Executive Position:
Director and Technical Advisor
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. 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.
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 because of a fight in the play ground. A fighter by nature, the
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 years of service, knowledge and dedication. 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 it is
wonderful that his 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.
1984 – heading in a different direction …
This was the year that Steve Miranda
joined a Zen Do Kai Karate club, headed by Renshi Damien Aiden. On only
his third night of training Steve Miranda was told by his new instructor
that he was "going for blackbelt in three months" and was also asked to
run the Gawler club because the instructor running it at the time was
unreliable. Steve Miranda not only took on this challenge in his usual
'can do' fashion, but managed to raise teaching to a new standard when he
took a mediocre club of twelve students and turned it into a successful
martial arts facility with up to seventy students per night. Besides
developing his unique style of teaching, he began to train and develop a
group of loyal and dedicated instructors.
Deciding to
branch out even further in his efforts to improve martial arts training,
he followed his Head Instructor Kyoshi Gary MacRae and became an integral
part of the formation of a new martial arts group known as the Golden
Knights. Founded by Kyoshi Gary, it was in this organisation that saw
Steve Miranda graded to 5th Dan in the style known as Kin Bushi Ryu.
However strong his loyalties to his new Head Instructor were, continuing
pressure from other higher ranks, as well as his peers, saw him
reluctantly break away and begin his career as an independent martial arts
practitioner, creating the Zen Do Ryu Freestyle Karate organisation.
Although this move in hindsight was no doubt the right thing for Miranda
to do, he always felt guilty at leaving Golden Knights because of the
close relationship he had shared with Kyoshi Gary, and regretted any
ill-feelings which may have resulted through that decision. Having said
that, taking a stand, and trying something new is not only risky, but
difficult. Having support is important for those who choose to lead.
Kyoshi Bill
Wallace has always been one of Professor Miranda's most loyal and
dedicated supporters, and it was this man who eventually managed to
convince Steve Miranda that starting his own truly unique style would be
one of the best moves in modern martial arts history. The challenge set
before Steve Miranda was to create a style of martial art that combined
his repertoire of skills and knowledge, without the political and
traditional ties of his past. Further discussions with other close and
loyal confidants, Kyoshi Craig Smith and Kyoshi Gregg Braun, only served
to emphasis the fact that this was a long-awaited for, and very overdue,
step into a new and exciting era. Even Professor Steve’s Mentor, Kancho
Bill Fenton said that he had been:
“waiting for this day as I am sick and tired of you getting used for your
knowledge and experience. I am the only one who really knows what you have
done and the high levels that you have obtained. Put it to good use and
develop your own system. You’re a modern day “Professor Jigoro Kano”. He
did the same thing; do it for me, and the martial arts community, and
martial arts in general. You will get knocked but I know you. In years to
come, the knockers will fall on their face, just like those who criticised
Professor Jigoro Kano. I graded you to Kancho in 1992 for a reason. Do it
for me.”
1993 - The birth of Zen Do Ryu …
Professor Steve
began writing the syllabus for Zen Do Ryu, 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.
Zen Do Ryu was the result
of nearly 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, as well as the old Zen Do
Kai system, 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 Steve Miranda's style, which is one of the reasons it
remains applicable to a 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 Zen Do Ryu 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.
The wider picture of a flourishing career …
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 numerous seminars.
During the early 1990’s he also briefly taught self defence skills to the
Police Cadets at the Fort Largs Police Academy in South Australia. In mid
2006, to cater for the needs of a rapidly expanding martial arts
organisation, Professor Miranda stepped away from the security industry in
order to run his own
small business, thus giving him
greater flexibility with his time.
2007 - A new and more challenging path …
In
acknowledging the continued need for change, the decision was made in mid
2007 to change the organisation’s name from Zen Do Ryu Freestyle Karate to
“National Karate Academies – Zen Do Ryu System”. This allowed greater
scope to market nationally throughout Australia, allowing Professor Steve
the opportunity to promote his unique brand of martial arts, and open
freestyle karate clubs in other states.
Having
trained in the martial arts for over forty years, Professor Miranda was
graded to 8th degree blackbelt on August 2, 2008 by the Australian Martial
Arts Association, 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!
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