TAI (transitions, actions, incorporated) Karate is a subset of the TAI Martial Arts system. TAI Karate is a style of karate that allows for the practitioner to study a base style of martial arts, and enhance your abilities by adding key elements from complementary styles. In this day and age many styles have begun following this idea of “cross training” however at its inception, it founder, Grandmaster David German, was considered a “martial arts outlaw” or “martial arts heretic” for daring to teach an art that did not have a single source or influence. But with his history of simultaneously studying American Kenpo and Budojujutsu, it was just a natural step in the evolution of his training and his art.
Anyone who has ever studied with Grandmaster German has had the benefit of his years of training in not only American Kenpo and Budo-Jujutsu, but also in his training in various styles of Kung Fu. All of these arts have come to influence Grandmaster German and the arts that he teaches. With TAI, Grandmaster German seeks to not simply create a style that will be studied by its practitioners, but rather a style that will help to develop the practitioner into a well-rounded martial artist. Without the limitations that we are often faced when studying a single style or style that revolves around a rigid set of rules for training and application of its techniques, TAI has the freedom to allow its practitioner to develop their own personal skills while still remaining true to the original intent of their teacher.
In the past, it was quite simple to determine which style of martial arts you would study. Your physical size and stature, combined with your physical strength and flexibility would often times lead a person to studying one particular style of martial arts. However with TAI, it doesn't matter what size of type of person you are, you can still learn to punch and kick with the rest of the class, while knowing you will be able to continue to develop the grappling skills that you know to be your strength. TAI gives an instructor the freedom to teach the individual, not the style.