TED2013
BLACK: My journey to yo-yo mastery
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Remember the days you struggled just to make a yo-yo spin, and if you were really fancy, to “walk the dog”? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Japanese yo-yo world champion BLACK tells the inspiring story of finding his life's passion, and gives an awesome performance that will make you want to pull your yo-yo back out of the closet.
BLACK - Yo-yo champion
Twice the world yo-yo champion, BLACK mixes dance, sport and performance to create unforgettable yo-yo moments. Full bio
Twice the world yo-yo champion, BLACK mixes dance, sport and performance to create unforgettable yo-yo moments. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:20
When I was 14 years old,
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I had low self-esteem.
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I felt I was not talented at anything.
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One day, I bought a yo-yo.
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When I tried my first trick, it looked like this.
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I couldn't even do the simplest trick,
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but it was very natural for me,
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00:50
because I was not dextrous, and hated all sports.
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But after one week of practicing,
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my throws became more like this.
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01:06
A bit better.
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I thought, the yo-yo is something for me to be good at,
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for the first time in my life.
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I found my passion.
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I was spending all my time practicing.
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It took me hours and hours a day
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to build my skills up to the next level.
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And then, four years later, when I was 18 years old,
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I was standing onstage at the World Yo-Yo Contest.
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And I won.
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I was so excited. "Yes, I did it! I became a hero.
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01:40
I may get many sponsors, a lot of money,
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tons of interviews, and be on TV!" I thought. (Laughter)
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01:47
But after coming back to Japan,
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totally nothing changed in my life.
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I realized society didn't value my passion.
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So I went back to my college
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and became a typical Japanese worker
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as a systems engineer.
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02:07
I felt my passion, heart and soul, had left my body.
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02:13
I felt I was not alive anymore.
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02:16
So I started to consider what I should do,
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and I thought, I wanted to make my performance better,
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and to show onstage how spectacular the yo-yo could be
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to change the public's image of the yo-yo.
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So I quit my company
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and started a career as a professional performer.
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I started to learn classic ballet, jazz dance,
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acrobatics and other things
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to make my performance better.
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As a result of these efforts, and the help of many others,
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it happened.
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I won the World Yo-Yo Contest again
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in the artistic performance division.
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I passed an audition for Cirque du Soleil.
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03:00
Today, I am standing on the TED stage
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with the yo-yo in front of you.
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03:07
(Applause)
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What I learned from the yo-yo is,
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if I make enough effort with huge passion,
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there is no impossible.
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Could you let me share my passion with you
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through my performance?
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(Applause)
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03:57
(Water Sounds)
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(Music)
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(Applause)
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(Music)
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09:13
(Music) (Applause)
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09:20
(Applause)
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09:29
(Music) (Applause)
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(Applause)
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09:45
(Music)
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10:17
(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
BLACK - Yo-yo championTwice the world yo-yo champion, BLACK mixes dance, sport and performance to create unforgettable yo-yo moments.
Why you should listen
At 14, BLACK picked up his first yo-yo. Initially he couldn't do even the easiest trick -- but after one week of practicing, he realized: I could be good at this. Very good. Four years later (and 10,000 hours of practicing), he took the title of 2001 world champion. And then ... he gave it up. Went to school, got a job. But he missed the passion of performing. He realized: "I want to do this: Entertain, and bring excitement and joy to people with the yo-yo."
Returning to competition after six years, he won the 2007 World Yo-Yo Contest in the artistic performance category. After that, he started dance and acrobatic training to create a new form of performing and art. Imagine a yo-yo performance graceful and thrilling enough to pass the audition for Cirque du Soleil ... while being fast and precise enough to pull a tablecloth out from under a stack of champagne glasses!
BLACK | Speaker | TED.com