David Meyer has been training in Shaolin Kenpo Karate under Great Grandmaster Ralph Castro since 1991. Sibok Meyer presently holds the rank of 5th Degree Black Belt. He is also a certified SHARP Instructor (sexual harassment and rape prevention) through PPCT Management Systems, Inc and a member of the American Teachers Association of the Martial Arts (ATAMA).
Sibok Meyer began studying martial arts at age 17, when he began training in Japanese Shotokan Karate which was followed by Korean Tang Soo Do Karate. His study of Tang Soo Do was interrupted when he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he met Great Grandmaster Castro and began training in Shaolin Kenpo Karate.
Sibok moved back to Minnesota in 1998 and began teaching Shaolin Kenpo through St. Paul Community Education and in 2004 opened Running Tiger Shaolin Kenpo at its current location. He has since promoted eight practitioners to Black Belt, and their rank is recognized by the International Shaolin Kenpo Association. Sibok Meyer still regularly travels to the San Francisco Bay Area to train with Great Grandmaster Castro.
Great Grandmaster Ralph Castro has a tradition of awarding a dance, or form, to his high- ranking black belts. Great Grandmaster’s own dance is Mountain Meets River, which is the Purple Belt dance. This is especially appropriate because in Shaolin Kenpo, everything builds upon that which came before. So it is that the Shaolin Kenpo black belts are an expression of what came before us-- Great Grandmaster himself. In 2003, Great Grandmaster Castro formally awarded David Meyer the dance, Running Tiger.
The Running Tiger patch represents our school as well as our lineage. The fist, characterized as mountains, is Great Grandmaster’s logo and also represents who he is, Mountain Meets River. The lightening bolt represents Great Grandmaster’s instructor, William Kwai Sun “Thunderbolt” Chow. The eagle represents Sifu Joseph Chacon, Eagle Talon
Running Tiger, Inc. has a strong commitment to reducing violence against women as well as teaching self-defense to women. We teach the Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention Program (SHARP) as developed by PPCT Management Systems, Inc. This program is taught in seminar format with a flat fee. Our intent is to provide all women with insights into their world, understanding of their environment and the tools to make it safer. The SHARP principles have also been incorporated into the Shaolin Kenpo Karate classes.
