ROSH HASHANAH 5785 SECTION D, PAGE 12
Standing at 5’5”, Nili Block, at first glance, does not look particularly imposing.
Looks can be deceiving.
Block, a native of Baltimore who grew up in Beit Shemesh, Israel, has a jab that explodes in the blink of an eye and a roundhouse leg kick that comes out of nowhere.
No wonder she is a two-time kickboxing world champion. Kickboxing combines punching and kicking, where the competitors score points by landing legal strikes against their opponents.
“Especially in that sport, there was no concrete path,” says Block.
“I had to create my own path.”
Block, 29, the niece of Denver’s Rich and Rochelle Sokol, took up kickboxing at the age of 10 at the suggestion of her mother, Rina, who wanted her daughter to learn self-defense.
Nili’s first full-fledged fight came two years later. At 17 she turned professional, and three years later was a world champ as a flyweight (132 lb. division).
That year she was named the 2015 Female Athlete of the Year by the Federation of Non-Olympic Competitive Sports in Israel.
“It was incredible,” says Block.
“All the hard work and the small injuries that happen along the way, and all the downfalls during training when you think it’s not working. It was like a puzzle that came together.
“There is scientific work that shows that it takes 10,000 hours to become a professional in your profession.
“I’m the example of the 10,000 hour rule. I knew that it was a matter of time. When it happened, I knew it was the beginning of something big.”
At the age of 19, Block served in the Israeli Defense Forces as a “special athlete.” (She pauses, as if her duties were confidential, while later confessing: “A desk job.”)
Now a resident of Tel Aviv, Block wears her heritage on her sleeve, literally. She shows up at meets wearing T-shirts bearing the message “Freedom for Israel.”
“Free the hostages,” Block says. “Bring them home now.”
Wherever Block travels, she shares the importance of self-defense, conducting workshops for students. While in Denver recently for the wedding of her sister, Aria Block Walles. Nili trained at the Easton Training Center and visited Cherry Creek High School.
“I speak about the mindset of a champion,” says Block, “and about the mindset that you’re able to really take key principles into any realm, in any field that you want to succeed.”
Block is also immersed in combat sambo, a martial art which is Russian-style wrestling that includes judo.
“At the end of the day, me as a Jewish girl, I wasn’t supposed to be where I am today,” she says.
“Because of my determination to be a professional athlete and the mindset that I really put into it, that’s what gave me the extra edge to become a multiple time world champ.”
Block has her sights set on other sporting worlds. She is considering a move to Florida to immerse herself in the mixed martial arts universe.
That in mind, Nili has no issues with 10,000 more hours to reach her next step.
“It takes a lot of patience,” says Block, “and it takes a lot of understanding that no matter what comes your way during your journey, it’s part of the process.”
© IJN 2024
