Putin reveals what changed his life

Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed that he would have been a different person if he hadn’t pursued martial arts because his parents often forbade him in his youth.

Putin and martial arts teacher Anatoly Rakhlin.

According to RT, these are the revelations of Mr. Putin in a new documentary premiering on Channel One. In the documentary, Putin talks about judo and sambo instructor Anatoly Rakhlin and the martial arts training that made him the person he is today.

“At one point, my parents started to object to me participating in sports. They think this can distract me from my studies,” Putin said, revealing that his parents were confused about Sambo (non-army self-defense), developed specifically for the Union army. Shove.

“This martial art is like fighting, you don’t have to practice it,” Putin told his parents.

Coach Rakhlin sees the potential of his student Vladimir Putin so don’t let students give up easily. Mr. Putin’s family at that time was not well off, they lived in a single room on the 5th floor of a dormitory in St. Petersburg.

Rakhlin persistently visited Putin’s family. “He talked to my parents, convinced that sport would help me not only in studying and keeping fit, but also in life. And my parents agreed,” Putin said.

On November 27, Putin visited the Judo club he used to study in St. Petersburg

Mr. Putin was 11 years old when he first attended Rakhlin’s class. President Russia won the Leningrad City-wide Sambo Prize (now St. Petersburg) in 1973, becoming the best judo fighter two years later.

Growing up, Mr. Putin followed a career in intelligence and later politics, but still worked hard at martial arts. Coach Rakhlin says he doesn’t choose students who can do the most pushups, but chooses those who are “ready to go through with it all. No matter how tired they are, how shaky their limbs are, they still try to the end.”

Rakhlin passed away in 2013 at the age of 75. Mr. Putin was just one of many practitioners who made him proud. Rakhlin has helped train Russia’s top 100 athletes over a 50-year career.

On November 27, Putin visited the old Judo Club in St. Petersburg on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. Putin awarded medals to athletes and veterans. “Those who have been trained by the club have won numerous accolades, including an Olympic gold medal. The club also focuses on training young people, just like what Rahklin usually does,” Putin said.