed with half-stock Plains Rifles built and procured by St. Louis custom gunmaker Horace (H.E.) Dimick.

These 'Dimick Rifles' (as they were known in the unit) were modified for military use by the installation of the Lawrence Patent Sight, and fired a special 'swiss-chasseur' minie ball selected by Horice Dimick for its ballistic accuracy. They were the only Federal unit completely armed with 'sporting rifles'. Beginning in the autumn of 1863 soldiers of the regiment began to reequip themselves with the new 16 shot, lever action Henry Repeating Rifle giving them a significant advantage in firepower over their opponents. Over 250 of the Western Sharpshooters purchased Henrys out of their own pocket, at an average price of forty dollars (over three months pay for a Private). Illinois Governor Richard Yates provided Henrys for some members of the 64th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment or Yates Sharpshooters and other soldiers of the unit appear to have similarly equipped themselves with Henry Rifles in 1864.

Confederate Army[edit]

On the Confederate side, sharpshooter units functioned as light infantry. Their duties included skirmishing and reconnaissance. Robert E. Rodes, colonel of the 5th Alabama Infantry Regiment, and later a major general, was a leader in the development of sharpshooter units.^[2] The Confederate States Army made more widespread use of sharpshooters than Federal forces, often having semi-permanent detachments at the regimental level and battalions of various size attached to larger formations. Dedicated sharpshooter units included the 1st Georgia Sharpshooter Battalion and three more from that state, the 9th (Pindall's) Battalion Missouri Sharpshooters as well as the sharpshooter battalions of the Army of Northern Virginia.

Who Invented The Sharpshooter 1

Confederate sharpshooters were often less well equipped than Federal counterparts, often using the Enfield Rifled Musket or (the more uncommon) hexagonal bore British Whitworth rifles, rather than breech loading Berdan Sharps rifles. In his memoirs, Louis Leon detailed his service as a sharpshooter in the Fifty-Third North Carolina Regiment during the Civil War. As a sharpshooter, he volunteered as a skirmisher, served on picket duty, and engaged in considerable shooting practice. Of his company's original twelve sharpshooters, only he and one other were still alive after Gettysburg. As related by the regiment's commanding officer, Col. James Morehead, in a rare one-on-one encounter Pvt. Leon killed a Union sharpshooter, whom the Confederates identified as a Native American from Canada.^[3]

Who Invented The Sharpshooter Ii

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Who Invented The Sharpshooter 2

1. ^'History of Hiram Berdan'. Berdansharpshooters.org. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
2. ^Ray, Fred L. Shock Troops of the Confederacy: the sharpshooter battalions of the Army of Northern Virginia 2006 ISBN978-0-9649585-5-5
3. ^The Diary of a Tar Heel Confederate Soldier, 1913, Stone Publishing Company, Charlotte, NC, page 72

Who Invented The Sharpshooter