Dealing with the Trump Handshake

Trump and Putin, 2018
Trump and Putin, 2018


How does a high-ranking judoka handle President Trump's handshake? 

Introduction

Trump and Gorsuch, 2017
Trump and Gorsuch, 2017


I'm fascinated by how world leaders and other officials deal with President Trump's handshake. Today I saw footage from a press conference hosted by Presidents Trump and Putin in Helsinki from 2018, and I got to see how a high-ranking judoka reacts.

Background

Warning: this is not a political post. It's a post about movement, balance, and technique.

If you're not familiar with President Trump's handshake style, the story Donald Trump's strange handshake style and how Justin Trudeau beat it is a good overview. A jiu-jitsu school's technique for defeating the Trump handshake also caught the attention of Vice News.

I'm going to concentrate on the standing handshake in this post. 

A so-called "movement expert" claims in this video that Trump is showing "affection" via his handshake style. I think Mr Trump is showing dominance.

Mr Trump has two techniques that he uses to dominate the handshake and overpower the "shakee." Both rely on keeping his elbow low and tight. He pulls with his back muscles and stays rooted.

The first technique occurs when the shakee tries to keep his or her distance. Mr Trump then pulls and pushes on the shakee's hand. It's a strong move that unbalances the shakee. This is what is happening to Judge Gorsuch in the screen capture above. 

The second technique occurs when the shakee and Mr Trump are close, or stepping towards each other. Mr Trump pulls, drawing the shakee in closer. Mr Trump then puts another hand on the shakee. 

Trudeau: The Close-in Variant

Masao Takahishi, former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and Current PM Justin Trudeau
Masao Takahishi, former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and Current PM Justin Trudeau


I don't know if Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prepared for the Trump handshake prior to his first meeting with Mr Trump in 2017. He might simply have good natural reactions. He might also have used his childhood judo training, as shown above per the IJF. 

When Mr Trudeau visited the US in early 2017, he met with Mr Trump at the White House. His handling of the Trump handshake was masterful, as shown in the following screen captures from this video. 

Trump extends his hand.


Trudeau raises his opposite, free hand to counter the pull.


Trudeau braces against Trump's shoulder, stopping the pull.


Trudeau lowers his hand once Trump stops pulling.


These four steps show how Trudeau managed the Trump handshake. This is an example of dealing with the close-encounter variant.

Putin: The Distance Variant

Putin Judo
Vladimir Putin


Russian President Vladimir Putin is a 8th dan judoka per the International Judo Federation. He is also the organization's honorary president. He has legitimate judo skills, even at his current age, and despite what some DC think tank keyboard warriors seem to think.

Here is how Mr Putin handled Mr Trump's distance-pull handshake technique.

Trump begins trying to pull Putin. Putin stays rooted but his right shoulder is moving forward.


Putin recovers his right shoulder. Trump reaches with his left hand to secure a hold on Putin's bicep.


As Trump secures a hold, Putin recognizes the danger and disengages his shaking hand. Putin cannot engage his left arm, as it is carrying something, and the distance is too great. 


Putin secures an overhook on Trump's shaking arm, letting him brace and control Trump's body.



Trump realizes he will not be able to dominate this interaction. He lets go of Putin's bicep.


Putin releases his brace but remains in contact as he turns to his left to leave the stage.


The overhook that Mr Putin secured in the third photo is what caught my attention when I saw this video on BBC News this afternoon. You can watch the original press conference video here. 

The combination of not leaning out over his own hips, and the overhook-brace against Mr Trump's arm, are two factors which kept Mr Putin from being rag-dolled, as happened to Judge Gorsuch and others.

Conclusion

I was fascinated to see how body awareness and mechanics learned in martial arts like judo, jiu-jitsu, and other grappling- and clinch-oriented practices can help one deal with everyday situations.

Have you seen similar examples? Stay informed of new blog posts by following me on Twitter @martialvitality.

If you like martial arts history, be sure to check out my Martial History Team project.

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