TubeBlogger Digital Media

Best of Youtube Animal Videos [Playlist]

2012-04-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

Will try to share at least one playlist every week, and the Playlist of the Week is about amazing Youtube Animal Videos.

Best of Youtube: Animal Videos

Warning: This starts out with funny animal videos, and after the first 5 videos it becomes pretty brutal, so be aware if you are watching with small children or squeamish people.

The Great [Youtube] Playlist of Debate - Skepticism vs Faith

2012-04-01T18:18:00.003-07:00

Skepticism and Science vs Faith and Religion.

The debate between believers and skeptics has been going on since early history, but now that we're in a new era of free speech, scientific advancement, and reason, it has been getting more intense than ever.
The most clever and outspoken from both sides have bumped heads and some have become world known.
Thanks to digital mediums such as Youtube, their debates and symposiums are often available to the whole world.

The Great Playlist:

A large portion of the intellectual debates between thinkers today takes place on Youtube, between Youtubers, many of whom have become famous (or almost famous) by sharing their thoughts or debates on video.
Some of my favorites include AronRa, Thunderf00t, and The Amazing Atheist, arguing for reason over faith.
But I'll start out the playlist with some clips that did not originate on Youtube. You'll see James Randi, the famous skeptic who created the Million Dollar Challenge - one million dollars for anyone who can demonstrate supernatural powers of any kind.
And also Richard Dawkins, and author who also appears on Youtube a lot. And several other people you may recognize.

Funny Video Game Parody Clips

2012-03-31T15:43:00.000-07:00

I have been collecting some of the funniest videogame parody clips from Youtube in the playlist below.
Check it out!

A lot of familiar games in there including Super Mario, Modern Warfare, World of Warcraft, Street Fighter, Oblivion, and more.

Some of them are 'inside jokes' for those who played the game.
I find them all pretty funny, and will keep collecting them in this playlist.
Know any I missed? Leave a comment.

Top 5 talking animal YouTubes

2012-01-15T11:30:00.000-08:00

In the great maze that is YouTube, there’s always a theme that can make everyone laugh: talking animal videos. Don’t believe me? Try to think of a clip of a dog having a conversation that did not make you laugh. It’s the absurdity that makes these clips great. On a long boring Monday morning when you need to beat the blues, put on some headphones and curl into the corner of your cubicle to watch these Top 5 talking animal YouTubes.

Ultimate Dog Tease

This dog cannot handle hearing about all his foodie dreams get passed on to other people…especially the house cat.

“I love you” dog

Dogs are supposed to be man’s best friend. So it’s nice when they can say “I love you” back.

Cat Turf War

I wouldn’t cross into this cat’s territory either.

Lemur Discussing Quantum Physics

It’s always nice to be taught science lessons by an endangered lemur.

Ghetto Deer
(Warning: Some ghetto cursing! =D)
This deer shows the other animals who runs the neighborhood. The baby deer isn’t going to get any dates for awhile.

Author Bio: Terry Carter loves using YouTube as the occasional work distraction. She writes about a variety of topics online, including Demon Herbal Incense.

World's Funniest Car Crashes

2012-01-12T21:56:00.000-08:00

People love to watch videos, especially funny videos that involve silly things that happen to other people. Watching funny car crash videos is very popular on YouTube. When people buy a used car, they sometimes get into accidents because they are not used to driving their newly bought vehicle. Sometimes, it is easy to get distracted while driving and this is how a lot of car crashes happen. Now that YouTube is so popular, a lot of this is documented on film.

On many occasions, no one gets seriously hurt in the car crashes. The only thing that gets banged up is their bank account when it comes to paying for the damage created by the crash.
Often, in funny car crashes, there are no other vehicles involved, but the driver has somehow lost control of their vehicle and made some rather silly mistakes.

A compilation of several crashes.

Often, when a funny car crash happens, it is because the driver gets distracted or makes an error in judging the distance to an oncoming object. Quite a few accidents have happened to elderly people who have lost control of the big vehicles they are driving. Sometimes, people do get hurt when these rather spectacular and weird crashes happen. Some individuals panic when they see an oncoming object or misjudge distance and then they hit the gas pedal instead of the brakes. It is good to be prepared in emergency situations, but it is not always possible to keep a cool head when the actual situation arises. Taking a driver training course is the best way to prepare to avoid accidents. The driving instructor has a steering wheel, brake and gas pedals on their side of the vehicle and is able to override anything the student does. The driving instructor can help prepare students to develop proper reflexes when it comes to avoiding unforeseen obstacles while on the road.

Another short but funny video

Judging by some of these videos that are linked to this article, there are a lot of people who should definitely not be on the road. This is a sobering thought for other drivers and shows that everyone driving must be alert at all times. It is usually the silly mistakes that 'other drivers' make that cause accidents. People cutting in front or driving too fast or too slow are often the reason that accidents happen. The list of videos is by no means exclusive and there are plenty more funny car crash videos on YouTube for anyone interested. These videos may be funny but they are very sobering in that it is so easy to get distracted or panic when something out of the ordinary happens.

This is a funny car chase.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mji82PQTYeo
Car accident involving old lady.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAYnPxtkyFc
This crash happened in Jamaica.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsQhTclE7jc
Funny accident caught on CCTV camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRDnVkZt0UY
This is a furious, funny car accident.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrI-mwNqeL8
This one takes place in Egypt.

Author Bio: This article has been created by Louis Rix, marketing director at Netcars.com and Carfinance247.co.uk

The Top 5 YouTube Gaming Channels

2011-12-23T11:31:00.000-08:00

Gaming is big business, and it is a very serious business. If you’ve ever been trapped in a village in Skyrim, about to be tossed to the very tops of a tree by a woolly mammoth, you need to know where to get help. YouTube gaming Channels offer advice, reviews and some of the best cheats in the world.

NGT (NExt Gen Tactics) is loved by players of COD and all types of FSP games. It’s easy to use and the videos are well put together by professional gamers and technical wizards. You can learn about different strategies and how to really frag your opponent with fabulous firepower. NGT is more than just a video channel; it’s a forum, a website and offers some of the best game walkthroughs in the world.

Inecom presents the Classic Game Room on their YouTube channel, which is a resource for anyone who loves classic arcade games and pinball. CGR has a number of YouTube channels offering everything from comics and trailers to some solid reviews and tips and tactics for all levels of play.

NoobToob is the best resource for new gamers, but you will find many experienced gamers frequenting the channel because of the butt-kicking tips and tools for just about every type of game. NoobToob has been around for five years and covers every aspect of gaming, all games and how to load your weapons if you’re a beginner.
This is the spot to go to if you’re just getting into gaming. If you’re interested in the history of gaming then “All Your History Are Belong To Us” is a fabulous treat for noobies and experienced gamers alike. It’s a complete look at all your favourite games, how they came into being and how to beat any bad guy.

Yogscast offers excellent content, great walkthroughs and some of the funniest reviews available online. With nearly a million subscribers, Yogscast presents important, hysterically funny, gaming news from around the world. The channel has hundreds of videos and each one is delivered to give you the maximum amount of fun, humour and some great tips and tricks. Look for the Minecraft videos if you’re having trouble building your Airship. Let BlueXephos and Honeydew take you on whirlwind tour of everything to do with games

TotalBiscuit really takes the cake when it comes to fun and games and even fun and games for serious gamers. Watch TotalBiscuit and The Yogscast playing Magika or enter the world of Starcraft with the top players around the world. You can see championship games and delve into the very depths of gaming with the whacky gaming channels on YouTube.

This treasure trove of gaming channels was brought to you by www.broadbandchoices.co.uk; Broadband price comparison you can trust.

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10 Funniest Youtube Personalities

2011-11-19T15:30:00.000-08:00

Jack Vale - Youtube/JackValeFilms
Jack Vale does a lot of pranks in public
I've been watching many of the "farting in public" videos and I find them hilarious!
Other prank series include Awkward Silence, Nonsense talk, and drive-thru pranks

EdBassmaster - Youtube/Edbassmaster
Ed dresses up as some strange and awkward characters and interacts with people in public.
My favorite character is Mumbles, nobody can understand his mumbling.

Shane Dawson - Youtube/ShaneDawson
Shane often takes current trends or news and makes parodies of them, with some cool editing and effects

TimothyDeLaGhetto - Youtube/TimothyDeLaGhetto2
Short films, random rap freestyles, and videos about racial subjects/stereotypes (without crossing the line, I guess =)

Nigahiga
Commenting on current news and trends with a comedic twist, and makes some short flicks also.

Ray William Johnson
Reviews viral videos in his own videos that usually also go viral.

That was only 6! - Yeah, sorry, I ran out of knowledge, and 10 looks better for a title. You clicked on it didn't you? =D You can help me out by leaving a comment with your favorite personalities, funniest youtuber, or channel.

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5 Funny Ways to Abuse your old junk car [Videos]

2011-10-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't advise you try all of these "stunts" at home, but if you find a good mechanic, and maybe a stunt driver, then you can make another hilarious Youtube hit like this:

Let this Crazy Serbian test drive it for you.

Have comedian EdBasmaster take a "look at it"

Turn it into a RollGolf -Or Roll-whatever

Tune it -make it fast as hell, in reverse!

or, just crash it in a funny way and make a new Youtube hit

Actually, don't do that! Yeah - I just ran out of funny car videos to share, so finishing with this compilation. Let me know in the comments if you know some other funny (junk) car videos.

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10 best shows on Youtube.

2011-09-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

Not long ago we talked about the 10 best TV networks on Youtube.
This time we're going to be checking out some web original series, found on Youtube

Some of my favorite shows in the Comedy Section =)
College Humor Originals. College Humor makes parodies and fan vids of all the things geeks love. Videogames, pop-culture memes, and contemporary media 'stuff'.

Most awesome from BREAK I sometimes feel bad for laughing at these videos. =D

I just came across Fred, he claims to be a lonely six year old using his mother's camera, on Youtube. And getting the most views in the comedy section =D

"call him what you will.. just don't call him an apple, he hates that."
It's one of the most popular shows in the Entertainment section. Annoying Orange

The Onion - parody/sarcastic news =P

Real News:

The Young Turks
"The biggest online news station"
A progressive/liberal news channel that has become the most viewed online news show in the world.

Auto Tune the News

What happens when you autotune the news and make it into a music video, funny?

I usually find autotuning pretty silly. But I can't help but enjoy the Auto Tuned news videos, and also the Symphony of Science series by Melodysheep, it's pretty epic!

At the top of the Action & Adventure list, we find two Minecraft shows.
Minecraft Family Adventures and Minecraft PSAs

And two shows I love, Cartoon Fails by BREAK
and Human Weapon from History Channel; showing full episodes!

In Human Weapon, HISTORY follows mixed martial artist Jason Chambers and former football pro Bill Duff across the globe to learn the history, style, and methodology behind 16 unique forms of combat."

What are your favorite youtube shows?
Leave a comment about some shows you think deserve some attention, or anything. =)

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10 Best TV Channels on Youtube

2011-08-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

Want to watch TV online? Youtube has become one of the leading providers of movies and television. Some of these channels are getting more views just on Youtube than many broadcasting companies get from television subscribers!

Here are Ten of the biggest Television Networks on Youtube.

Discovery Channel Networks

Discovery has several Youtube channels. Science Channel is one of my favorites; though it's not getting as many views as Animal Planet, or as TLC the reality show network.

Current Media

Current takes pride in "engaging with the audience", which is being reflected on Youtube with the Viral Video Filmschool, etc.

National Geographic Channel

Shows full episodes of a few of their TV originals, and lots of other nice clips and playlists made for Youtube.

Crackle

Crackle shows a lot of full episodes AND movies, thats what we like! =D
A cool collection of TV & Originals.

BBC WORLDWIDE

Covering everything from news to nature, but not many full/long episodes of stuff on this Youtube channel, though. BBC is the original home of Top Gear who now have their own popular Youtube channel.
Showtime
You get to see full episodes of some of the (very) short shows, some made for Youtube only; other than that, there's about a thousand clips, trailers, etc. - like appetizers!

ESPN

Mostly a promotional channel with 'snippets' , though it has a lot of news, and some short shows edited for Youtube that are pretty good.

Cartoon Network

Your favorite babysitter is also on Youtube! No full episodes of anything though, so your kids might get a bit frustratet unless you also have cable TV

G4TV

A network for geeks and gamers that seems 'made' for Youtube, in my opinion.
But it's mostly short clips and promotional material for the TV channel.

MTV

The Music Television station is split into some (smaller) channels like MTV Roadies (India), Coke Studio @ MTV, MTV's Fear, Hip Hop Open Minded, and POPZILLA which hasn't been very active in a while.

The leading music video channel on Youtube seems to be VEVO.

Also several news networks are on Youtube. From Al Jazeera on one side of the planet, to Fox News on the other; pretty much every big station and network is using Youtube to spread their word and gain viewers, or trying to. =D

Check out youtube.com/shows - when you hover over one of the thumbnails on the page it will say how many clips and episodes etc. The good ones have Episodes, and not just clips. =D

Internet Killed TV
The BEST of the best on Youtube however does not come from Television networks, but from 'Web Originals', or shows that were made on Youtube; in my opinion. We have featured many of those here. Stay tuned for more of the top shows on Youtube (web originals), featured here on Tube Blogger!

Related Articles: 10 Best Shows on Youtube - Funniest Youtube Personalities - Top 5 Gaming Channels

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Real Life Videogame Parodies/Movies

2011-08-16T00:41:00.000-07:00

A collection of Youtube videos of video game parodies are all in the playlist below.
It's been a year since the Top 10 Video Game Parodies post, here are some more! =D

Check out AndrewmFilms and FreddieW's channels on Youtube, they made a couple of the videos in this playlist. And Machinima!
Let me know if the comments if you have a video or know one that should be added to the list.

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5 Videos you Wish you'd never seen, on Youtube

2011-06-18T05:40:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen a video that was so bad you wanted to upload a video-reply telling everyone how bad it was?
If so then please don't, and instead let me waste some of your time with 5 Video clips you wish you hadn't watched, from Youtube. If you're smart you don't watch any of them, and just skip to the comment section =D

#5 - BeenerKeeKee Singing Teenage Dream

I don't think I need to explain much.

#4 - Struttin' That Ass - Remix - This video is one of the worst because theres a chance you might get this tune or image stuck in your head.

I'm sorry about that.

#3 - Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris - Baby
Currently the second most thumbed down video, almost everyone who watched this video wish they didn't. The only video that has received more thumbs down than this one is:

#2 - Rebecca Black - Friday

It's the most hated Youtube video ever! And Rebecca Black decided to remove it from youtube.
Friday No More: Rebecca Black Takes Down Her Hit YouTube Video (mashable.com)

I think it was a good idea.

#1 Charlie Bit me - Yes, we've heard it already!

Image via Wikipedia.

Somehow this video has broken all kinds of records, and thanks to YOU it still shows up on all kinds of top charts. The original is reaching 400 million views, with thousands of spawns and clones; at this rate, in a couple years, it will have been seen by the whole world twice. At some point it might become the #1 video you wish you didn't keep seeing on youtube.

Leave a comment below if you wish to waste our time with some videos we wish we never saw!

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Most Hated Youtube Videos - ft. Justin Bieber

2011-04-30T06:45:00.000-07:00

And the most thumbed down videos ever goes to: Justin Bieber!

Justin Bieber is perhaps the most hated and loved at the same time. CoedMagazine ranked him 7th as the most popular WOMAN online. Not the first ones to make a Bieber joke, intentionally or otherwise.
Nathan Yau at FlowingData created the reference poster above that highlights the most disliked videos on YouTube of all time.
The video Baby featuring Ludacris has over one million dislikes. Most likely the first on youtube with such a high number of dislikes. He still has several videos with millions of likes as well, so the hating isn't too out of proportion still.

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Top 10 Websites using Youtube's API

2010-08-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

Also check out the Youtube Tools here on this site ↗
Convert to MP3 etc.

After youtube released their API Tutorials and cool options for including Youtube on your site, we started seeing a lot of sites creating and adding apps using the new Google Code.

Here are my favorite 10 sites, in terms of how useful they are and how much they impressed me overall. Most of these are still in beta at the time of writing but offers a lot of cool functionalities already.

Animoto.com

With Animoto you can create cool professional looking videos by adding your pictures and clips and other media. On animoto you can put them all together with awesome pre-made templates to make the pictures float around, animated background and text, as well as background music. All for $3 a video or $5 a month for unlimited videos.

EmpireAvenue.com

A really cool game and social network [fantasy] stock exchange. A very unique site where you can connect your Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, flickr and linkedin accounts to see how much they are "worth", and then buy and sell shares in other users who have connected their accounts. Some big sites like Xbox and Ebay, and many others have joined now.

TurnTubeList.com

Be a DJ and cross fade youtube videos, keeping the party rolling. you can create playlists of your track lists and share them with others.

TotLol.com

A video sharing website for kids under 13 that allows parents to set up parental control and control what their kids can watch.

PlisTube.com

Create youtube playlists quickly on plistube. When you search, plistube will take the most popular and reavant results based on your keywords and make a playlist out of it.

Youmashtube.com

Youmashtube "the biggest video editor" is an online video editor where you can search Youtube's library and drag'n'drop videos into your playlist, select a new start and end point to create your own videos. SImilar to the official Youtube's video editor except you can search any video, not just your own.

iBetheJudge.com

Formerly known as YouBattleTubes.com
Here you can put two videos up against each other and get votes to find out who is the best. Cool way to get views for your video.

Etubecards.com

Make cool interactive greeting cards with your video and send it to your friends. You can create them on the Etubecard website or by downloading their toolbar and add videos as you go. (website down?)

Coverpop

Youtube Overload

Let us know if you come across any other cool websites or apps using youtube's API,
leave a comment.

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Kimura "My Judo" - Tales of a Legend

2010-08-06T22:40:00.000-07:00

Masahiko Kimura was a famous Judoka who was born in 1917 and died in 1993. A powerful martial arts technique that can break the opponents arm was named Kimura after he defeated Helio Gracie in Brazil by using it. This and many other great stories are told in his autobiography "My Judo".
Here is "My Judo" by Kimura in English combined with rare footage - excerpt from the book translated by member pdeking on judoinfo.com (edited for spelling by Neil Ohlenkamp) and submitted to the Underground Forum in March, 2000.
"My Judo" was written in 1984 and was first published on Jan 31, 1985. It is not longer in print

Excerpt from "My Judo"

by Masahiko Kimura

Kimura's quest to become the best fighter started in 4th grade after getting hit by his teacher.

"Suddenly, someone grabbed me firmly in the rear lapel and pulled me backward. When I turned my head, I found Mr. Tagawa, who I thought was absent, glaring at me with a very scary look. He yelled "Idiot face!" and slapped me in the face. He then threw me to the floor. He pulled me up, slapped me, and threw me to the floor again. After this, I was scolded in the teachers' room, and stood on the corridor. After this incident, I decided to get even with Mr. Tagawa. I though about how to get revenge on him for about a week, and investigated his background. I then found out that he was a 1st dan in judo."

Even from a young age, Kimura had a very competitive spirit. After being scolded by his teacher
he entered a Shodokan Dojo by his school and quickly became a top competitor.
He had a clear memory of every single fight he's had since a little kid, though you will notice that other fighters have their side of the story which can differ (Gracies).

After losing his first "shiai" fight in 5th grade, he remembers fighting dogs to train his strength against humans...

"...my older brother came home crying, saying that he got bitten by dogs. The next night, I went out for revenge. I found mid-size three dogs at a storage of a geisha house that was about 50 meters away from my house. They were the enemies. I called them one by one with a whistle, and kicked it with a geta (wooden sandal) by full force. When I passed by the storage, all the 3 dogs were covered with a bandage. Through this experience, I developed boldness and confidence for fighting with humans."

Following this incident Kimura lost one more fight before he entered a Junior High school that had judo classes and describes how things started to change.
"As soon as I entered Chinsei Junior High, I started to practice at Kawakita dojo 3 time a week. I practiced at Chinsei Junior High, Kawakita dojo, Butokuden, and Imperial 5th High (today's Kumamoto University). In those days, I practiced 5 hours a day. In addition, I did 300 push-ups daily."

Kimura continues to depict a long winning streak through high school, throwing students around and advancing up to 2nd dan, though he seemed to have struggled a bit with the academic part.

"I went to Butokukai, which was the test center, alone, and threw 5 students of Kumamoto Junior High, and earned the 1st dan. When I took the promotion test for the 2nd dan, I was the captain of the red team, and defeated the remaining 4 members of the white team, all by Ippon...."
"...In order to be a 3rd dan, one must go to the head quarter of Butokukai in Kyoto, and take a written test in addition to a skill test.... I did not have any problem passing the skill test. But, in the written test, I was completely clueless. The time was running out. I snatched one of the answer sheets finished by someone sitting behind me, wrote my name, and turned it in as mine. I still feel guilty of what I did to the man who wrote the answers."

He passed the written test and managed to advance to 4th dan by completing some more challenges
"A 4th dan 10th grader was very rare in the country. I became well known after this."
Winning the National Junior High Championship wasn't enough for some of his classmates to prove he was toughest kid in school. He was challenged to some fights outside of the dojo as well.

"Soon after I entered Chinsei Junior High, I was thrown by Funayama, who was 1 year senior to me, by an intense O-Soto-Gari, had a concussion, and could not get up for a while.
In those days, I always wanted to get even with him, but could not get to his level, which was at the level of captain. However, he was very cautious and observant of me knowing that I would soon catch up with him.

On our 3 km way to Butokuden from Chinsei Junior High, and on our way to Nagarokubashi station, from which I used to take a train to go home, whenever, we walked together, he asked my height and weight. He probably wanted to confirm his physical superiority over me. I really hated it. But being one year junior to him, I could not explicitly say that to him."

I have a little business with you. So, come with me.

I had two big fights during my Chinsei Junior High days. In those days, in Kumamoto, Budo was widely and feverishly practiced. Given this background, it was a natural consequence that a young man who rapidly became famous became a target of challenge.

The first fight occurred when I was in the 2nd year. One member of Chinsei Junior High Judo club, whose name was Iida, who competed for the position of 2nd Year Student Captain with me and lost, developed hatred toward me.
On a Saturday of June, on my way to the school dojo, he walked up to me and said, "I have a little business with you. So, come with me." In a case like this, the meaning of "business" is tacitly understood. He uttered "You are impudent. I am going to get you today" and took out a jack knife from a pocket, and suddenly thrust it at my abdominal area.
I thought I evaded it successfully, but the knife got to my buttock.
He got on a bicycle, and started to run away. I also ran after him while bleeding from the buttock, and finally got to his house. He stayed inside the house and did not come out. Instead, his parents came out and apologized to me thoroughly and sincerely. They said, "Our son cut his own hand when he stabbed you, and is in bed now. A doctor is on the way." It turned out that Iida's injury was more serious than mine. But I had to stay away from practice for about 20 days also.

Mashahiko Kimura a Short Documentary

#1 Street Fighter in Kumamoto

"In my 3rd year at the school, I was challenged by K (Note: the name of this student is kept secret in the book) who was then considered to be the number 1 street fighter among all the junior high school students in the area. He was a student of Kumamoto Commerce Junior High. He was small in stature, but was known to pull out a knife in every street fight.
It was known that when he loses, his parents and relatives all join him and ambush for revenge.
On my way back from Butokuden, I was about to cross Nagaroku-bridge, he found me and said "Hold it right there. Come with me". We walked to Shimogawara park near the sunset. He said, "You are Kimura, aren't you?" This was the first time that we saw each other face to face. We glared at each other over a distance of about 1 meter. He then suddenly pulled out a Tanto (short sword), and thrust it forward at me. I evaded it, grabbed him, and threw him hard onto the ground.
Now, in this state, he is no match to me. "I am K. I surrender. You are strong." He honestly revealed his identity and apologized. After this, none of his parents came to see me. Moreover, no junior high student challenged me for a street fight."

In those days of judo (and some places today) they had to fight several consecutive matches, in "last man standing" type of tournaments known as Shiai, in order to advance in rank. The battles were grueling and the finalists were usually exhausted by the time they were about to face each other.
Kimura participated in several Shiais to gain rank, and had to take quite a beating before he became the legend he is known as today

"People call me "Jo-Sho (meaning a man of constant wins or a man who always wins). However, I have 4 losses in my judo life. I suffered all these losses when I was a 1st year student at Takushoku University....
...in the spring of 1935, my favorite techniques faced limitations for the first time...
...soon after I entered the Takushoku University Preparatory Program, in the Red-White Shiai of Kodokan, I beat eight 4th dan opponents. When I faced the 9th opponent, I was already exhausted. In the 9th bout, I was defeated by Miyajima, who was a student at Meiji University, by Harai-Maki-Komi. Still, it was sufficient to receive the 5th dan."

In May, I participated in a 5th dan Selection Shiai held by the Ministry of Royal Affairs. In the first bout, I faced Osawa 5th dan of Tokyo Police.

In an attempt to throw him at once, I grabbed his left deep lapel with my right hand, and held his right sleeve with my left hand. Osawa had positioned his right leg behind. I initiated O-soto-gari by full force. He then pulled his right leg backward all the way, and withstood the pressure. I then made a transition to O-soto-otoshi.
The next moment, my body floated in the air, and was flipped in reverse. I fell to the ground head first, had a concussion, and lost consciousness.

All Japan Judo Championship - October 23 and 24, 1937 in Kodokan.
In the finals Kimura faced Masayuki Nakajima, a 5th dan.

I won All Japan Championship in the fall of 1937. My dream came true. I pinched my cheek several times. It really hurt. It was not a dream. After dinner, I did 500 push-ups, bunny hop 1km, and Makiwara strikes of karate 500 times. I could not fall asleep that night due to the fatigue and pain incurred during the bout.

His name was well known throughout Japan as well as Manshuu. He was 182 or 183 cm, and 100kg. He had formidable O-soto-gari, O-uchi-gari, Uchimata, and Tai-otoshi.
A number of strong men and big men got treated like kids by him when he applied these techniques.
In particular, his tai-sabaki (Note: footwork and moves) that precisely captures his opponents in a quick motion seemed like an exceptional talent he was born with."

"The final was 1 round 15 minutes. The minimum standard of judgment was Waza-ari.
For the first 4 or 6 minutes, I was dominated by him. In those days, my lower body was still weak and had not mastered enough techniques. So, whenever Nakajima pulled me around, my legs wobbled.
To be honest, I had no confidence in the techniques I applied. Moreover, I could not afford to play a chess match with him.

I moved only in response to his techniques. I and Nakajima fell together down onto the press seats, which were about 1 meter below the Shiai-Jo (platform) many times. Every time I fell with him, our heads and backs got slammed so hard that we became unable to breath properly for a while. We both got up to the tatami while feeling half unconscious.

Neither of us scored anything decisive, and the 2nd round overtime started....
After 30 minutes of battle, both my skin and do-gi were soaked with sweat. Sweat was dripping in so much quantity that I could hardly open my eyes. I had to open my eyes alternately to see him. Before the next overtime, I and Nakajima sat by seiza to bring our do-gi to the proper position.

...The long intense battle, which lasted 40 minutes, finally ended. I thought in futon, "Today's victory is a fluke. I had more stamina than Nakajima simply because I am younger than he is. Could I beat him again? Probably not. I would lose next time." Before the championship, I wanted to win All Japan Championship just once. But once the dream came true, I did not want to give up the title. I felt like defending the title again and again. I got up from futon, turned on the light, and looked at my body. Neither my height (169cm) nor weight (86kg) is outstanding. There was no guarantee that I could continue to defend the title judging from my body size. I kept on thinking everyday, "I want to become a true winner."

"About 10 days after this, I came up with a solid good idea. That is, "San-bai no Do-ryoku (Triple Effort). Until then, I practiced about 6 hours a day. I thought practicing twice as much as others would be sufficient since I had heard that others were practicing about 3 hours a day. In reality, however, they had been practicing about 4 hours a day (which I found later). But now I am the champion, others would start to train 6 hours a day to beat me. I could not beat them as long as I trained as hard as others. If my opponents train twice as hard as others, then, I will train 3 times as hard as others, i.e, 9 hours a day. This way, I would gain extra 3 hours a day, and I will do this everyday. The accumulation of these extra hours will become my flesh and blood, that is, my skills and mental power. This will automatically give me real self confidence. If I had this much accumulation, I would be able to fight as usual even if I got sick with fever at 40 degrees centigrade. I practiced "Triple Effort" everyday.

Masahiko Kimura lifting weights

Soon after I started "Triple Effort", information on my rivals started to pour in such as "In Kyoto and Tokyo, tough challengers are studying how to cope with Kimura's initial attack. They are carefully analyzing Kimura's favorite techniques to come up with a method for defending against the techniques and countering them", and "Hirose 5th dan of Osaka has already extended his training hours to 6 hours from 3 hours. Ishikawa 5th dan of Tokyo Police has started training more than 6 hours a day." Initially I listened to these information with confidence thinking "I will never lose since I have been training more than 9 hours a day." However, after a while, I started to doubt my self-confidence. In those days,

I was interested in Zen. I wanted to reach "the state of no ego",
discover secret judo techniques and throw around tough opponents using the techniques.
But in reality, I missed a chance to go to a Zen temple one after another. That is because it was evident that I would lose my precious time for training by doing so.

After all, humans are weak. When they get sick or get into a trouble, they depend on God. I was no exception. I meditated trying to reach the state of no ego. I first struggled to reach the state of no ego, but soon I lost the force for struggling and forgot about tomorrow's bout and the fact that I was sitting. Soon after reaching this state, the character of "win" appeared on my mind. But the character soon got superimposed on the character of "loss". However, my mind was already empty. I did not make any effort to get the character of "win". I don't know how much time has elapsed since I started to sit. Suddenly, my whole body became hot as if somebody poured boiling water over me from above the top of my head, and my body started to tremble. I then noticed that the character of "win" was shining at the center of my forehead as if it had been waiting for me to notice its appearance. "I will win tomorrow's bouts." I was convinced of my victory with pleasure. I believed that it was a message from God that can be given only to those who push to the maximum limit of mental and physical strength and get to the border between life and death. If I had pursued only pleasure, I would have seen the character of "loss". God sides with only those who challenge a difficult task despite the possibility of death. Even though I had no special belief in any religion, it was my interpretation of the existence of God.
I then calmed down from the joyful feeling of victory, turned on the light of the room, and prayed for protection from various gods. I also prayed to the ancestors of the Kimura family. Centuries ago, it is said Musashi Miyamoto who was called the greatest sword master in history, visited a shrine before his battle with the Yoshioka family, and tried to pull a bell uttering "God, please protect me", but regained calmness and did not ring the bell. "I do not count on gods" It was his motto. I thought, "If I had lived in the same era as Musashi, pursued the way of sword, and fought Musashi, I would never lose. At worst, the fight would go even." The confidence based on the fact that I trained to the limit of my mental and physical capacity made me think so. Didn't Musashi really ring the bell? No, he must have. Being a man who engaged in life or death combat like me, he would definitely have rung the bell. Once I reached this stage, I wrote "Championship Victory", my name and today's date (the day before the bout) using a brush. To my eyes, tall opponents looked short, and big opponents looked small. An old opponent, who was bigger than I, whom I met recently said to me that I looked big."

Kimura remained the undisputed champion for several years, entered university where he became a teacher in the martial arts academy, and a popular guest all over Japan and wherever he traveled to demonstrate fighting Techniques. He was also interested in learning more and as you will see, discovered other fighting arts to implements with his Judo.

Kimura demonstrating osotogari

"In judo, when one grabs the opponent's sleeve or lapel, one uses 4 fingers of each hand extending the thumbs. Whether one pushes or pulls the opponent, without pressing the thumbs hard, one cannot grab firmly and the speed is reduced. Moreover, the opponent can easily cut off your hold on the sleeve or lapel. The 4 fingers generate an inward force, and the thumb creates the opposing force, creating a firm grip. Therefore, not using the thumb goes against the principle of dynamics."

"Later on, I got interested in karate, and learned Shorinji-ryu (Note: today's Shotokan karate) under the guidance of Master Funakoshi for a little over 2 years.

Kimura on left with Mas Oyama on the right

After this, I learned Goju-ryu karate from Master So, who was a great master of Gojuryu, and eventually became an assistant instructor in his dojo. (Note: Mas Oyama who was 7 years junior to Kimura practiced karate in these dojo during the same period.) After I finished judo practice at Takushoku University, I went to Kodokan and practiced with top members of Meiji University, Waseda University, Tokyo Police, and Ministry of Royal Affairs. I slammed 23 or 24 4th or 5th dan tough men one after another and attacked them freely. Everyday, at Tokyo Police and Kodokan, about 10 men had a concussion and lost consciousness caused by my O-soto-gari. Many of them eventually started to beg me not to use O-soto-gari."

Kimura demonstrating a variation of seoinage used on Ishikawa

A fight to death?

"Because of my achievement during my student days, I was paid a salary higher than full professor's salary. However, since I was scheduled to join the military 8 months later, I resigned the university in November 1941, and returned to my home in Kumamoto. On Jan 11, 1942, I entered Amaki Air Defense Unit. One day, there was an announcement that a master of Jukendo (created exclusive for the military user, and use wooden weapon shaped like a military rifle conjoined with a bayonet), will come to our unit. His name was Y (name kept anonymous) who was regarded as number 1 in Japan and was 8th dan. All the members of the unit got together in the field at 1 pm to receive instruction from Mr. Y. He explained the basics of thrust and defense. He then looked around us and said, "Any volunteer for practice with me? Come forward without any reservation." But nobody came forward. "If I engaged in a match with such a master, I would get humiliated or could get killed," men around me whispered. Suddenly, Captain called my name. Now, I cannot retreat. I walked up to the master as slowly as possible to buy time and come up with a workable strategy. If I engaged in a bayonet combat, there is no way I can win. It would be like a fight between an adult and a child, since I had never held a wooden gun in my life. We bowed to each other, and held the wooden gun toward each other. I tensed up. The instructor said "Thrust, thrust. Come on, what's the matter?" I knew I would lose as soon as I thrust the gun at him. So, I waited for the right moment for attack. I fainted a thrust, and then threw the wooden gun at his face with full force. At the moment he deflected the wooden gun, I tackled at his knees. He fell to the ground. I mounted on his chest, removed his face guard despite his shouting "Wait, wait!" and tried to deliver a finishing blow to his face. "Stop, stop! It is over!" Captain stepped in and separated us, but it was clear that I won the fight. The master looked as if he did not understand what happened to him, dropped his head, and left the scene.
If I had lost the match, I might not be here today.

One day, an announcement "If you wish to go to the battle field, report to the captain" was posted. I volunteered. Special 5-day vacation was given to all the volunteers. I went back to my parents' house. After I returned from the vacation, Captain of the Unit called me. He said, "I have known about your achievement in judo. I like judo, too, and often practiced in Kodokan. Compared with you, I must be like a kid, but still got the 4th dan." He poured whisky into a glass and continued, "The match you did with the Jukendo master was very interesting. First, nobody stepped forward. I knew nobody had a chance against him since he was the best master in the country. But if nobody volunteered, the dignity of our unit would be tarnished. So, even though I thought I would be discourteous to you, I picked you. But once the match started, I got badly shaken when I saw your posture since you looked like a complete novice." "Yes, that is right. I have never grabbed a wooden gun." "I thought so. But I did not even imagine the tactics you used. I felt like bowing to you, thinking, 'After all, a man who excels in one art is different from others.' After the match, Mr. Y came to me and asked, "Who in the world is he". I then told him about your achievements. He was deeply impressed, saying, "No wonder, he is the number 1 judo master in the world."
He then paused, and turned his eyes downward engaging in thought. He continued, "This is a super top secret. So, do not tell this to anyone." He lowered his voice tone, and said,

"Do you really want to go to the battle field?" "Yes, absolutely." "Really? But that's a problem." I had no idea about what the problem was. "You will be sent to Solomon Islands", he said. "It is certain that B29's will be waiting for our unit. Our plan is absolutely reckless. All the members on board will perish in the ocean. Don't you think it is better to use your talent in judo and work for the benefit of the country instead of wasting your life on the battle field. I think that is the right thing for you. Do you still want to go to the battle field? I replied, "Yes, I do." Suddenly, his tone of voice changed, "My order is Emperor's order. You are not allowed to go!" After all, it became an order. I had to follow his order. I said, "I will withdraw my volunteer application." He then said, "Very good, very good", he murmured. Later on, I heard that the transportation ship unit I was going to get on board was discovered by B29's immediately before reaching Solomon Islands, had oil scattered over the entire deck, received numerous bombs, and was engulfed in flames. Of over 500 and several ten members, only one of them survived and managed to swim to a nearby island despite a severe burn. In retrospect, I owe my life to the captain. Judo moved him and saved my life.

I got married on July 1, 1945. That day, at night, 300 B29's suddenly attacked my town. Thundering sounds of machine gun sweep, and the sound of explosion woke me up. I ran down the stairs, pulled and lifted two straw mats to create a shield and hid my parents and wife underneath the mats. But, I judged that being in the house was dangerous, and took them into a nearby mulberry field while dodging bullets. Bombs exploded one after another. The town was engulfed in flames. People ran around in panic. Children were crying and screaming with fear. My peaceful town was changed into a hell in a moment. Fortunately, my family managed to escape the hell.

Soon the war ended. In Nov 1945, Great Japan Butokukai was ordered to close by GHQ, and judo and kendo were banned. One day, in the summer of 1946, a Jeep stopped in front of my house. A number of curious neighbors gathered around my house. It was MP's Jeep. In those days, every Japanese was afraid of MP. Knowing what brought the MP Jeep, I watched them get off the Jeep, thinking, "The time has finally come. I do not care about what happens to me." But I did not see any mean look in their faces. Rather, they were smiling and looked friendly. The interpreter said "This is Captain Shepard of MP", pointing at one of the men and introduced the other MP to me. They presented two super huge cakes to me, and said, "If you do not mind, we would like you to come to the MP head quarter with us" through the interpreter. I did not understand their intention. I sat in the back seat of the Jeep and recalled a week old incident.
I was standing at the end of a line of 60 or 70 people waiting for a train at the Mukae-Machi station (near Kumamoto city, Kumamoto prefecture, Japan), and was reading a paperback. Suddenly, 4 MP men passed through the line nearby me forcibly. When I turned my eyes to them, I found them shouting, "Jap, Jap" repeatedly. One of them grabbed the Japanese man at the front of the line by the collar, pulled the Japanese man toward him. He then made a ring with the pointing finger and the thumb, and struck the nose of the Japanese man with the flipped pointing finger with full force. The man covered his nose with his hands, and stooped down from the pain. The MP men did this to everyone on the line one by one including women. When someone did not stoop down, they delivered another strike.

My turn was approaching. While I was wondering about what to do, my turn came. One of the MP men extended his arm trying to grab my lapel. I struck his hand with full force. Their facial expression changed suddenly. The four MP men surrounded me and took me to the middle of Nagaroku Bridge nearby the station. This was not an ordinary fight to me. I had to win this fight to defend the honor of judo. One of them suddenly threw a right straight at my face. I blocked the punch with my left arm, and kicked him in the groin with full force. He crumbled on the spot.
When I turned back my head, another huge MP extended his arms and attacked me trying to grab me from behind. I then hit his right arm hard with knife hand, and then threw him into the river by Seoi-nage. The other two were watching this scene in amazement, but charged at me one by one. I delivered a head butt into the face of the third man. He was knocked out. I disposed of the last man by squeezing his balls with full force.
Ever since I was in junior high, I have been called Master Groin Squeezer, and had absolute confidence in this technique.
I had asked all the audience to keep it quiet since I would be in a big trouble if the news got to MP supervisors.

But somebody must have leaked the news. I started to regret what I did. But my concern turned out to be unnecessary. When I got to the MP head quarter, Capt. Shepard said, "Thank you for punishing the rogue MP's. They are the worst ones in our unit. They have sexually assaulted women, ate and drank without paying, threatened people with a pistol. We were about to be forced to punish them. They are all so depressed after you beat them up. I am truly thankful to you. I heard that you are the greatest judo master in Japan. I have a request to you. Could you teach us judo, once or twice a week. Of course, we will pay you. I myself am anxious to learn judo." It was a big surprise to me. After this, I taught judo to them once a week for 1 hour. Captain Shepard earned 1st degree black belt one year later.

In those days, there was a black boxer named T. He was a big man weighing about 100kg, and has won a pro title. He was the best boxer in the US Marine Corps. "I am no match to you in judo, but in boxing, you will never beat me." He boasted. One day I practiced boxing with him. Since I was trained in Karate, I thought "Even though I cannot kick as in karate, it is similar to karate. So, I would be OK." But the result was miserable. I took blows after blows. In a few minutes, my head started to "ring", and got knocked down. I also took a lot of body blows, and I was completely groggy. It was not even to be called a match since I closed my eyes even when his glove lightly passed in front of my eyes. This boxing practice was like a fight between an adult and a child. I covered my aching head and body, and thought, "If I did not know this type of fighting in addition to judo, I would not be able to defend myself from a danger." After this I asked him to give me boxing instruction twice a week. But the boxing "instruction" was a rough one in which I got only beaten up in a one-sided manner. One day, the state of taking so many blows really got to my nerves that I blocked his right punch with my left arm, lifted him up for Ippon-seoi and tried to slam him onto the mat. He then said "No Judo, no, no!" with a pathetic tone of voice. So, I took him down safely to the floor. This practice lasted for 1 year. Thanks to my effort, I became able to go 40-60 with him. Of course, I was the 40.

In November 1945, all school judo was banned and in November 1946, Great Japan Butokukai got shut down permanently. On July 1, 1947, West Japan Judo championship was held in Fukuoka. I beat Yasuichi Matsumoto in the final and won the championship. On March 15, 1948, Kyushu vs Kansai championship was held in Fukuoka. In the final of the individual tournament, I faced Yasuichi Matsumoto again. I threw him by my original Ippon-seoi in which both arms of the opponent are locked. His arm broke making a snapping sound, and he flew out of the platform.

Kimura pinning Yoshimi Osawa (1949)

On May 5, 1949, 2nd post war All Japan Championship was held. My 1st opponent was Teruhisa Hatori 6th dan. He was 170cm and 110kg. His specialty was Tsuri-komi-goshi, Ippon-seoi, Kouchi-gari, and Tai-otoshi. I was 170cm and 86kg. We both exhausted all the techniques we had, but round one ended in a draw. In overtime, I scored Okuri-ashi-barai, making him fall horizontally. When he became on all four trying to stand up, I caught his left arm in Ude-garami, and scored Ippon. My 2nd opponent was Yoshimi Osawa 5th dan from Chiba. He was a small man, but had the reputation of "the greatest Ashi-waza master". The bout started. I tried to grab him, but he was very elusive. I stopped chasing him, and stepped back. He advanced for a few steps. I jumped in for a tackle. He was caught off-guard, and fell to the floor. He tried to get up immediately, but I had already initiated Osaekomi. I scored Ippon by Kuzure-kami-shiho-gatame. My 3rd opponent was Tokuharu Itoh 7th dan. He was over 190cm, and was good at O-soto-gari, O-uchi-gari, Uchimata, and O-goshi. I attacked him with O-uchi-gari and sasae-tsurikomi-ashi. He countered with O-soto-gari and Uchimata. I threw him by Ippon-seoi, but it was outside the platform. The bout went to overtime. I scored points by a successive O-soto-gari, and Seoinage, and won by dominance. But I opened my legs too wide when I executed O-sotogari, and the left inner thigh muscles got torn, causing a big swell.

Ishikawa (left) and Kimura (right) in 1949

In the final, I faced Takahiko Ishikawa 6th dan. The platform was small. When I attempted an attack, he quickly escaped outside the platform. Chief Referee Kyuzo Mifune did not give Chui. I then tackled him down and attempted Osaekomi, but again he escaped to outside. I then tried Seoinage, but he retreated, and escaped to outside again. It was like pushing against a curtain. After all, the bout went to overtime. I tackled him down again, and caught him Osaekomi, but he crawled out of the platform. The 2nd overtime started. I attempted O-soto-gari, his body wobbled, but barely managed to withstand the pressure, and countered with Tai-otoshi. The 4 columns at the 4 corners of the platform got in the way. When I pushed him, he again escaped outside. I followed with Tachiwaza and Newaza, but the time ran out. After the 2nd overtime, the judges' decision had to be rendered. The 3 judges all raised both Red and White flags. It was a draw.

On April 16, 1950, Pro Judo was started with 21 members. It was sponsored by a construction contractor named Mr. Takano. In the final of the first tournament, I faced Toshio Yamaguchi 6th dan. I took him down by O-soto-gari, and scored Ippon by Kuzure-kami-shiho-gatame in 2 minutes. I became the first pro judo champion. At first, it was very popular, but after 4 or 5 months, the popularity dropped suddenly. Moreover, Takano Construction, which was our sponsor, started to lose profit. Our pay started to decrease as Takano Construction started to fall. Eventually, we received no pay, which lasted about 2 months. In those days, my wife Tomiko was hospitalized for a lung disease. Because of the serious food shortage in those days, most poverty stricken people never survived the disease. I had no choice but leave pro judo to save her.
One day, Yamaguchi brought the president of Matsuo Enterprise in Hawaii who was a 2nd generation Japanese American. He asked me to demonstrate judo on 8 Hawaii islands for 3 months. Yamaguchi, Sakabe, and I signed the contract, left pro judo. 6 months after this, Pro Judo went out of business. In Hawaii, Sakabe and Yamaguchi demonstrated judo self defense, and I accepted challenge matches for 10 men in a row. This pleased residents of the islands. Wherever we went, the arena was super-packed. Every town was talking about judo. It was no wonder since the Japanese who were completely defeated in the war tossed around and toyed with Americans. The business was a big success, and the 3 months ended quickly. 3 days before the end of the 3 month-contract, a pro wrestling promoter Earl Karasic visited us at our hotel. He asked us if we were interested in doing pro wrestling in the Civic Hall 4 times a month. The pay was about 4 million yen in today's value. Sakabe declined the offer, but I and Yamaguchi accepted it. Thanks to the money I earned in pro wrestling, I was able to buy expensive medicine for my wife. My wife recovered thanks to these medicines.

After I returned from Hawaii, I went to Brazil by the invitation of Sao Paulo Shinbun (Note: local Japanese newspaper company in Sao Paulo). Sao Paulo Shinbun, which was in a slump, came up with an idea of doing pro wrestling to revive their business. The period of contract was 4 months. The participants were I, Yamaguchi, and Kato 5th dan. This enterprise was a big success. Wherever we went, the arena was super-packed. This made Pres. Mizuno of Sao Paulo Shinbun very happy. When we asked for a pay raise, he tripled our original pay on the spot. In addition to pro wrestling, we gave judo instruction wherever we went."

Helio Vs Kato

"One day, Helio Gracie, judo 6th dan, issued a challenge to us. The rule of the bout was different from that of judo or pro wrestling. The winner was decided by submission only. No matter how cleanly a throw is executed or how long Osaekomi lasts, it does not count. He issued a challenge to Kato 5th dan first.

Until the day of the bout, we continued pro wrestling shows every other day. 3 days before the bout, local newspaper had a big headline, saying "Kimura is not a Japanese. He seems to be a Cambodian. Helio cannot fight a fake Japanese." I was surprised to see it. I rushed to the Embassy of Japan with my passport, and got a proof that I am a Japanese.

The gong rang. Kato was in good condition, and threw Helio a number of times."

video Narrated By Rorion Gracie for another point of view:

"However, past 15 minute mark, I started to see frustration in Kato's face. The throws had no damage on Helio since the mat was soft. At 30 min mark, it was evident that Kato was tired. "What's the matter, Kato, go to Newaza, don't stand up!" Japanese audience yelled. Kato then threw Helio down by O-soto-gari, mounted on Helio, and started Juji-jime. The audience roared with excitement. But, as I watched carefully, Helio was also applying a choke from below. They were trying to choke out each other. This lasted about 3 or 4 minutes. Kato's face started to turn pale. I shouted, "Stop!" to the referee, and jumped into the ring. When Helio released his hands, Kato collapsed onto the mat, face first. Two days after this bout, I saw Helio's students marching down a city street carrying a coffin. They were shouting, "Dead Japanese judoka Kato is in this coffin. He got killed by Helio. We ask your support for Judo Master Helio Gracie!"

After this bout, the popularity of our pro wrestling show declined rapidly. The Japanese whom we encountered on the street murmured, "They must be phonies, losing in such a pathetic manner." Helio issued another challenge, this time to Yamaguchi. Pres. Mizuno of Sao Paulo Newspaper also begged, "Mr. Yamaguchi, please kill Helio, this time." But Yamaguchi seemed reluctant, and asked "Let me think for one night." If he fought a judo match under the Japanese rule, Yamaguchi is superior to Helio both in Tachi-waza and Newaza. But under the Brazilian rule, if Helio got pinned on the ground, all he has to do is to stay calm and be cautious not to get caught in a choke or joint lock, and remain still till the time runs out. Helio could fight to a draw in this way. If he used this tactics, it would be difficult for Yamaguchi to make Helio surrender. I then said to Yamaguchi, "Do not bother to come up with a plan to make Helio submit. I will accept the challenge."

Kimura Vs. Helio Gracie

Kimura applying joint lock to Helio Gracie

"20,000 people came to see the bout including President of Brazil. Helio was 180cm and 80kg. When I entered the stadium, I found a coffin. I asked what it was. I was told, "This is for Kimura. Helio brought this in." It was so funny that I almost burst into laughter. As I approached the ring, raw eggs were thrown at me. The gong rang. Helio grabbed me in both lapels, and attacked me with O-soto-gari and Kouchi-gari. But they did not move me at all. Now it's my turn. I blew him away up in the air by O-uchi-gari, Harai-goshi, Uchimata, Ippon-seoi. At about 10 minute mark, I threw him by O-soto-gari. I intended to cause a concussion. But since the mat was so soft that it did not have much impact on him. While continuing to throw him, I was thinking of a finishing method. I threw him by O-soto-gari again. As soon as Helio fell, I pinned him by Kuzure-kami-shiho-gatame. I held still for 2 or 3 minutes, and then tried to smother him by belly. Helio shook his head trying to breathe. He could not take it any longer, and tried to push up my body extending his left arm. That moment, I grabbed his left wrist with my right hand, and twisted up his arm. I applied Udegarami. I thought he would surrender immediately. But Helio would not tap the mat. I had no choice but keep on twisting the arm. The stadium became quiet.

The bone of his arm was coming close to the breaking point. Finally, the sound of bone breaking echoed throughout the stadium. Helio still did not surrender. His left arm was already powerless. Under this rule, I had no choice but twist the arm again. There was plenty of time left. I twisted the left arm again. Another bone was broken. Helio still did not tap. When I tried to twist the arm once more, a white towel was thrown in. I won by TKO. My hand was raised high. Japanese Brazilians rushed into the ring and tossed me up in the air. On the other hand, Helio let his left arm hang and looked very sad withstanding the pain."

Kimura Vs. Rikidozan

"In November 1951, I founded Kokusai Pro Wrestling Association. After I came back from US doing pro wrestling matches, I did pro wrestling shows throughout Japan. In those days, Rikidozan also started a new organization called Japan Pro Wrestling Association. So, mass media started to talk about Kimura vs Rikidozan match. I met with Rikidozan and asked his opinion. He said, "That is a good idea. We will be able to build a fortune. Let's do it!" The 1st bout was going to be a draw. The winner of the 2nd will be determined by the winner of a paper-scissors-stone. After the 2nd match, we will repeat this process. We came to an agreement on this condition. As for the content of the match, Rikidozan will let me throw him, and I will let him strike me with a chop. We then rehearsed karate chop and throws. However, once the bout started, Rikidozan became taken by greed for big money and fame. He lost his mind and became a mad man. When I saw him raise his hand, I opened my arms to invite the chop. He delivered the chop, not to my chest, but to my neck with full force. I fell to the mat. He then kicked me."

"Neck arteries are so vulnerable that it did not need to be Rikidozan to cause a knock down. A junior high school kid could inflict a knock down this way. I could not forgive his treachery. That night, I received a phone call informing me that several ten yakuza are on their way to Tokyo to kill Rikidozan.

In March 1955, I went to Mexico to do pro wrestling match. 8 months later, I went to France to teach judo during the daytime and do pro wrestling at night. I did the same in London. After spending 1 year in Paris and London, respectively, I went to Spain to teach judo and do pro wrestling matches, and stayed there for 4 months. I then went back to Paris to teach judo for 1 week, and went back to Japan in January 1958. As soon as I arrived at Kumamoto station, I was surprised to see 80 to 90 dressed up women all lined up. I wonder if any celebrity has arrived in town.

My question was soon solved. Sugiyama, Vice President of "Cabaret Kimura", had lined up the hostesses. Before I left for Mexico, I had him manage the cabaret. While working as the owner of the cabaret, I contacted pro wrestling promoters in London, France, Germany, and Brazil, Mr. Takeo Yano in Brazil replied to me immediately. He was from Kumamoto Prefecture, and was also a graduate of Chinsei Junior High, 8 years senior to me. I decided to go to Brazil again.

Kimura Vs Adema
"If you refuse to fight today, the angry audiences will set fire on the arena. If this arena got burnt to ash, I would make you accountable for the damage." The promoter glared at me. "Don't be ridiculous", Yano quickly replied, and continued, "The doctor told him not to fight. He is in no condition to fight. The match should be postponed." I had sprained my left knee when I demonstrated judo techniques in Rio de Janeiro. But the arena was already full, and over 5000 people were waiting outside the arena. The start time of the match had already passed. The audiences were booing. To the promoter, money is more important than my injury. Eventually, I and Yano were taken to a room where 3 black policemen were gathering. A small man then came out from behind the policemen, and said to me, "You are a Japanese, Mr. Kimura, aren't you? My father is also a Japanese. A while ago, a boxer became unable to show up for a fight due to an injury. The audiences then got angry and set fire on the building. The building was burnt to ash. No one knows who set the fire. Moreover, the boxer got shot with a pistol on his way home. He got killed instantaneously. Nobody knows who shot him either. Mr. Kimura, you'd better show up for the fight. Even if you may lose, it is better than getting shot to death." He also added that he was the only Japanese in this town, and all the rest are blacks.
Now I had to make a decision.

My opponent Adema Santana was a 25 year old black man, and was a boxing heavy weight champion. He was 4th dan in judo, and a capoeira champion as well. He was 183cm had a well proportioned impressive physique. His weight was close to 100kg. Bahia, where the match took place, is a port city where black slaves were unloaded. The slaves were forbidden to carry a weapon. As a result, many martial arts were developed by them, I heard. Vale Tudo is one of such martial arts. In the south of Sao Paulo, pro wrestling is popular. But the farther one goes to the north, the more popular Vale Tudo becomes. Helio Gracie, whom I had previously fought, was the champion in Vale Tudo. But Adema Santana challenged him the previous year (Note: 1957), and after 2 hours and 10 min, Helio got kicked in the abdomen, could not get up, and got knocked out. Thus, Adema had become the new champion.

In Vale Tudo, no foul is allowed. 1 foul results in an immediate disqualification. No shoes are allowed. When the fighters are separated, they are not allowed to strike with a fist, and they have to use open hand strikes. But once they get in contact with each other, every type of strike is allowed but groin strikes. All types of throws and joint locks are legal. The winner is decided when one of the fighters is KO'd or surrenders. Biting and hair pulling were illegal. Since bare knuckle punches are traded, taking direct 2 or 3 hits in the eye means the end of the fight. I was told there have been many cases in which a fighter got hit in the eye with an elbow, and the eyeball popped out from the socket by half, and got carried to the hospital by an ambulance. Therefore, there were always 2 ambulances at the entrance of the arena.

"I have no choice. I will fight." I said. Then, the promoter grinned, took out a form and told me to sign it. Yano translated the content, which said, "Even if I die in this match, it is what I intended, and will not make anyone accountable for my death." I nodded, and signed the form.

On my way to the ring, someone raised his arm and waved at me. It was Helio Gracie, whom I had not seen for several years. Helio was at the radio broadcast seat. He was the commentator of the match.

The gong rang. Adema and I circled the ring first. I lightly extended my fingers in a half-body posture, and prepared for his kicks. Adema, also in a half-body posture, had tucked his chin, tightened his underarms, as he would do in a boxing match. Once in a while, he delivered high kicks to my face. I blocked the kicks with my hands, and returned a kick with my right leg. Adema started to deliver right and left round house kicks. I stepped back and dodged them, but suddenly, I received a fire-like impact on my face. It was an open hand strike. I had overlooked his hand motion, paying too much attention to his kicks. When I got hit in the temple, and the core of my head became a blur, left and right round house kicks came. When I blocked his right kick with my left hand, a tremendous pain ran through from the tip of the little finger to the back of the hand. I had jammed the finger. I traded kicks with him. The entire audiences were standing with excitement. Even in this situation, I was able to think clearly. While I was thinking "Adema is one level higher than I both in kicks and open hand strikes. In order to win, I must take the fight to the ground", another fast kick flew at my abdomen.
I struck the kick down with left knife hand, and jumped in to deliver a head butt on his abdomen with a momentum that could penetrate through his body. This must have had an effect on him. He covered his abdomen, and stepped back while wobbling. I wanted to get close to him, throw him, get on top of him, and use Newaza. If I succeed in this, I could use elbow strikes and head butts. Adema recovered from the damage, and delivered a kick to my face again. I ducked the kick, and jumped in for a clinch. I got in a tight clinch to prevent him from using knee kicks or elbow strikes. We traversed along the rope. All of a sudden, I received a head cracking impact. I experienced a tremendous ear ringing, and got momentarily unconscious. I received a head butt on my left temple. It was a head butt from a side. I had thought that all the head butts would come from front. I never knew a side head butt. "I cannot lose here. I must win even if I may die", I thought. Driven by this willpower, I tried to find a way to fight back. The referee then came in between to separate us. We were already covered with blood. The fight was brought back to the center of the ring again. Adema threw a right open hand strike. I caught the arm and attempted Ippon-seoi. It seemed like I could score a clean throw. However, it was a miscalculation. We were both heavily covered with sweat as if a large amount of water had been poured onto our heads. Moreover, he had no jacket on. There was no way such a technique could have worked under these conditions. His arm slipped through, and my body rotated in the air once forward, and landed on my back. "I screwed up!" I shouted in my mind, but it was too late. Adema immediately jumped at me. If he got on my chest, he could freely strike my eyes, nose, and chest with his elbows. I caught him in a body scissors. I squeezed his body with full force hoping to sever his intestine. Adema crumbled momentarily, but did not surrender. Since the body scissors did not finish him, I realized that I was in a disadvantageous position. When I lifted my head, hundreds of stars flew out of my eyes. I took a straight punch between my nose and my eyes. It was an accurate intense punch. The back of my head got slammed onto the mat.
Moreover, an intense head butt attacked my abdomen. It felt like my organs would be torn into pieces. Once, twice, I hardened my abdominal muscles to withstand the impact, and waited for the 3rd attack. At the moment the 3rd head butt came, my right fist accurately caught Adema's face by counter. It landed between his nose and eyes. Blood splattered. I had also already been heavily covered with blood. The blood interfered with my vision. "Kill him, kill him!" the devil in my mind screamed. Adema wobbled, and stepped back, and tried to run with the ropes on his back. I chased him throwing kicks and open hand strikes. He returned head butts and elbow strikes. But, neither of us was able to deliver a decisive strike. Maybe we were both exhausted, or maybe the blood in our eyes prevented us from aiming clearly at the target.
After all, the 40 minutes ran out, and the match ended in a draw. It was my first Vale Tudo experience. That night, my face was badly swollen. I had a number of cuts on my face. Every time I breathed, an excruciating pain ran through my belly, and I could not sleep. I received an injection from a doctor, and cooled my belly with a cold towel all night. However, I learned a very important lesson in this fight. That is, one must never fear death. If I had not had the iron will to fight despite the possibility of getting killed, his head butts would have torn my intestine into pieces.

Kimura vs Gorry Guerrero

I rested for 1 week after this match, and left Bahia for Sao Paulo. In Sao Paulo, a huge man named Gorry Guerrero was waiting for me. He was 198 cm and 200 kg, and had tight and super strong muscles. One day, a judo 5th dan, who weighed about 120kg, tried to throw Gorry Guerrero by Uchimata. Gorry Guerrero then lifted up the judoka overhead at once. After this incident, his reputation as a man of unparalleled strength spread throughout Brazil. He always played the role of a heel in pro wrestling, but was well liked among the wrestlers as a gentle nice guy. One day, after I finished a pro wrestling match, Gorry Guerrero came to see me. He said he fought many matches against judoka from Japan, but when he deposited his weight on the judoka as soon as the judoka tried to execute a throw, the judoka collapsed like a frog, and some of them got badly hurt in the lower back and got hospitalized. He then said, "I learned judo for about 6 years when I was a child. I was taught that the essence of judo is that a small man can throw a big man. I want you to show me real judo." I had never practiced with such a big man. I spent 2 or 3 days thinking what techniques to use. One day, when my pro wrestling match ended early, I and Guerrero stood at the center of a ring. All the audiences had gone home. The arena was empty.

I, who am 170cm, looked like a child hanging on an adult no matter how I moved, and had no idea about where and how I should attempt a technique. Whenever he swung me with his hands, I wobbled side to side. When he pulled me up, my feet were lifted up in the air. He attempted O-soto-gari with his right leg. I withstood the pressure with full force. It was fortunate that he did not make transition from O-soto-gari to O-soto-otoshi using his weight. He followed with O-soto-gari, O-goshi, and Ashi-barai. I let him attack and concentrated on defense. He must have thought he was gaining the ground. He came forward with a momentum. I measured the timing and initiated Ippon-seoi. His huge body was carried on my hip. He lost the center of gravity, rolled forward, and fell on his back. As he tried to get up, I threw him 3 more times in a row. He finally made a gesture of surrender, and said, "Thank you, real judo is wonderful, after all" repeatedly."

skip to a specific part, like the rare footage.
Kimura Faces The #1 Street fighter (Bully)
Kimura Talks about his only Judo losses
Kimura Becomes National Champion

Kimura goes to Brazil
Kato Vs Helio Gracie - Video
A Gracie Challenges Kimura's friend
Kimura Vs Helio Gracie - Video
Kimura then fights him, in this interesting video narrated by Rorion Gracie for another point of view.

Kimura Continues his travels
then returns to Brazil where Vale Tudo (No rules fighting) was getting big.
"Even if I die in this match, it is what I intended, and will not make anyone accountable for my death." I nodded, and signed the form"
Kimura Vs Rikidozan - Video
Kimura is betrayed during a pro wrestling match, and attacked by Rikidozan as it turns into a real fight.

Kimura trains with a pro wrestler giant Gorry Guerrero

Kimura Talks About Zen and spiritual life.
I was interested in Zen. I wanted to reach "the state of no ego"
Kimura gives some Judo Tips
A Fight To Death?
To The Battle Field
Kimura Faces Racism
Kimura Faces Boxing.
Kimura Goes to Hawaii
In Hawaii, Sakabe and Yamaguchi demonstrated judo self defense, and I accepted challenge matches for 10 men in a row. This pleased residents of the islands. Wherever we went, the arena was super-packed. Every town was talking about judo. It was no wonder since the Japanese who were completely defeated in the war tossed around and toyed with Americans
Credits go to member pdeking - judoinfo.com for translating (edited for spelling by Neil Ohlenkamp)- March, 2000."My Judo" was written in 1984 and was first published on Jan 31, 1985. It is not longer in print.

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3 Silly Banned Commercials

2010-08-06T08:16:00.000-07:00

If you liked the funny, stupid, banned commercial series, you'll probably enjoy these three videos that were banned on TV.

Canadian Breast Exam

Probably banned because of the obnoxiously silly guy in the video.

Banned Levis Commercial

Levis managed to get banned on Youtube because of some flashing by the female actor (not her fault)

GoDaddys blocked superbowl commercial

The website builder and e-commerce helper GoDaddy apparently thinks TV ads can be as wild as internet ones. Then managed to get themselves blocked.

Funny TV Car Commercials

2010-08-04T18:58:00.000-07:00

This video is a few years old on youtube but still worth sharing. Put together by TheAutoChannel, this collection of commercials is hilarious. You may have seen some of these before. Definitely worth a LOL!

100 Greatest Youtube Hits in 4 min

2010-08-02T00:47:00.000-07:00

A must see video. How many of these do you remember?
Some of the most awesome and funniest moments that have been captured and uploaded to youtube, compiled into a short video, capturing the best parts and beats, while the techno soundtrack is blasting .... What was your reaction (to the soundtrack blasting..) when you first saw these clips?

Besides not being too fond of the soundtrack, although I love techno, I have watched this video 4 times already and finally decided to share it here =D
It has around 800.000 views on Youtube at the time of writing this post.

Funny Banned TV Commercials

2010-08-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

Funny, Stupid and Banned TV Commercials part.1

Why were these TV commercials banned?
Perhaps it's the sexual innuendo, or alcohol references. Bud and Heineken seems to get into trouble a lot.
Check them out for yourself, the rest of the videos are below. Some of the videos might be blocked in your country, hopefully not banned from Youtube by the time you're reading this post, I noticed some music groups have added their copyright claim on these videos already.

Part 2 of funny banned commercials

Part 3 Of hilarious banned TV Ads

Pt4 In the series of Banned TV Commercials

Part 4, last of the videos for now

Official Youtube Blogs

2010-07-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

Tube Blogger is not to be confused with the Official Youtube Blog @ Youtube-Global.blogspot

Althought I probably could have been the writer for that blog or one of the others =P
Check them out in our new Blogroll in the Sidebar.

On the youtube-global blog they usually let us in on the latest features and contests on youtube.
I'll admit, I've gotten some tips from Youtube-Global before, for articles to write about here, but the objective was not in any way to compete with the Official Blogs.

Some other official Youtube blogs are the Youtube Biz Blog which can be helpful for partners and advertisers, and the citizentube blog, like the Citizentube Youtube Channel I shared a last week, as part of the daily Youtube Channel of the day, their blog is a pretty big collection of news from around the world.
On the citizentube blog you can also find links to other Youtube related blog (hey Citizentube guys, add Tube Blogger :)

Youtube putting 20 videos in the museums

2010-07-28T07:16:00.000-07:00

In collaboration with the Guggenheim Museum, and sponsored by Intel and HP Youtube is hosting the Youtube Play project. Everyone can nominate their videos and 200 of them will be viewed by the special Youtube Play jury that were announced today.
Check out this two and a half minute video explaining the Youtube Play project

Short Film shot and edited on iPhone 4

2010-07-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

"Apple of My Eye"

iPhone 4 film - "Apple of My Eye" from Michael Koerbel on Vimeo.
A Short film and documentary shot, AND edited entirely on the iPhone 4.
Look at the crisp quality in most of these shots.

Showing the power of todays mini cameras, but is that all you'll need?
In a documentary by Fstoppers.com they discuss this topic.

Photoshoot with an iphone

This documentary and fashion shoot was made to demonstrate that high quality pictures can be made with just an iphone as a camera.
Although you will need high quality lighting for the footage to look as good as this.

10 Awesome Company Youtube Channels

2010-07-24T11:26:00.000-07:00

Channels on Youtube are created by users or companies as a place where they can share and collect themed videos.
On a channel page you can see videos the user has created as well as his favorites and playlists if he choses to display them.
A lot of companies have created some awesome popular channels on Youtube you definitely should check out.

NASA On Youtube

NASA's Youtube Channel is the most awesome collection of space science videos and also a website portal itself to the Nasa.gov website.

Top Gear

BBC's TOPGEAR Channel on youtube is almost as cool as the website.
It's the most popular motoring channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers and the videos are neatly sorted you can easily find videos about the cars you want.

TEDtalks

Every year the smartest people gather to share their ideas about Technology, Entertainment and Design, which is what TED stands for. TED is a small non-profit dedicated to ideas worth spreading.

Machinima

Machinima has almost become an official word for Video Game recordings edited into short films or other fun stuff, thanks to the macinima site and active viewers/gamers in the community. They feature the best videos made by people from all over the world so if you subscribe, be prepared for several videos a day on your Youtube homepage.

Howcast

A library of funny and entertaining Tutorial and how-to videos updated almost daily.

Also check out their blog at howcast.com

ExpertVillage

Expert Village is another tutorial channel similar to howcast but also occasionally reports on current events.

The Pulitzer Center's Youtube Channel

Pulitzer Center, Crisis reporting. Reporting the underreported news, the Pulitzer Center is an important news entity of national affairs.
Their youtube channels hosts a couple of new videos every week. More recent stories can be found on their website.

Amnesty International on Youtube

United activists campaigning for human rights of all.

Greenpeace on Youtube

interesting climate activist videos on youtube.

Subscribing to these channels is a way to support, you should also check out and subscribe to The World Wide Fund:

WWF On Youtube

Heartbreaking videos and stories about threatened species and other concerning issues.

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"Poetry Of Reality" - Science Music Video

2010-06-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

Richard Feynman via last.fm

It's funny what youtubers and sound editors come up with. Can you imagine this quote autotuned?

[Greene]

From our lonely point in the cosmos

We have through the power of thought

Been able to peer back to a brief moment

After the beginning of the universe

LOL! Auto Tuning is the same sound editing tool Lil Wayne and many others have been using lately, uses to fix their voice. The people over at Symphony of Science have a hobby of creating science related music vids and anthems.
I actually enjoyed this video but I think it was mostly because of the editing. Check out the video!

It features quotes from 12 people who are highly regarded in the scientific community, promoting science through words of wisdom. Including: Richard Dawkins, Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking, Michael Shermer, Jacob Bronowski, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Jill Tarter, Lawrence Krauss, Richard Feynman, Brian Greene, Carolyn Porco, and PZ Myers,

Poetry Of Reality

"The fifth installment in the Symphony of Science series"

- http://symphonyofscience.com

Quotes = Lyrics

[Michael Shermer]

Science is the best tool ever devised

For understanding how the world works

[Jacob Bronowski]

Science is a very human form of knowledge

We are always at the brink of the known

[Carl Sagan]

Science is a collaborative enterprise

Spanning the generations

We remember those who prepared the way

Seeing for them also

[Neil deGrasse Tyson]

If you're scientifically literate,

The world looks very different to you

And that understanding empowers you

Refrain:

[Richard Dawkins]

There's real poetry in the real world

Science is the poetry of reality

[Sagan]

We can do science

And with it, we can improve our lives

[Jill Tarter]

The story of humans is the story of ideas

That shine light into dark corners

[Lawrence Krauss]

Scientists love mysteries

They love not knowing

[Richard Feynman]

I don't feel frightened by not knowing things

I think it's much more interesting

[Brian Greene]

There's a larger universal reality

of which we are all a part

[Stephen Hawking]

The further we probe into the universe

The more remarkable are the discoveries we make

[Carolyn Porco]

The quest for the truth, in and of itself,

Is a story that's filled with insights