Tackett began training in the martial arts when he was stationed in Taiwan in 1962 while serving in the United States Air Force. On the recommendation of a friend, he began studying martial arts intensively. During his 3 years in Taiwan he learned two types of Hsing-i, T'ai chi, Northern and Southern Shaolin, White Crane, and Monkey style kung fu. After his discharge from the Air Force in 1966, he opened a Gung Fu school in Redlands, California while attending the University of California, Riverside.
