Founder and Chief Instructor

Background: The Founder and Chief Instructor of the National Karate Academies is Professor Steve Miranda, a very talented and experienced Instructor in many different styles of martial arts. Professor Steve Miranda is highly recognised in the martial arts community and has a reputation for quality martial arts training. He is a true freestylist, with a traditional background Professor Steve Miranda still does a physical grading every 5 years. he is currently a 11th Degree Blackbelt after grading in front of a crowd of over 200 people.

How it all began…

Professor Steve Miranda’s love affair with the martial arts began at a very early age, when he was introduced to Kancho Bill Fenton by his grandfather, Angie Miranda after a small fight in the play ground. The very young Steve Miranda became Kancho Bill Fenton’s most dedicated and best student, and their introduction saw the beginning of a life-long relationship, lasting nearly 40 years. Professor Steve always said that Kancho Bill was his “second father”.

Kancho Bill graded Professor Steve Miranda to 8th Dan black belt in Judo and Jujitsu for his knowledge, experience and dedication, which took 40 years. His wish was to grade Professor Steve to 10th Dan before he died, but sadly Kancho Bill passed away on the 15th September 2005, at 77 years of age. He will always be remembered and deeply missed, but Kancho Bill Fenton's legacy lives on.

After training in Judo and Jujitsu for many years, the young Steve Miranda asked Kancho Bill if he could try a kicking art like Tae Kwon Do to add a new dimension to his thirst for knowledge. After careful consideration, this request was granted, and unbeknown to both mentor and protégé, it was to mark the beginning of a very long and arduous journey which would see the birth of a unique and more user-friendly style of martial art. Professor has trained and graded in many styles from white belt including Silat, Kung Fu, various jujitsu systems, Zen Do Kai Karate, Kin Bushi Ryu Karate, and the list goes on.

The birth of The Miranda Kai System …

Professor Steve began writing the syllabus for Miranda Kai, drawing upon his vast experience gained by earning Black belt ranks in Nine different Martial Art systems. At last a more user-friendly martial arts system was born, arriving in the world on July 4th, 1993.

The Miranda Kai System was the result of over forty years of study in many varied styles of Martial Arts by Professor Steve; a Martial Arts System that stemmed from a truly Freestyle origin. The Syllabus used Kata from Goju Ryu, although these eventually evolved and changed over time. Self-defence knowledge was derived from Jujitsu, the kicking techniques drawn from Tae Kwon Do, the Falls and Throws inspired by Kodakan Judo, with gouging and other similar techniques based upon the techniques of Silat.

As society continues to progress, so does the Miranda Kai System, which is one of the reasons it remains applicable to modern Australian society. Although much has changed since 1993, the core values and beliefs that have been instilled into each student and instructor, remain the same. Through continued research, the Miranda Kai System has become a truly world-class style. This is this reason it has managed to outshine its competitors; by not only maintaining traditional Japanese Karate based philosophies without being held back by them, but by also becoming uniquely Australian.

Professor Steve has led a most extensive and varied martial arts career. Besides training and teaching overseas, he has run martial arts seminars in places such as the United States, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and the Queensland Gold Coast. A winner of many Australian National All Styles Titles, Professor Steve and his team retired undefeated from competition during the late 1990’s/early 2000’s in defence moves. Professor Steve’s martial arts experience has even been utilised in the Australian security industry, where he has shared his knowledge through seminars. During the early 1990’s he also taught self-defence skills to the Police Cadets at the Fort Largs Police Academy in South Australia. In mid 2006, Professor Steve Miranda left the security industry to cater for the needs of a rapidly expanding martial arts organisation.

A new and more challenging path…

Having trained in martial arts for over fifty years, Professor Steve Miranda was graded to 10 degree blackbelt on July 13th 2018, and awarded Honorary memberships with several organisations as a mark of respect for his contribution to the martial arts community. Professor Steve remains a popular and very knowledgeable keynote speaker through his ability to communicate positively with an audience, and is often invited to mixed martial arts training seminars to share his experience and skills.

There is no doubt that this particular martial arts Master will continue to be a formidable force in the modern martial arts world. The journey, as exciting as it already has been, is only just beginning!