Call it Judo diplomacy, perhaps. During a 2003 state visit to Japan, Putin showed off his judo skills to students at the Kodokan Institute in Tokyo.
The Judo black-belt is reportedly known for his Harai Goshi (sweeping hip throw). Maybe you can learn the move if you read his book: "Judo with Vladimir Putin."
Putin is president of the Yawara Dojo in Saint Petersburg, where he first began studying martial arts in elementary school.
"I think that there is more to it than just sport," he told NPR in 2001. "I think it's also a philosophy in a way, and I think it's a philosophy that teaches one to treat one's partner with respect. And I engage in this sport with pleasure and try to have regular practices still."
