MEET OUR EXPERT KENPO KARATE INSTRUCTORS

Kevin Mills – 9th Degree Black Belt – Master of the Arts

Master Kevin Mills is the Head and Chief Instructor of the British Kenpo Karate Union and began training in American Kenpo with the British Kenpo Karate Union (“BKKU”) on the 4th February 1981 at the Exeter Club, achieving his 1st Degree Black Belt under GM Bob Rose on the 5th April 1987.

In 1989 Master Mills was fortunate enough to meet the founder of our Art, the late SGM Ed Parker, when he was giving a Seminar in Exeter under the IKKA. SGM Parker’s charisma and great passion for the art left a lasting impression on Master Mills.

In 1999 Master Mills founded the annual British Kenpo Karate Union International Summer Camp with the aim of openly exposing our members and Kenpoists in the UK to some of the most top class Martial Arts and Combative Instructors from around the world. This Camp ran for over 20 years, attracting Instructors and attendees from all over the world.

In 2000 Master Mills started studying under Dr Ron Chapél, the foremost authority on SubLevel Four Kenpo concepts, which he continued for the next 12 years, traveling to Los Angeles for training on a regular basis, as well as bringing Dr Chapél to Europe. During this time, Master Mills was awarded his 2nd Degree Black Belt in SubLevel Four Kenpo. Dr Chapél is the foremost authority on SubLevel Four Kenpo Concepts including Control Manipulation Theory, Cavity Presses (Nerve Strikes) with Destructive Sequencing, Misalignment Technology and the use of Spatial Distortion. This list is not exhaustive.

In 2011 Master Mills was nominated and inducted into the Combat Martial Arts Hall of Fame for his outstanding commitment, excellence and development of the Martial Arts in the United Kingdom and around the world and was very proud to receive his award from the legendary Martial Arts Champion, Joe Lewis, arguably the best fighter that has ever stepped into the ring.

In 2014 Master Mills was nominated for and inducted into the Martial Arts Illustrated "Hall of Fame" receiving an MAI "Legend" award for his outstanding achievement within the world of Martial Arts.

Master Mills has made it his life’s work to constantly improve and evolve both the understanding and execution of his primary Art through the study of psychology and biomechanics, and is a Published Author of:-

"Secret Science of Modern Martial Arts" - A study of biomechanics and movement during physical confrontation; and

“Volitional Attention Training (Neural Plasticity and Combative Applications)” – a delve into the world of combative psychology and the workings of the human mind with the aim of fostering an understanding of why we behave the way we do and why violence is so prevalent throughout mankind. Noted as a "must have in your collection" by prominent martial artists worldwide, this book was awarded the Best Book of the Year Award at the 2016 British Martial Arts Awards.

Master Mills has also written many articles and appeared in many prominent martial arts magazines over the years, including a published series on “The Study of Biomechanics within the Martial Arts”. He also produced the much acclaimed Rapid Impact Combatives DVD series and is the Founder of Volitional Attention Training - a training method designed for a very specific niche in Combative application for reality based use at the "A Social" level of violence.

*Both books are available to purchase on Amazon.

Over the years, Master Mills has entered numerous Semi-Contact competitions; both Kenpo and non-Kenpo related with great success, and has coached a great many competitors to victory. He has also attended several IKC Championships and has been invited to give Seminars throughout the UK, Europe, and several places around the USA, to name but a few, one of the most memorable being a very special session taught at the Walnut Street Studio in Pasadena, USA, in 2002, the home of EPAK, founded by SGM Ed Parker in 1956.

Master Mills has trained in the CAR (Center Axis Re-lock) Close Combat pistol system under Morrison Tactical Training in the US. The CAR system was developed by the late British Special Forces Officer and FBI-trained Law Enforcement Captain, Paul Castle. Master Mills also spent 2 years studying edged weapons under Tom Sotis, who is now recognized as the leading edged weapons instructor in the world.

Today, Master Mills teaches both group and private lessons, primarily at the Exeter Club, but also regularly visits both the Uffculme and London Clubs. Master Mills also continues to travel to give Seminars and is renowned for his very unique skill and ability to make any "effective" martial art the "MOST" effective it can be through correct biomechanical movement.

Mrs Jenni Mills - Associate Professor of the Arts 5th Degree Black Belt

Mrs. Mills is a Senior Instructor at the British Kenpo Karate Union (“BKKU”) and the Head of the Success4Life Junior Black Belt School (the junior training arm of the BKKU).

Mrs. Mills began training in American Kenpo with the BKKU on the 4th February 1981 at the Exeter Club, under the founder of the British Kenpo Karate Union, the late GM Bob Rose.

Mrs. Mills opened her first club in 1987 and achieved her 1st Degree Black Belt in 2000 (after taking a break from training/teaching at 1st Kyu Brown Belt level, to raise a family).

The same year as taking her 1st Degree Black Belt, Mrs. Mills travelled to Los Angeles, USA for the first time to train at GM Larry Tatum’s Green Street Studio in Pasadena, and as well as the daytime training, took part in the infamous Wednesday night Senior Class technique line up, showcasing her newly acquired 1st Degree Black Belt skills.

It was during this same trip to the USA, that Mrs. Mills was introduced to Ed Parker Jnr and the late Mrs. Leilani Parker, at the Parker home and was very privileged to be taken to the Walnut Street Studio in Pasadena by Mrs. Parker to see where it all began.

Mrs. Mills was a regular competitor in the Kenpo National Competitions very early on in her Martial Arts Career, where she won a great many titles, the first of which was as a White Belt in Plymouth, in the South West of England. With a natural aggression and a bit of a fiery temperament, and despite at the time having limited knowledge of Kenpo, she managed to get through to the finals and win the Ladies Freestyle event against a Senior Green Belt, gaining the title of “National Ladies Freestyle Champion” which she maintained thereafter for several years.

Over the years Mrs. Mills has attended, taught, officiated at and taken Seminars at several of the IKKA Championships including Madrid 2002, Boston 2003, Holland 2012, Jersey 2016 and Ireland, as well as attending numerous training events and weekends including GM Larry Tatum’s International Kenpo Championships in Ireland in 2010 and Sean Kelly’s Florida Kenpo Camp in 2009, where she was introduced to GM Pick, Bill “Superfoot” Wallace and the late great Joe Lewis, as well as the legendary Ranger that is Gary O’Neal (author of the must read-book “American Warrior”) So many years, so many events!

Mrs. Mills also spent a couple of years studying edged weapons under Tom Sotis, who is now recognized as the leading edged weapons instructor in the world, after meeting him in Madrid in 2002 and then here in the UK. Mrs. Mills also had the great privilege of training with the late, great Kelee Arrowsmith from South Africa, (who at the time was Tom Sotis’ protégé) when she visited the British Kenpo Karate Union London Club and attended the British Kenpo Karate Union International Summer Camp as a Guest Instructor on several occasions. These Instructors peaked Mrs. Mills’ interest in edged weapon training, which has remained a passion and specialist area of hers to this day.

As well as assisting Master Mills with teaching at the Exeter Club, in 2022 she opened the British Kenpo Karate Union Uffculme Kenpo Club.

In late 2024 Mrs. Mills achieved her 5th Degree Black Belt under the recommendation and endorsement of her Instructor, Master Kevin Mills and was also humbled to receive messages of support from many Senior and respected Kenpo Masters around the world in support of her promotion.

Today, Mrs. Mills is a full-time Instructor and teaches both adult and junior classes at the British Kenpo Karate Union Headquarters in Exeter and at her own Club in Uffculme, as well as officiating at all British Kenpo Karate Union and Success4Life Junior Black Belt School Gradings.

“Kenpo and Martial Arts has been a huge part of my life from a very young age that I have been privileged to share with my husband, Kevin and through it, I have been fortunate enough to travel extensively and meet some wonderful people along the way, some of whom have become lifetime friends. I am honoured to now be in a position of being able to pass on my knowledge and experience I have acquired over the years to our students, both young and old, all of whom have their own reasons and stories for learning a martial art and nothing gives me greater pleasure than to see them grow and evolve into confidence, skillful and capable martial artists in their own right and I hope to be able to continue to do this for many years to come. -

JENNI MILLS

Associate Professor of the Arts

5th Degree Black Belt

Oliver White – 4th Degree Black Belt – Senior Instructor of the Arts (Exeter)

Mr White started his training with the British Kenpo Karate Union in 2005. Having always had a passion for martial arts from a very young age and having tried various arts growing up, including Judo, Tae Kwon-Do and Shotokan, nothing quite compared. During his time with the British Kenpo Karate Union, Mr White has trained with many prominent martial artists from the UK and around the world and took on a teaching role within the organisation in 2008 which he continues today.

Mr White has taught Seminars in the UK and Europe and is passionate about the Art and passing it on to others.

Mr White achieved his 1st Degree Black Belt under the direct recommendation and endorsement of his Instructor, Master Kevin Mills on the 23rd October 2011, with subsequent 2nd and 3rd Degree Black Belts following.

Towards the end of 2024 Mr White tested for, and was awarded, his 4th Degree Black Belt under the recommendation and endorsement of his Instructor, Master Kevin Mills.

“Martial Arts have been a life changing journey for me and has given me the confidence to achieve many goals in both my personal and professional life. Without the BKKU family I wouldn’t be the person I am today”

OLIVER WHITE

Senior Instructor of the Arts

4th Degree Black Belt

Mr Alex Giddings

4th Degree Black Belt

Senior Instructor of the Arts
British Kenpo Karate Union London Club

Mr Giddings began his KENPO training in his early teens on the island of Jersey in the mid 1990s, where he trained for a short time with Mr Roy McDonald. After taking a few years break from Kenpo, Mr. Giddings moved to Exeter in Devon and joined the British Kenpo Karate Union in 1999 at the Exeter University club, moving to London three years later, where he continued his training at the British Kenpo Karate Union London club under Mr Igor Ledochowski.

In 2009, Mr Giddings graded to 1st Degree black belt under the direct recommendation and endorsement of his Instructor at the time, Mr Roy Maunder, and continued to assist as an assistant instructor at the London club for several years, eventually taking over as Head Instructor of the club in 2015, where he remains today. Mr. Giddings travels regularly to the British Kenpo Karate Union headquarters in Exeter and also to the Uffculme Club to maintain his own training and development and in late 2024 tested for, and was awarded, his 4th Degree Black Belt under the direct recommendation and endorsement of his instructor, Master Kevin Mills.

Even prior to becoming an instructor, Mr. Giddings had been known among his peers for his near encyclopedic knowledge of the syllabi, an illusion he proudly attempts to maintain. Whilst his small build and quiet personality make him socially unintimidating, the same qualities serve to reveal the effectiveness of the Kenpo system, as he applies it successfully against larger individuals. He is committed to keeping the London club open and running so that Kenpo continues to have a presence in the capital, where students from around the world can continue their training.

“Kenpo has been a part of who I am for over half my life. It’s been a source of social confidence and helped me to accept that my body is not too small. It’s contributed to improving my posture, which was noticeably poor before I began to understand its importance in the context of self-defence. Kenpo also revealed to me that I have the potential to excel at physical activities, something that I couldn’t have believed about myself in my childhood.

I am proud to be in a position to share Kenpo with others and thankful to those who have shared it with me.”

Mr Steven Carman

1st Degree Black Belt

Junior Instructor of the Arts

British Kenpo Karate Union

Mr Carman has been involved in American Kenpo since early adulthood, having sought out and trained directly under Master Kevin Mills after attaining earlier, beginner’s grades with another American Kenpo organisation. He later began his first foray into teaching alongside Mr Igor Ledochowski as a founding member of the BKKU London Club.

He has assisted Mrs Mills in delivering the Success4Life Junior Black Belt programme since 2018 and continues to lend support in the training of adult students at all levels up to black belt in the BKKU’s Devon-based clubs, under the direction of his own instructors.

Mr Carman likes to travel and has trained and taught in Australia, South Africa and the United States, the latter being a place close to his heart. With a particular interest in the blade and the pistol, since 2019 he has been a regular attendee at Critical Distance Combatives camps hosted and taught by close friends of the BKKU, Master Marcus Bonfiglio, founder of the AKFS, and Senior Professor Buddy Morrison of Morrison Tactical. Travelling to Tennessee, Texas, Arizona and Florida for training, he maintains close ties in the U.S.

“American Kenpo is a many-layered and fascinating endeavour. Whether you view it as a science, or an art is up to you. To me, it’s a never-ending journey of exploration; exploration of myself, of combatives, self-defence, and the numerous ‘rabbit holes’ it’ll take me down when experimentation and evolution of a technique are the order of the day.

The opportunity to teach has been one of the greatest gifts. Watching that ‘lightbulb moment’ when a student (child or adult) realises they understand and can implement effectively what you’ve explained to them, is fantastic. I’m fortunate to have two life-long instructors in Mr & Mrs Mills who actively encourage and support the teaching process as part of my training. As the saying goes – ‘when one teaches, two learn’.”

As much as he loves teaching and with no intention of stopping, Mr Carman’s plans are to always stay a student.

MEET OUR EXPERT KENPO KARATE INSTRUCTORS

Kevin Mills – 9th Degree Black Belt – Master of the Arts

Mrs Jenni Mills - Associate Professor of the Arts 5th Degree Black Belt

Oliver White – 4th Degree Black Belt – Senior Instructor of the Arts (Exeter)

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