Black-belt profile

Skiffington is a black-belt “natural“

Paul Skiffington says that earning his black belt in Small Circle Jujitsu was the natural thing to do.

"It was a long-range goal when I got into studying seriously. It's a natural progression. All the other belts are re-enforcement," he said.

Paul Skiffington

Skiffington earned his black belt in 2001, after five years of study with Sensei Ed Melaugh. He is now a third-degree black belt.

The Malden, Massachusetts, police sergeant has been instructing and assisting in classes at the New England Small Circle Jujitsu Academy for more than three years. He has participated in teaching, workshops and seminars with Melaugh around the U.S. and in Europe and the Caribbean.

Control rather than hurt

"For street self defense training, Small Circle is the best system around. It's beneficial for civilians and law-enforcement people," he said. "The training helps you control, rather than hurt."

Skiffington said it's hard to point to the most-useful aspect, but he probably uses joint locks most.

"It's easier than using brute force," said the 5-foot 10-inch Skiffington. "A lot of times, people are hyped on alcohol or drugs or both. So you have to use what you have to advantage.

"Small Circle helps you do that because you can work a lot more efficiently. "I'm not going to muscle some big dude, but having the training means you're not going to fight this big person on his level."

Masters in criminal justice

Skiffington has been a Malden police officer since 1993, working in patrol, undercover narcotics and criminal investigations. He is currently a patrol supervisor and has taught fellow officers defensive tactics and baton. He is certified to teach various police defense-tactics systems and RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) for women.

A 1976 Malden High School grad, he earned a Master's degree in criminal justice from the University of Massachusetts, a criminal justice degree from Northeastern University and an associates degree in business management from Northeastern University. He also has graduate certification in domestic-violence prevention and has done graduate research in women's resistance to sexual assault. He and his wife, June Lepke, live in Tewksbury.

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