David Wilkins first started martial arts training as a cadet at the US Military Academy at West Point, New York. He also trained in Taekwondo with the Republic of Korean Marines while serving in Afghanistan 2002–2003. Wilkins retired from military service in 2007.  

 

Wilkins renewed his martial arts training at AMAFA in 2017 after his daughter, Sterling, and wife, Darolyn, started taking lessons. Wilkins studies Taekwondo, Hapkido, and Five Realms Meditative Movement. He was the first student to study all three core AMAFA arts, and has done so during his entire training time. Assistant Instructor Wilkins earned a Taekwondo 2nd Degree Black Belt in May 2021, a Hapkido 1st Degree Black Belt in May 2023, and an Assistant Instructor’s certificate for Five Realms Meditative Movement in July 2023.

 

Wilkins is a Program Director for AC Transit’s East Bay Tempo Bus Rapid Transit Project. He likes to travel domestically and internationally, and hike in both urban and natural settings. His favorite places to travel are the South Pacific, the Caribbean and Mexico. Some of Wilkins’ favorite healthy snacks are roasted almonds, dried seaweed, and dried mangoes.

 

Assistant Instructor Wilkins says that one trait that he continues to develop while training at AMAFA is Patience, “especially in my own house, where it counts the most.”