[Skorzeny]

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu comes from Kodokan Judo. You add wrestling takedowns (also present in Judo, but considered less elegant and not as often used as "classical" hip throws, for example), punching and kicking (atemi-waza, also present in Judo, but no longer really taught) and a bit more emphasis on ground work (Ne-Waza) and also add some "forbidden" submissions (like ankle locks and knee bars) to Judo and you've got BJJ. Basically, BJJ is an evolution of the pre-WWII (that is to say, pre-sports) Kodokan Judo.

I always consider current sports Judo to be a great understudy for BJJ. It is less "violent" and less "practical" than BJJ, but teaches great basic skills (falls, throws, pins and escapes) and a great deal of sportsmanship. It's great for women and kids before they start BJJ.

Fubsy:

I mean no offense, but I get the feeling that you don't really have much knowledge of grappling, because you say things like "it's too easy to be smothered on the ground if you are weaker or smaller." That's absolutely nonsense if you know even a little bit of BJJ, Judo, Sambo or Shooto. Sure, if the skill levels are similar or only a little different, then the weight and strength make the difference. However, if the skill levels are more than a little different, weight and strength make almost no difference in the outcome. There is more to grappling than the UFC. UFC and the state of grappling arts nowadays are a world apart. In addition, unlike in the earlier days, UFC now has a tons of rules that favor strikers (standup rules, rounds, time limits, ad naseum) and is no longer a good battle "laboratory."

It is nowadays also a well known fact that pure grapplers (Judo, BJJ, Sambo) will 9 times out of 10 defeat pure strikers (Karate, kickboxing, boxing), because grapplers specifically train to avoid strikes, clinch and finish the fight on the ground whereas strikers mainly (perhaps only) train to fight other strikers (usually of the same style).

The other reason why grappling is more appropriate for self-defense than striking is this: if you are able to stand up on your feet and "square off" like boxers to fight, you should really run away. You should only really fight if you absolutely have to and those situations usually involve getting tackled, choked, grabbed and bear hugged. This is especially true for women. I have been in tons of actual street fights when I was younger, more foolish and had some "issues" and seldom (almost never) did I "square off" with my opponents. They almost always happened so fast that punching and kicking ranges were crossed in a blink of the eye (yeah, that Tae Kwon Do blackbelt really did not help).

Also, If I had to pick a style of striking, it won't be boxing. It will be Muay Thai (which is one of the things I train in). It takes a great deal of practice to make hands and feet work well. It is comparatively much easier to work with elbows and knees. They are also much harder than fists and feet (BTW, fists and feet shatter, break and fracture very easily without gloves and protective gear). Elbows and knees also work at a more realistic range than fists and feet (that range is crossed too quickly in a real fight - you won't get more than a shot or two before the trapping/grappling/elbow/knee range).

This isn't just my opinion. It is the opinion shared by many of today's top unarmed fighting instructors in the world, those who train in both grappling and striking (and knife-stick fighting). They almost to a man advocate cross training, but "if you had to learn only one system," they invariably recommend a grappling system based on leverage like BJJ (as opposed to something like Greco-Roman wrestling).

Incidentally, BJJ is now (as of 2000) an offical part of the US Army Rangers unarmed fighting curriculum. Plans are now in place to teach the basics of BJJ to almost 400,000 US military pesonnel next year (2001).

Skorzeny

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For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence. Sun Tzu