Professional contact weapons instructor Steve Tarani has been involved in the Martial Arts since 1979, and has been a certified instructor since 1989. He is qualified to teach close quarter combative skills ranging from contact weapons to firearms. He is the only American who is licensed and certified in the Giron system of Escrima(specializing in edged/impact weapons, taught by Grandmaster Leo Giron and endorsed by Bahala Na Escrima International. He is certified and licensed to instruct in the LAMECO system of Escrima(specializing in edged/impact weapons), taught by Grandmaster Edgar G. Sulite, and endorsed by LAMECO Escrima International. He is also licensed and certified to instruct in the Inosanta system of Escrima(specializing in edged/impact weapons), taught by the internationally acclaimed Guru Dan Inosanto and endorsed by the Inosanto Instructor's Association of Martial Arts (IIAMA). All certificates are valid and active as of this writing, and are renewed on an annual basis. Membership certification, license, ID numbers, dates of issuance and agency contact information may be furnished upon written request.

Steve additionally holds a 1st Degree Black Belt in Yoshinkan Aikido, (specializing in Japanese contact weapons). He is registered with the International Yoshinkan Aikido Federation of Tokyo.

Expert level at Malaysian, Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino Contact Weapon systems, and as an accredited member of the Filipino Martial Arts Association (FMMA USA), Bahala Na International,
Mande-Muda Indonesian-American Silat (MMPSI, Bandung, West Java), The International Yoshinkan Aikido Federation (IYAF, Tokyo), LAMECO International (Phillippines), Bakbakan International9Manilla, Phillipines), the Makati Village Fight-School (Quezon City, Phillipines) and the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers (ASLET), Steve Tarani is unparrelled in the law enforcement community as a Masters Level contact weapons instructor -specializing in "Use-Of-Force".

He is a full time Use-Of-Force Defensive Tactics Instructor, and training management consultant within the Law Enforcement community. As Adjunct instructor for such prestigious use-of-force training institutes as Gunsite Academy (AZ), the Lethal Force Institute (NH), The Practical Shooting Academy (CO), and others, Steve is also the developer of the well known Contact Defense and Control Instructor Certification Course, which has gained Department of Peace Officer Standards of Training accreditation across the United States.