He has spent his political life twisting arms and throwing rivals off balance. Now Vladimir Putin is teaching these tricks to a new generation of Russians with an instructional film about judo.

The Russian Prime Minister has long viewed the martial art as a philosophy of life and a metaphor for the way that he has ruled Russia. He marked his 56th birthday yesterday by releasing the DVD of Learning Judo with Vladimir Putin.

“The name of the sport, ‘the gentle way’, reveals the fundamental principle: an opportunity to gain the upper hand by soft but effective actions,” Mr Putin declares in the 75-minute film. His political opponents would argue that the former KGB agent’s methods have been anything but soft since he came to power in 2000. But nobody doubts that his actions are effective.

Mr Putin is a black belt at judo and perhaps the only world leader as skilled at self-defence as his bodyguards. Less well known is that he is a former judo champion of his home city of St Petersburg – then Leningrad – where the video was released at a late-night presentation.

He told the gathering that the title of the film was an “advertising trick”, adding that viewers would be “learning not from your humble servant but from real geniuses”. The film was made in collaboration with Yashuhiro Yamashita, a Japanese world and Olympic champion in the sport.

Mr Putin lives up to his action-man image, however, donning a white judo suit in part of the film to throw an opponent to the mat during demonstrations of various moves. Dressed in a black robe, he explains the history and philosophy behind judo, giving telling insights into his leadership style. “The practice of struggle permits compromises and concessions, but they are possible only if they are on the road to victory,” he says at one point. “This is achieved not only by physical exercises, but also by moral preparation.” He describes judo as a school that teaches “courage, sincerity and dignity”, one in which “self-confidence is highly valued, [as is] resoluteness, purposefulness, patience, respect for elders, for comrades in the team and for rivals”.

“Judo is a philosophy,” the Prime Minister concludes, describing it as a world where “the highest values are not just physical power, but also human qualities”.

Mr Putin’s regular judo partner, Vasili Shestakov, told The Times yesterday that the film was a follow-up to a book they co-wrote in 2004. “The book sold very well and I think there will be a big demand for this film,” he said. “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.”

Mr Shestakov, now a deputy in the parliament for Mr Putin’s United Russia party, still trains with the Prime Minister. Diplomatically, he declined to say who usually wins their contests.

Mr Putin was 13 when he arrived at Anatoli Rakhlin’s martial arts club in Leningrad in 1965. The trainer remembers him as a fighter of “extraordinary endurance”, adding: “He was pretty unpredictable when fighting . . . throwing opponents both left and right.” Many who have challenged Mr Putin would vouch for that, including President Saakashvili of Georgia, who might have found the video useful before his conflict with Russia in August.

Another head of state who will have it on his Christmas list is President Sarkozy of France, if only to find out what he has let himself in for. Mr Putin told a French newspaper last month that Mr Sarkozy had expressed an interest in judo and “we have decided to do some training together”.

Political sports

— François Fillon, the French Prime Minister, has raced Ferraris in the Le Mans 24-hour race

— Idi Amin reigned for seven years in the Fifties as Uganda’s heavyweight boxing champion

— Gerald Ford, the US President, lamented he might have been “a household name” if only he had signed a professional football contract after playing at college

— According to state media, the first time that the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il picked up a golf club, he hit 11 holes-in-one and finished 38 under par

Source: Times archives

Times Recommends

• Rio Tinto four held as China prepares case
• Diplomats must keep heads down and trousers up
• When in Rome should one make like Berlusconi?