Verbal Judo isn't a physical martial art but rather a set of communication principals meant to prevent conflict. Karate is a traditional fighting style that developed for centuries in mainland Japan after being born in occupied Okinawa. Although these concepts may seem very different at first, they actually share common elements. The creator of Verbal Judo, Dr. George Thompson, credits many of the ideas to his own training in traditional martial arts.
Verbal Judo Basics
Verbal Judo was developed as a course of tactical communication for law enforcement. Due to its success in that industry, Thompson and his team developed modules of verbal judo for other environments, such as healthcare, education and government service. The precepts of verbal judo call for de-escalating a conflict situation by using conversational strategies that will surprise and disarm an angry person. Some examples include active listening, using appropriate humor and doing something unexpected but nonthreatening to break an unhealthy communication cycle.
Karate Basics
Karate is a hard-style martial art in which a practitioner blocks a punch with a block, and follows with a powerful series of blows. Although karate students learn to use their skills in self-defense, the response to violence is to apply enough violence to eliminate the threat. Typical tools in a karate practitioner's arsenal include deceptive footwork, blocks, hand strikes, elbow strikes and high and low kicks.
Differences
The most obvious difference between karate and verbal judo is that one is physical, while the other is conversational. Another difference is in their application. Karate meets force with force, trusting superior training and condition to win the confrontation. Verbal judo tries to yield and redirect force, working to avoid escalation into an actual confrontation whenever possible. Karate and verbal judo can also be seen as two different points on a shared continuum. A police officer might employ verbal judo techniques first, and then resort to karate techniques if a subject escalates to violence.
Similarities
Verbal judo and karate are similar in their ultimate goal and in their general approach to conflict. Both seek to resolve a confrontation with as little force as possible. Even a violent karate attack will stop as soon as an attacker is no longer a threat. Both use the intelligent application of trained techniques, rather than emotional reaction, in response to a confrontational situation. Both make an overriding goal of protecting the practitioner from harm, even when it's the practitioner's job to stay close to a volatile or dangerous situation.
References
- "Verbal Judo"; Dr. George J Thompson; 1993
- Dave Coffman; Martial Arts Instructor; Hillsboro, Oregon
- Jason Brick; Martial Arts Instructor; Browncoat Enterprises; Hillsboro, Oregon
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