Why is it called Verbal Judo?

The history is found in the lesson of the willow tree.  Almost 1,300 years ago a Japanese physician named Akiyama discovered the principle while at a retreat in China after studying Taoism. 

Dr. Akiyama realized the doctrine stressed quiet and balance and he found the ethical principles most acceptable, yet he had trouble applying it to his life in reality.  His beliefs and his experiences troubled him greatly until he observed broken branches covered in ice and snow at his feet.  As he looked up he noticed willow branches still on the tree bending under the weight of the snow but unbroken.  As he watched the sun melt the now just enough for it to slide off and fall to the ground.  He concluded that blunt resistance to superior force is futile and the suppleness and flexibility of the willow yielding initially to the weight survives.

Adopting this doctrine Akiyama opened a school called yoshinryu, or "heart of the willow," adapting his doctrine toward unarmed combat.

In 1882 physical Judo, was created by Jigoro Kano, a master of other styles of martial arts that were once taught to feudal era samurai warriors for the purpose of killing or maiming enemies on a battlefield.  The philosophy of the warrior in samurai times was that of a protector, not a killer.  Although trained to take life, they knew there came great responsibility with their title, and the word samurai meant to serve.  They were men of honor who obeyed a codified body of knowledge, a line of ethical behavior called the Code of Bushido.

Times changed and the training, still conducted in the traditional way was hard.  Students trained without pads and often there were injuries.  The goal had also changed, from mortal combat to self protection, or protection of their family.  They trained to better themselves physically so they would not be intimidated or afraid in the face of danger.  But the responsibility to the Code of Bushido, or a way of life remained true.  They knew there was little honor in harming those who were no threat to them.  The warrior as a protector still remained the principle purpose.  Kano, took the ancient fighting arts he had studied and created a martial art that did not require the taking of life.  If you separate the word JUDO you find that JU means "Gentle" and DO means the way, or the path.  So JUDO means the gentle way or the gentle path: a way to disable an opponent without crippling or killing.  It became a new martial art for a new century.

Now another century has passed and times are changing again.  Dr. Thompson blended eastern and western philosophies.  The east represented by Kano and Judo, and the west with the work of Aristotle, the founder of what we call Rhetoric, or verbal persuasion, to create a martial art of Mind and Mouth Harmony he would call Verbal Judo.  And now a new protector, called the law enforcement officer has arrived.  The police officer as the modern samurai, the Peace Warrior with the primary purpose still as "To Protect and Serve."

Verbal Judo: a new martial art for the newest century.

Training for Law enforcement and Security

• Overview: Armed Agencies and Departments
  
• Overview: Unarmed Agencies and Departments
  
• Overview: Supervisor and Leadership Program
  
• Instructor Certification for Law Enforcement Officers
  

On the Web

• Doc Thompson: www.verbaljudo.com
• Verbal Judo Alumni: VerbalJudoMembers.com

Books, Audio, DVD, Tactical Cards, etc.

• Verbal Judo Products
  

Editor’s Note from PoliceOne.com:
Wearing “blinders” in the bookstore (or the public library) is a problem for people in every profession. Economists tend to read books about economics, pilots read about flying, doctors read about doctoring... But in police work, you will encounter all manner of person, challenge, level of intellect, etc. The only way to prepare is to give some thought (and time spent reading) about as many subjects as possible. Here, PoliceOne Columnist Jim Guffey provides a list of books he says can help you on the street. What are the books you’ve read that have, at least on the surface, nothing to do with law enforcement, but wound up helping you in the job?”

Recommended reading for street cops, from Dale Carnegie to Sun Tzu

This article is one that I’ve thought quite a bit about, but was never sure about writing. I finally decided that there is nothing wrong with making a case for getting smarter by reading the right kind of books. I’ve found that most police officers — and believe me I was no exception — have a tendency to read only those books that deal with police work itself. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there is quite a bit of wisdom hidden in other books that can make your life as a police officer much better.

What do I mean by that? Simply put, by reading a wide array of subjects, you will be able to navigate through some of life’s tougher moments much easier. Also, some of these books enable you to develop strategies that can help you develop winning techniques both on and off the job. So, in no particular order, here is a list of eight books that I believe every officer should take the time to read.

“The Art of War”  by Sun Tzu
Probably the best book on strategy ever written. Not only can these strategies help in daily life, but a smart police officer will take some time to think about how to employ some of the thoughts in this book as creative tactics out on the street. As an example, the chapter on spies could just as easily apply to confidential informants.

“The Prince”  by Machiavelli
Police work is, unfortunately, tied to politics. We are usually run by governmental agencies in some form or another. If there is one book that virtually every politician has read, it is this one. There is nothing more important than knowing how an opponent might think, and this primer on how to gain (and keep) political power does just that. Get a modern English translation — take my word for it when I tell you that version is easier to follow.

“Rules for Radicals”  by Saul Alinsky
Saul Alinsky was an organizer in Chicago during the ‘50s and ‘60s. He tended to lean toward the socialist viewpoint but that doesn’t change the fact that this is an excellent primer on how to go about dealing with governments and getting them to change their ways. He offers step-by-step instructions in this book — these are invaluable if you have to deal with your local power structure as a contract negotiator or something similar. To show how much I like this book, I still have the copy I bought when I was in college. It cost seventy five cents back then.

“The Book of Five Rings”  by Miyamoto Musashi
Probably Japan’s greatest swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi was never defeated in something like 46 sword fights. Like the “Art of War,” take the tactics and techniques presented and see how they can be applied in life and on the street.

“The Mafia Manager”  by “V”
This was supposedly written by a capo in organized crime. I don’t know if it was or wasn’t. I just know that it is one of the best books I’ve ever read on how to conduct yourself in an office environment. Additionally, in three places in the book there are pages with a series of proverbs. Some of them are the best to get you thinking. Two examples are; “If you want to pull a snake from its hole, use another man’s hand” and, my personal favorite, “All who snore are not sleeping”.

“On Killing”  by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman
This book examines, in detail, how an individual reacts to the necessity of killing and how this affects society. It also, if you think in reverse, explains why the civilian population views us as it does. Heavy reading but worth it.

“Verbal Judo”  by George Thompson
I wish this book was around back when I was a young rookie officer. I used to think the best way through a door was with a sledge hammer or a solid shoulder hit. However, as I got older and healed slower, I began to realize that it might be smarter to simply get the guy on the other side of the door to open it. This is what this book does. It shows you how to get people to do what you want them to do without knowing they’re doing it.

“How To Win Friends and Influence People”  by Dale Carnegie
Like Verbal Judo, this book explains (almost in a step-by-step fashion) how to make other people like being around you and how to get them to do what you want. I don’t know about any of you, but I think this is a valuable skill to develop. You need to work on it but once developed, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to read people and get them to change their mind, and therefore change their behaviors.

There you have it, eight books that, for the most part, are easy reading but full of good ideas, tips, and strategies if you take your time and think a little. Also, they are all available as used books on Amazon.com and other places, so you can get them as a reduced price if you want.

I’ve always believed that you should explore every avenue that is available if you want to increase your smarts and your chances of survival. I think these books can do just that. There’s nothing wrong with books specifically about police work. As a matter of fact you’d be foolish to not read Chuck Remsberg’s Tactical Edge or any number of others available to you, but wisdom comes in all shapes and packages. Never overlook or forsake one because its relationship to your success and your survival is not “obvious.”

Stay safe.

After graduating high school, Jim Guffey enlisted in the United States Army. Passing a certain test—he still doesn't know what test—he was recruited by and served in an intelligence capacity. He spent his service time doing two tours of duty in Vietnam, the second as an advisor in the Mekong Delta. He also did one tour along the demilitarized zone of Korea.

After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, Guffey began his Law Enforcement career in 1977 with the Pennsylvania Capitol Police. In 1980 was hired by the Ross Township Police Department. He remained there until January 1, 2002. During that time he worked as a plain-clothes detective, on the traffic division, and was promoted on 1996 to Lieutenant. He remained the Administrative Lieutenant until his retirement. Not satisfied with retirement, he became the Chief of Police in Blairsville Borough in August 2003 and remained there until July 2004.

Every year local governments spend millions of dollars on defensive tactics and weapons training for law enforcement officers.  In some cities the bill for ammunition alone reaches six or seven figures.  Every year millions more are spent by local governments defending itself in lawsuits brought against officers for unnecessary use of force.  Officers are often injured or killed in confrontations that escalated beyond the power of control holds, sticks, or guns to control the situation.

Of the six  “force options” available to police officers: Presence, Words, Empty-Hand Control, Chemicals, Batons or PR-24, and Firearms, only Presence and Words can promise a non-violent resolution to street encounters.  In addition, only these two have the power to reduce vicarious liability suits, improve citizen relations, and increase officer safety.

Officers to date have received little or no specific training in the use of Appropriate Presence and Words as force options.  Daily, officers must attempt to Generate Voluntary Compliance from difficult people, and we should train our officers in this most difficult and important art.  Our officers must be as competent with words as they are with firearms.  The cost of neglecting such training will be measured in blood, money and public opinion.

WHAT VERBAL JUDO TEACHES:

Verbal Judo teaches a philosophy of how to look creatively at conflict and use specific tactics and strategies to find peaceful resolutions.  These skills are beneficial to officers in their duties because dealing with the public is often difficult and trying emotionally.  Maintaining a “professional face” is crucial if officers are to remain under emotional control and able to effectively find solutions to potentially violent encounters without escalating to physical force options.  Further, where there are times that such physical force options are indeed necessary to protect both citizens and officers, such force must always be part of the professional process so officers are protected within the four arenas: with our peers, on the streets, in the courtroom, and with the media.

VERBAL JUDO HAS VERY SPECIFIC TRAINING GOALS:

                1. INCREASE OFFICER SAFETY

                2. ENHANCE PROFESSIONALISM

                3. REDUCE COMPLAINTS

                4. REDUCE VICARIOUS LIABILITY

                5. REDUCE PERSONAL STRESS

In many departments the number of complaints has been reduced by 40-80% and countless dollars in lawsuits saved.  That relates to less time defending our actions in the four arenas of our work: with our Peers, the Public, the Courts, and to the Media.   The less time we spend thinking who is watching the more time we have for staying safe.  Make no mistake; safety is critical in a profession that had 598,500 injuries and 855 deaths in just over a decade.

Departments can expect that once its officers are trained in Verbal Judo, they will know the following things:

•   The Goal of Law Enforcement Work: To generate voluntary compliance using one or more of the six force options.
•   How to use Words to achieve professional purposes and how to resist expressing personal feelings.
•   How to control themselves inside so they can exert control on the outside.
•   How to employ the art of “Representation” to become Contact Professionals, maintaining self-control, and staying in contact with the needs of the department and their audience--the public.
•   How to effectively deliver words that are on target by first understanding the receiver’s point of view.  This includes two distinct tactical approaches for dealing with difficult people: the Eight Step Traffic Stop, and the Five Step “Hard Style."
•   The arts of “Translation,” to ensure that what we say is actually what we intend, and “Mediation,” for delivering words in the form of a personal appeal, to achieve voluntary compliance from people who are under temporary emotional influences, ranging from despair and fear to anger and prejudice.
•   How to read others and diagnose a verbal encounter.
•   How to use the Four Appeals of Persuasion and the Twenty-Four Principles of Street Work.
• The five conditions where words demonstratively fail and officers must move beyond words to physical force options for the safety of the public and themselves.

A NEW PROJECT FOR BETTERING YOUR COMMUNITY

We are also beginning a new site on the prevention of bullying and will continue to add content almost daily.  This will be a site dedicated to the understanding of bullying and the strategies and tactics of Verbal Judo in bully prevention and management.  Go to:

www.managebullying.com or directly to http://managebullying.com/

W Lee Fjelstad, Vice President, Verbal Judo Institute, Inc.