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Kung Fu Tactics: The Eyes Have It
When we become agitated, our focus narrows. Literally. We stop paying attention to objects in our peripheral vision in order to hone in on the source of our problems. It’s the “fight” part of “fight...
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Kung Fu Tactics: Overcommitment
As often happens, I made a mistake during sparring practice. As my opponent’s speed increased, I became anxious, not so much that my reaction times slowed but enough that my vision started narrowing...
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Listening and Standing, Part 2
Active listening can be difficult for four main reasons. One is force of habit. Many people follow the same pattern in every interaction. It varies culturally, but one common pattern for negotiators...
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Kung Fu Negotiation: The Iron Palm
One of the great legends of the martial arts is of people who can go beyond breaking boards with their hands. Stories tell that these people can break bricks or rocks. For some reason, a persistent...
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How to Make and Use Dit Da Jow
People have asked offline how to make and use the dit da jow referred to in the Iron Palm post. In response to their requests, this post is pure martial arts, no negotiation. There are many recipes...
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Dit Da Jow in World of Warcraft
A reader has shared the following screen shot from World of Warcraft – dit da jow in his backpack. “A special linament of several different herbs combined in a secret formula. Guaranteed [in the game]...
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Kung Fu Negotiation: Hit With the Ground
Xing Yi stylists are taught to “hit with the ground.” Chen Style Tai Chi practitioners learn to “punch with the feet.” The point is the same: maximum grounding at the point of contact, transferred...
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Shamanism, Martial Arts And Negotiation?
Sorry, this is a strange post, even for an offbeat blog like this one! I’ve recently come across a couple of articles suggesting that the origin of martial arts lies in ancient shamanistic practices...
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Kung Fu Negotiation: Double-Secret Tai Chi Skills
Here’s a martial arts secret that is not really so secret: each movement in a form can have more than one application. In Tai Chi, for instance, it is said that each movement has at least four...
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Kung Fu Tactics in Negotiation: Using Soft Techniques
We Americans are raised in a culture that values directness and aggression. As a result, most of us have a hard time grasping one of the great negotiating skills: softness and strategic yielding....
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Negotiation Like a Kung Fu Master: Duck!
It is good not to get hit. If someone punches at a kung fu master, the master has many choices. He can block the punch, redirect it so its energy is harmlessly dissipated, strike back at the same...
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Dit Da Jow Recipe
The Kung Fu Mediation blog has three groups of readers: martial arts people, negotiation/dispute resolution people and those who do both. This post is aimed at martial arts readers. I’ve received...
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14 Principles of Kung Fu Negotiation
People respond to verbal conflict the same way they do to physical conflict. The same adrenaline starts to flow and our minds even adopt some of the same strategies. Being aware of these strategies is...
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The Four Flavors of Respect
[This one comes from a reader's request and written with the martial artist in mind.] The dictionary defines “respect” as being esteemed or honored. Why is one esteemed or honored? Because of some...
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Kung Fu Negotiation: The Multi-Level Attack
After some time off over the summer, we’re back with more! One martial arts tactic that translates well to litigation and other high conflict, win or lose situations is the multi-level attack....
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Putting the Pieces Together
Kung fu masters have come up with many teachings that sound poetic but are extremely practical. For instance, people who practice Chen style tai chi say, “Don’t hit. Kick with your hands”: have a...
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