'David German is determined in his belief that he could prove the credibility of classical Kung Fu by fusing it to the non-classical arts of boxing and hardcore grappling. At age twelve he earned a black belt in Jiu Jitsu from Sensei Kimura of the now-defunct Japanese Youth Center in West Covina, California. At that time Al Thomas' Budokan Academy in nearby El Monte was special to American martial artists as the Mecca of Malibu Beach is to surfers. It was here that he began study with Sifu Leonard Lum of San Francisco via Hong Kong, who taught him the systems of Sil Lum Kung Fu, White Tiger (Bok Fu Pai), White Hair, White Eyebrow (Bok Mei Pai), Chin Na and Chuan Fa. He did find time in those formative years to study with Ed Parker of American Kenpo, earning a black belt and eventually owning two studios with Parker at the age of sixteen. 

Here is some of David German's philosophy on TAI...
       "I view teaching as a way to utilize various psychological gestalt techniques," he says, using the term that means "form" in German (no pun intended), or the integration of patterns into a valuable whole. "We may begin with Kenpo, then a weapon, shift to a Sil Lum form--when the student's energy has peaked in those arts, we may introduce Boxing, Grappling, Chin Na, blending the whole to become a complete fighting method. We have no basics in TAI Karate. Knowledge is our basics."
       "In TAI Karate we may box to open against an attacker, then flow into Kenpo, then Sil Lum to Chin Na, then grapple to finish the fight." Does this mean that grappling is the end-all, the most effective art? Says German, "All I will say is that a good grappler can fight multiple opponents and win--against five guys you'll be on the ground anyway." German is no "paper" white tiger when it comes to demonstrating his grappling prowess. Eighteen years ago he singlehandedly wrestled the entire San Diego State wrestling team, including its coach, until all submitted, to prove the worth of his uniquely-designed grappling art. "...Six straight hours, non-stop, and I broke and arm and rib that day," German chuckles. "I also wrestled Brian Adams' Kenpo people that day. Brian had the wrestlers down for Kenpo lessons, so I obliged. The Kenpo schools like our grappling method because it makes you mentally tough, and it's a toughness you can't get from Kung Fu or Karate. Still, the Martial Arts are the ultimate in self-defense for time spent. A good boxer or wrestler must spend several hours of contact, conditioning. In Karate, you can luck-out with a kick from any angle."