15 Influential Martial Arts Leaders in Brisbane
Last updated: 6 August 2026
Brisbane has a deep martial arts community, from long-established karate dojos and taekwondo academies to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, kung fu, Aikido and mixed training spaces. The people below are current leaders, founders, head instructors and senior coaches whose public profiles connect them with that local work.
This is a recognition directory, not a ranking. The names are ordered alphabetically by surname, and each entry links to the academy or instructor profile that describes the work. Use the list as a starting point, then check the linked profile before making a training or professional decision.
Why martial arts leadership matters in Brisbane
Martial arts leadership is easy to reduce to rank, but Brisbane’s strongest local profiles show a wider picture. Leaders teach technique, build safe training cultures, develop athletes, support families and keep traditions alive across generations.
That matters for anyone choosing a school, supporting a young athlete or thinking about the culture of their own organisation. The people below offer different examples of discipline, coaching, community building and long-term practice.
1. Gürkan Baydogan
Co-founder and Head Coach, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, NoGi and MMA.
Gürkan Baydogan is one of the leaders behind Ground Zero Gym in Brisbane. The gym’s current coaches page names him as co-founder and Head Coach across Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, NoGi and MMA, giving the academy a broad grappling and mixed martial arts base. Read the official profile to learn more.
The same page describes Baydogan as an IBJJF-certified Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu first-degree black belt who moved to Brisbane in 2021. That combination of technical practice, multi-discipline coaching and local academy building makes him a useful person to know if you are exploring the city’s grappling community. Read the academy profile for the organisation’s current details.
2. Chris Blight
Grandmaster, President of Taekwondo Queensland and National Technical Committee Chairman.
Chris Blight is a senior figure in Brisbane’s taekwondo community and a leader at Brisbane Martial Arts Centre. The academy’s current trainer profile identifies him as a Grandmaster with a Level 9th Dan, President of Taekwondo Queensland and Chairman of the National Technical Committee. Read the official profile to learn more.
The profile also points to more than 40 years of experience. For families and athletes looking for a long-established local pathway, Blight’s work sits at the intersection of daily instruction, state-level leadership and the technical standards that shape competitive taekwondo in Queensland. Read the academy profile for the organisation’s current details.
3. Maverick Day
Co-founder and Head Coach, Muay Thai.
Maverick Day brings Muay Thai leadership to Ground Zero Gym in Brisbane. The current coaches page names him as Head Coach for Muay Thai, founder of Top Gun Muay Thai and co-founder of Ground Zero Gym, which opened its current shared training community in 2022. Read the official profile to learn more.
Day’s profile also records Level 2 national accreditation since 2018 and coaching work connected with Queensland competition. His story is a reminder that local martial arts leadership is often built through both technical coaching and the steady work of creating a place where people can train. Read the academy profile for the organisation’s current details.
4. Josh Flinn
Head Instructor, High Performance Coach and Queensland Technical Chairperson.
Josh Flinn leads coaching and performance work at Flinn Taekwondo Academy in Brisbane Northside. The academy’s current team page names him as a 5th Dan Head Instructor and High Performance Coach, overseeing performance programmes and supporting athletes across major competition pathways. Read the official profile to learn more.
Flinn is also identified as Queensland Technical Chairperson. That role adds a wider sporting responsibility to his day-to-day academy work, making his profile relevant to people interested in how local martial arts schools develop athletes, coaches and technical standards together. Read the academy profile for the organisation’s current details.
5. Bernie Haughey
Founder and Chief Instructor.
Bernie Haughey Shihan is the founder and Chief Instructor of AGKK Karate Academy, which teaches across Brisbane and North Brisbane. The academy’s current profile describes more than 40 years of martial arts experience and a long connection with Japanese karate training. Read the official profile to learn more.
Haughey’s work offers a clear example of the founder-teacher model. He has built a local school around continuity, technical practice and the passing on of tradition, while still making the training available to students who are beginning their own martial arts journey in Brisbane. Read the academy profile for the organisation’s current details.
6. Bruno Lemos
Founder and Head Coach.
Bruno Lemos is the founder and Head Coach of Lemos Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Brisbane. The academy’s official profile describes him as a fourth-degree black belt under Alexandre Paiva and records 26 years of experience in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Read the official profile to learn more.
That depth of practice matters because a good grappling school depends on more than a class timetable. Lemos’ role combines technical instruction, academy stewardship and the responsibility of helping students progress through a clear and supportive local training culture. Read the academy profile for the organisation’s current details.
7. Kang Woong (Jet) Lee
Head Instructor.
Kang Woong, known as Jet Lee, is the Head Instructor at the Korean Martial Arts Academy. The academy’s current pages describe a Brisbane headquarters and a family-owned training community serving several local centres. Read the official profile to learn more.
Lee’s profile is useful for anyone comparing Korean martial arts schools in Brisbane because it connects a named instructor with a clear local academy structure. The work includes teaching, maintaining the school’s culture and helping students find a practical path into Korean martial arts. Read the academy profile for the organisation’s current details.
8. Amy McMahon
Senior Instructor.
Amy McMahon is a Senior Instructor at Australian Karate Academy, where the current team profile lists her as a 5th Dan with 25 years of experience. The same profile records former state and national success in kata and kumite and a bronze medal at the WKF World Cup. Read the official profile to learn more.
Those details show the range of leadership inside a mature karate academy. McMahon brings competition experience into teaching and helps create a pathway for students who want to develop skill, confidence and a deeper understanding of karate beyond their first class. Read the academy profile for the organisation’s current details.
9. Cheyne McMahon
Chief Instructor.
Cheyne McMahon is the Chief Instructor at Australian Karate Academy. The current profile describes him as a 6th Dan with more than 30 years of experience and records former state, national and international success in kumite. Read the official profile to learn more.
As Chief Instructor, McMahon’s influence is visible in the everyday shape of the academy, from technical standards to the way students are guided through training. He is a strong example of a Brisbane martial arts leader whose competitive background has developed into long-term teaching responsibility. Read the academy profile for the organisation’s current details.
10. Jason Naylor
Head Instructor.
Jason Naylor is the Head Instructor at JKA Karate Brisbane. The school’s current instructors page identifies him as a 7th Dan and says his karate journey began in 1978, giving him a long view of how students learn and grow in the art. Read the official profile to learn more.
Naylor’s profile also highlights the satisfaction he finds in seeing students achieve their goals. That focus on progress is important in a local dojo, where leadership is measured not only by rank but by the consistency, care and example students experience each week. Read the academy profile for the organisation’s current details.
11. Trevor Roberts
Founder and Chief Instructor.
Trevor Roberts is the founder and Chief Instructor of Shotokan Karate Budokai in Brisbane. The current academy site describes more than 45 years of karate experience and connects his work with Queensland and national coaching and referee activity. Read the official profile to learn more.
Roberts’ profile shows how leadership can stretch across teaching, competition and governance. Rather than reducing the work to a belt number, the useful detail is the continuing responsibility of running a school and contributing to the standards that guide karate beyond one training room. Read the academy profile for the organisation’s current details.
12. Chris Seto-Payne
Chief Instructor.
Chris Seto-Payne is the Chief Instructor at Brisbane Aikikai, a central Brisbane dojo established in 1992. The academy’s current instructor profile identifies him as a 6th Dan and says he began learning Aikido in Brisbane. Read the official profile to learn more.
Seto-Payne has also been involved in Aikido overseas, including demonstrations during the World Combat Games in Beijing and seminars in New Zealand. That mix of local continuity and wider involvement gives readers a useful example of how a Brisbane dojo can stay rooted while connected to the broader Aikido community. Read the academy profile for the organisation’s current details.
13. Bradley Tatnell
Founder and Head of School.
Bradley Tatnell is the Founder and Head of School at Sun Bae Korean Martial Arts. The current academy page describes him as an Australian Master of Taekwondo, Hapkido and Kumdo, with a teaching network across Brisbane and Toowoomba. Read the official profile to learn more.
That multi-art background gives Sun Bae a distinctive place in the local landscape. Tatnell’s leadership connects the technical demands of several Korean martial arts with the practical work of supporting instructors, students and centres across South East Queensland. Read the academy profile for the organisation’s current details.
14. Doug Tritton
Founder and Chief Instructor.
Doug Tritton is the founder and Chief Instructor of Brisbane Martial Arts Academy. The academy’s current profile says its full-time dojo has operated since 1992 and that Tritton began his martial arts training in 1969. Read the official profile to learn more.
That long local history makes Tritton relevant to anyone trying to understand Brisbane’s established martial arts community. His role combines technical teaching, academy building and the stewardship of a training environment that has served students for decades. Read the academy profile for the organisation’s current details.
15. Adam Wilson
Grandmaster and Senior Instructor.
Adam Wilson is a Grandmaster and Senior Instructor at Brisbane Martial Arts Centre. The current trainer profile identifies him as a Level 6th Dan with a Bachelor of Science, a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and recognised coaching qualifications. Read the official profile to learn more.
Wilson’s profile stands out for the way it joins martial arts practice with formal teaching and coaching development. That blend is valuable in a city academy, where students need instructors who can explain technique clearly and build safe, structured pathways for different ages and goals. Read the academy profile for the organisation’s current details.
Conclusion
Across this group, a few themes keep returning: technical depth, patient teaching, long-term commitment and the steady work of building a place where other people can improve. The mix of styles matters too. Brisbane’s martial arts community is not one school or one pathway, but a network of traditions, coaches and training cultures.
For students, families and organisations, that makes the local leadership worth noticing. The most useful next step is to read the profiles, visit the relevant academy and choose the environment that matches your goals and values.
About the Author
Jonno White is the author of Step Up or Step Out and a Certified Working Genius Facilitator. He is Brisbane-based and works with schools, organisations and leadership teams around the world.
Next Read or Related Reading
If you are thinking about how discipline and trust shape a team, you may also find leadership team development useful. For a Brisbane-focused next read, explore team building facilitators in Brisbane and DISC leadership styles.
A practical next step.
If your organisation is working on discipline, trust or team culture, I help leaders turn good intentions into practical habits people can use on Monday morning.
If you would like to explore a keynote or workshop for your team, write to jonno@consultclarity.org.