David first started his martial arts training as a teenager studying Hapkido. Years later, while serving in the U.S. Army, he went to a local kickboxing gym and was hooked on the intense training and competitiveness of the sport. Having fought several years as an amateur kickboxer, David's interest then shifted to reality self-defense more applicable for street self defense. A gym opened in St. Louis that taught what he was looking for.

After training for two years in traditional Israeli krav maga, David was introduced to a more evolved system called Combat Survival - Commando Krav Maga. Founded by Moni Aizik, a former member of Israeli Special Forces, David saw the effectiveness and practicality of this system. Wanting to pass this knowledge on to others David became a certified instructor and is currently teaching at St. Louis Self-Defense and Fitness.