Yep, that’s our favorite despot Vladimir Putin getting shown who’s boss by an opponent half his size. But don’t be fooled: Putin is a badass, and he wants you to know it. We’ve all seen the pictures of him fly-fishing with his shirt off and, more recently, of him taking aim at a wild boar and saving an imperiled group of scientists. The macho media campaign continues with this latest installment. In honor of his birthday, Putin has released a 75-minute DVD called Learning Judo with Vladimir Putin. It follows a 2004 book the Russian president (then prime minister) co-authored with judo partner Vasily Shestakov. “The book sold very well, and I think there will be a big demand for this film,” Shestakov told the The Times (London). “Putin demonstrates five or six moves from the book, and he also explains his philosophy and outlook on judo… He is a very successful master, a 6th Dan, and he gives very clear demonstrations of technique, of movement and grip. Russia lost a great judo player, but found a great leader.”
As for Putin, one of the things that attracts him to judo is the premium placed on softness and finesse. “The name of the sport, ‘the gentle way,’ reveals the fundamental principle—an opportunity to gain the upper hand by soft but effective actions,” he says in the video.
Makes you wonder what Georgia’s Mikheil Saakashvili would say about that. As The Times points out, Putin is probably the “only world leader who is as skilled at self-defence as his bodyguards.” But maybe not for long: last month, Putin told a French newspaper that Nicolas Sarkozy expressed an interest in judo. “We have decided to do some training together,” he said. Oh, how I would love to see that.
