GM David German - History of TAI?
- Thread starter Ceicei
- Start date
KENPOJOE
Brown Belt
Hi Folks!
Where did you hear about Tex Ritter? I know he was one of Mr. German's idols and role models, But what else did he tell you? He was also one of Mr. German's inspirations to become a western horserider and trainer. Tex Ritter is a famous cowboy movie and TV star and can be found at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tex_Ritter
I hope that I was of some service,
KENPOJOE
KENPOJOE
Brown Belt
Hi folks!
What would you like to know? Do you have any of GM German's videos or DVDs? Have you met him? Have you ever trained in TAI? Please feel free to ask any questions regarding GM. German and i'll be happy to assist you!
BEGOOD,
KENPOJOE
KENPOJOE
Brown Belt
Hi Carol!
Thanks for the "plug" and sorry I wasn't able to take you up on your offer about the Martialtalk/Kenpotalk summit in NY. Hopefully see you in fitchburg for the kenpo camp up there!
BEGOOD,
KENPOJOE
OP
OP
I was trying to find some information about Mr. David German, and his son Eric German and I made contact with each other. He mentioned that Tex played a big part in the way Mr. German thought while he was developing TAI. Eric couldn't give me much information as he said his father didn't really write any books on TAI. He did say that there were many anecdotes that Mr. German had shared with his students, so if I was looking for history, I could ask the students.
That, however, will be the TAI history as seen by his students.
Thank you for the link on Tex Ritter. Sorry I had mispelled Tex's last name. I didn't hear it correctly. I wonder how did Tex influence Mr. German when it comes to martial arts? I am not sure of the connection other than perhaps the cowboy fight scenes. I do know that Mr. German revered him quite a bit.
- Ceicei
OP
OP
I never had the chance to meet GM German, I wish I did when the opportunity came. I have had so many people tell me I should have met him and the goals I have with my martial arts would be very compatible with what GM German did.
What I wanted really was to see his own views of how he set up TAI, what issues or challenges did he come across with blending kenpo, jujitsu, and chin na (and others) together. Eric German said that one of his father's pet peeves was seeing how some other people merely "put together" different techniques from kenpo and jujitsu rather than focusing upon flowing through, making smooth transitionary moves. That comment was what intrigued me.
I do not have any videos or DVDS, but I would like to see more of Mr. German in action. Are any of these videos or DVDS captioned as I am deaf? I am quite fascinated with TAI, but I do not think there is a nearby TAI school in Utah.
- Ceicei
KempoShaun
Green Belt
Sadly, this is the only video of Mr. German on youtube, and the quality is pretty bad... But you can still see his speed and skill.
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ArmorOfGod
Senior Master
I am a couple of generations removed from Mr. German. I trained for 3 or so years under Virgil Kimmey, who was a 10th dan under Mr. German, then I moved to a (then) 6th degree black belt from Mr. Kimmey. Under that teacher I got my black belt, then later my 2nd dan from a different teacher from Mr. Kimmey's camp.
I have some of Mr. German's videos as well.
Since we have your ear, KenpoJoe, who do you think will take over the TAI movement now that Mr. German has passed away?
AoG
AoG
I am a 4th Degree Black Belt in TAI. I trained under Mr. Kimmey until his death in 2002, and was promoted to a 3rd Degree Black Belt under him. I promoted to a 4th by Mr. German.
Currently Ralph Anderson is running Mr. German's school since David's passing. He is taking over the reigns of coordinating the members of US TAI Karate, and is also working toward organzing us into a better organizaed national system. We are looking at national, regional, and local groups to help coordinate and expand the TAI association. He is using a regional board of directors plan that Mr. German had approved before his death. Unfortunately it was never implemented. Ralph plans to instead implement the plan on a national level. The goal is to let everyone have a vote in the direction of TAI not only locally, but regionally and nationally as well.
I have heard that a few people are coming up out of the wood work to claim that they have been chosen or appointed to head up TAI, but these people are...well, they are claiming to be something they aren't.
AoG, I saw that you trained under two seperate BBs of Mr. Kimmey's. I am from your area, and was curious who you trained under, and who you are currently with. Mr. Kimmey had a lot of people in the area that he trained. Kind of hard not to I guess, since he was in the area for almost 40 years.
I am a 4th Degree Black Belt in TAI. I trained under Mr. Kimmey until his death in 2002, and was promoted to a 3rd Degree Black Belt under him. I promoted to a 4th by Mr. German.
Currently Ralph Anderson is running Mr. German's school since David's passing. He is taking over the reigns of coordinating the members of US TAI Karate, and is also working toward organzing us into a better organizaed national system. We are looking at national, regional, and local groups to help coordinate and expand the TAI association. He is using a regional board of directors plan that Mr. German had approved before his death. Unfortunately it was never implemented. Ralph plans to instead implement the plan on a national level. The goal is to let everyone have a vote in the direction of TAI not only locally, but regionally and nationally as well.
I have heard that a few people are coming up out of the wood work to claim that they have been chosen or appointed to head up TAI, but these people are...well, they are claiming to be something they aren't.
AoG, I saw that you trained under two seperate BBs of Mr. Kimmey's. I am from your area, and was curious who you trained under, and who you are currently with. Mr. Kimmey had a lot of people in the area that he trained. Kind of hard not to I guess, since he was in the area for almost 40 years.
You can currently get all of Mr. German's old DVDs from Century Martial Arts. They are on special right now for $9.99 each. These are the old Panther Production VHS tapes converted to DVD. You can also get his newest DVD through Budo International. I was with him when they filmed the footage in Florida. It was a pretty good video, although there was more footage that was suppossed to be used in future videos. I haven't seen any new videos produced yet.
Joe might also have access to some of the other videos from training seminars and demonstrations that Mr. German has done in the recent past.
Well, from what Mr. German told me, he was in a children's style of Judo at first; obtaining a black belt around the age of 12. This style mainly consists of take downs and holds.
From there, he ended up studying under Al Thomas in the art of Budojujutsu. He would train in this art for many years, and during this time, he would also run across one of Ed Parker's schools. He started training with Ed, while at the same time, continuing to train and teach under Al Thomas. Through Mr. Thomas, he was able to develop an impressive ground game, being able to train with the likes of "Judo" Gene Lebell. Through Ed, he was able to develop impressive stand up abilities as well.
Well, as to be expected, each of the two schools had somewhat of an interest in what David was learning at the other school. Because of this, both of the two schools began "experimenting" with defenses against the other styles "techniques". I personally feel that this was Mr. German's first exposure to the idea of these two influential styles working together; albeit to try to defend against the other.
Mr. German then went on to open a Kenpo Karate school (one of Mr. Parker's first franchise schools) and also include grappling in his teachings. It was my understanding that he began to get some flack about teaching things that weren't part of the Kenpo Karate curriculum. That combined with an episode that caused him to feel that he was disrespected by Mr. Parker, ended up causing him to break away from the Kenpo Karate assocaition and create TAI. This started his creation and evolution of TAI.
Joe, maybe you can add some more info or make some additions / correction to the above. Most of this is from recollections of conversations that Mr. German and I had.
As for the Tex Ritter connection, I have a few thoughts. Mr. German was a lot like Mr. Kimmey in some of his veiws and ideas. I have found that a lot of people that grew up in that generation looked to people on the big screen as role models and people to aspire to be like. John Wayne is a perfect example of this to many people in the US that were young when he was on the silver screen. It is a lot like Bruce Lee was to many that were around when he hit the theaters. The only difference was that martial arts icons weren't as prevalent until Bruce came around. Until then, a rough and tumble cowboy was probably the next best thing. Of course this is all speculation.
OP
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OP
Thank you for sharing this bit of history. I still would like to find out more of Mr. German's experimenting process and his thoughts of the kenpo/grappling integration. Is this information available somewhere, or will it continue to be elusive? I know there are stuff out there saying what TAI is, but not much out there apparently of the "human side" (the philosophical part) in building TAI the way it is today.
- Ceicei
bigredscare
White Belt
Hi. I'm glad there is still interest in David German and the TAI Way. April Whidden, GM German's daughter, is my sister (though I am not related to GM German - eh, complex story.)
My mother Sharon lived with David German for the last years of his life (David wanted to be close to his daughter April), and when they moved up here to Oregon from California, I finally got to hang out with the legendary man (and his son, Eric German). We all had a very close familial relationship, and I loved David very much, and I consider Eric to be my brother (from another mother!).
By the way, Sharon sends her love, Mr. Rebelo! She would like to talk to you sometime, as would I. I think you're one of the few people left working very hard to keep David in the spotlight when it comes to TAI!
David and I had a very loose master/student relationship, and I thought of him more like a father than an instructor, but we both had the same hobby (martial arts). The last couple years of David's life were some of the greatest years of my life. My mother had "prepped" me before I had ever met David, years and years in advance, when she and David were apart. (I believe they were in love, but they were incompatable as partners until later in life... and even then some of the funniest moments were their lover's spats Eric, April, her husband, my wife, and I were all witness to.) However, I was not really prepared for what David himself would teach me.
Through the couple of years of training with David himself, and the serious mentorship he gave me, and the grappling with Eric (and the years of training I had with my mother and my sister April), etc. I feel that I got a pretty firm grasp of what TAI "really" means. I will try to explain my interpretation now.
1. David was a firm believer in experimentation as your best friend. He had sets and forms and drills as the formal part of his lessons, but as the informal parts he would have you take what you drew from the formal lessons and depart from them. He was fond of simply stepping back and saying, "just have fun with it". His kempoman is really invaluable when it comes to this, but its not necessary. TAI does not create clones, but individual artists.
2. As Eric said, and Shari concurs (as do I), it seems that the most emphasis was placed on "flow" - a seamless movement from one technique, or even style, to another. I like to say that TAI is what happens between the styles, between Kenpo and Chin Na, between Chin Na and Jujutsu, between Jujutsu and boxing, between boxing and ... well, you get the point. The name says it all, "transitional action, incorporated". David like to do a drill and stop somewhere along the drill and ask, "can I, if I wanted, add a kick here, or an elbow here, or flow into an armlock", etc. It seems commonsense in mixed martial arts, but when David came up with TAI mixed martial arts was not only practically unknown, it was practically forbidden! (Hence, the trouble between David and Ed Parker.)
3. Weapons. Yes, weapons. Weapons play a big part of TAI, and I must admit this even though I am not a weapons fan. The reason for this, however, is to really demonstrate the interconnectivity between ALL fighting styles - this is the TAI Way! Weapons are always an extension of one's self, and this fact is made abundantly clear in TAI. Knuckles cut like swords, and swords strike like fists. A kenpo form can be modified to make it into a sword form, and vice versa. Which takes us to:
4. Grappling. You can not understand TAI without understanding grappling. David used grappling in every technique he used, even (or especially?) with weapons. And his submission techniques left one... breathless (viewer and victim alike). (The most impressive techniques I think were his "stacking" techniques, where he would take multiple opponents and "tie" them up so that they could not move without hurting eachother. And boy could he do these fast!)
5. ? I'm still trying to "relive" my conversations with David, and to remember all that he taught me. He taught me so much that I think it will take years for my mind to catch up to all the information. I feel like I will be under David's tutelege for years and years to come. He was still developing TAI at the time of his passing, and I think that's the general nature of TAI: that it never rests, never becomes complacent, never stops. It always adapts, and always, and forever, "flows"...
My mother Sharon lived with David German for the last years of his life (David wanted to be close to his daughter April), and when they moved up here to Oregon from California, I finally got to hang out with the legendary man (and his son, Eric German). We all had a very close familial relationship, and I loved David very much, and I consider Eric to be my brother (from another mother!).
By the way, Sharon sends her love, Mr. Rebelo! She would like to talk to you sometime, as would I. I think you're one of the few people left working very hard to keep David in the spotlight when it comes to TAI!
David and I had a very loose master/student relationship, and I thought of him more like a father than an instructor, but we both had the same hobby (martial arts). The last couple years of David's life were some of the greatest years of my life. My mother had "prepped" me before I had ever met David, years and years in advance, when she and David were apart. (I believe they were in love, but they were incompatable as partners until later in life... and even then some of the funniest moments were their lover's spats Eric, April, her husband, my wife, and I were all witness to.) However, I was not really prepared for what David himself would teach me.
Through the couple of years of training with David himself, and the serious mentorship he gave me, and the grappling with Eric (and the years of training I had with my mother and my sister April), etc. I feel that I got a pretty firm grasp of what TAI "really" means. I will try to explain my interpretation now.
1. David was a firm believer in experimentation as your best friend. He had sets and forms and drills as the formal part of his lessons, but as the informal parts he would have you take what you drew from the formal lessons and depart from them. He was fond of simply stepping back and saying, "just have fun with it". His kempoman is really invaluable when it comes to this, but its not necessary. TAI does not create clones, but individual artists.
2. As Eric said, and Shari concurs (as do I), it seems that the most emphasis was placed on "flow" - a seamless movement from one technique, or even style, to another. I like to say that TAI is what happens between the styles, between Kenpo and Chin Na, between Chin Na and Jujutsu, between Jujutsu and boxing, between boxing and ... well, you get the point. The name says it all, "transitional action, incorporated". David like to do a drill and stop somewhere along the drill and ask, "can I, if I wanted, add a kick here, or an elbow here, or flow into an armlock", etc. It seems commonsense in mixed martial arts, but when David came up with TAI mixed martial arts was not only practically unknown, it was practically forbidden! (Hence, the trouble between David and Ed Parker.)
3. Weapons. Yes, weapons. Weapons play a big part of TAI, and I must admit this even though I am not a weapons fan. The reason for this, however, is to really demonstrate the interconnectivity between ALL fighting styles - this is the TAI Way! Weapons are always an extension of one's self, and this fact is made abundantly clear in TAI. Knuckles cut like swords, and swords strike like fists. A kenpo form can be modified to make it into a sword form, and vice versa. Which takes us to:
4. Grappling. You can not understand TAI without understanding grappling. David used grappling in every technique he used, even (or especially?) with weapons. And his submission techniques left one... breathless (viewer and victim alike). (The most impressive techniques I think were his "stacking" techniques, where he would take multiple opponents and "tie" them up so that they could not move without hurting eachother. And boy could he do these fast!)
5. ? I'm still trying to "relive" my conversations with David, and to remember all that he taught me. He taught me so much that I think it will take years for my mind to catch up to all the information. I feel like I will be under David's tutelege for years and years to come. He was still developing TAI at the time of his passing, and I think that's the general nature of TAI: that it never rests, never becomes complacent, never stops. It always adapts, and always, and forever, "flows"...
KENPOJOE
Brown Belt
Hi Folks!
Dear "Big Red Scare",
It's so good to hear from you! You were so fortunate to have such a wonderful family and have such great experiences with GM German! I miss him every day but my loss pales compared to you...Please send my love to Shari/sharon and please feel free to contact me at www.kenpojoe.com. You provided valuble insights into the understanding of T.a.i.
i will continue to acknowledge & encourage martial artists and especially kenpoists to explore TAI,David German's legacy.
I will always remember his enigmatic ways and demenor,
BEGOOD,
KENPOJOE
