Black Belt Negotiating: Become a Master Negotiator Using Powerful Lessons from the Martial Arts

Building Momentum

Momentum is defined as “mass in motion.” Mathematically, it is defined as mass times velocity. In martial arts in general and judo in particular, momentum is crucial. In judo, everything is done using your opponents’ momentum against them. As mentioned earlier, a judo master redirects a punch away from its target and uses that energy to throw the person to the ground.

In negotiating, the motion of the parties moving toward or away from agreement can be used by sharp negotiators to help them win. If you see an agreement gaining momentum, you can run with the forward energy to add to your gains. Let’s say the other party obviously wants to close the deal; you might ask for a few more concessions at the last moment to capitalize ...