yl Sigh 4 id a Tea i ‘ Pia Una naa ‘ re ory ATUOU INTE: i) 1 yi) : Caeatiya SUA HU SP if. wallet tit ARATE ORY ined Nees wet int pat tae, ¥ % H Paps taney eee Minh Witey SA RCRAL Mp RGIS Ae ilspab tase : pres hGhy whe iii ee eB it f ae Aye j ‘et rita f TE wa Ne Cindy WY RUC 0 eet ern eres Continued from back page “Todo any karate movernent well,” says Brock, “vou first must repeat that movement hhousands of tines, so thaticecan be done wachout Chinking. “The word ‘karate’ means ‘empty hand’ ‘empty’ referring to une state your mind has to wchieve in order to be efficient in arate, Your mind must be empey and void ofall thought and you must be void of all wo, Which is why we wear white to train, The white represents che purity of our eytentions to trun hard. Only your pertorm: ance attests co your ability, “There is a saving that refers to the state of nnd we strive Co aciain to pracuce karate: ‘As aietor's polished surtace retlects whatever stands betore land the quiet valley caries even snail sounds, so must the wuident of karate render his mind empty ot selfishness inn etfort Co react appropriately roward anyiunis he might encounter,” Jrock has had many opportunities lo test sawn abilities to react. He was a member atthe Vancouver Zolice Emergency Re- sponse Team tor five years in Vancouver, nh “! , Wedd RM aN ‘ , ult fe My ve ahaa Pie But from the start, ic was karate he wanted to learn, “Tonly started in judo because there were no karate teachers where I lived,” he says, “Then | moved to Viccona,” Why did he want to learn karate? “L guess you could say that Bruce Lee and Green Hornet TV shows made an impression,” he says, “There was a Bruce Lee craze in the seventies. It was an era when marshall arts became a fad, “Beyond that, it probably goes along with wy | became a policeman, In a world where only the strong survive, you have to be strong, I grew up ina police family —- my dad was a policeman -— and i hated the idea of bullies being able to have their way.” By the ame Brock was 16, he had his fisst- degree black belt and had started teaching. Since then, he’s taught extensively, including instruction tor the Vancouver Police Karate Club trom 1981 to 1990, when he wera policeman there. He’s now teaching at the West Point Grey Community Cenere. ln the near Fucure, he'll begin teaching in Surrey — at William Watson Elementary School, Mondays How long has Brock been pracusing pare A arch Weetmescdays, trom 6 co 7:30, for lads; at {PAG Klementary School, Mondays and “T started judo in 1968," says Brock, Maken changed to karate in 1971 when Twas U1." Wednesday, 8:30 to 10, for adults. He’s also i BAY aT t ny es ’ M Lali? # 08 ‘ it ah, Nt Spe hie developing a defensive tactics program for the police section of transit. Brock has entered many competitons over the vears, fis accomplishments include: first- place medals trom the World Police and Fire Cyarnes: tirst place finishes in the B.C, Karate and Kung-fu Championships; first place in the Mercer Island Karate Toumament, Seattle, Washington, Last December, he coached the Canadian National Team GIA) in the World Karate Charnpionships in Dubat, United Arab Emirates (500 miles from Kuwait, just before the Gulf War). There were 42 pardcipating counties, One of his team members -~ an 18- year-old woman — placed seventh in the world What are Brock’s karate plans for the future “f'm going to practice till I die,” he says, “so it’s hard to say. It’s not essential to me that I become a fourth degree black belt, though [ aspire co thar, My instructor will probably come from Japan, or I'll go in the near future to do that. Now, as an instructor I find more rewards in the development of my students, which in tum helps my own personal development.” If vou'd like to be one of Brock’s stu- dents, you can reach him at his home number, 576-2367, to find out more about the courses he teaches. =.