Paul Mills is the President and founder of the American Kenpo Karate International (AKKI) association and holds the rank of 10th degree black belt. He serves as the Chief Examiner at all international tests and is the Chairman of the AKKI's Board of Directors. He has been consistently training in the art of American Kenpo since 1966.

Mr. Mills has been featured as one of Ed Parker's most proficient and top students in a recent book by Joe Hyam's called The Journey. His full biography along with photos when he started in Kenpo all the way to the present day.

BACKGROUND
Mr. Mills was a direct and private student of Ed Parker, tenth degree black belt, for over ten years. Mr. Mills received his black belt from one of Mr. Parker's first generation black belts then became a direct and private student of Grandmaster Edmund K. Parker in 1980. Mr. Parker promoted Mr. Mills up through his fifth degree black belt.

Mr. Parker would often take Mr. Mills to other schools to introduce him to different students of his. It was during these trips that Mr. Mills earned the name and reputation as the "Smiling Guillotine". Mr. Parker was proud of all of his student's accomplishments and abilities. Mr. Ed Parker was friends with many of his students that were in his association, as well as many who were in other systems and styles. However, Mr. Mills was not only a good friend with Mr. Parker, he was one of only a handful of his protégés having trained directly at Mr. Parker's home consistently for the last ten years of Mr. Parker's life.

Sadly, in December of 1990 Mr. Mills instructor passed away. Many in the Kenpo community were left without a leader, instructor, and friend. As Mr. Mills continued with the I.K.K.A., he had the opportunity to remain close to the Parker family by teaching Mr. Parker's son-in-law, Larry Kongaika until 2nd degree black belt. He also taught many of the high-ranking black belts in the association at that time. 

Mr. Mills was the only person to serve as a member of 1) the I.K.K.A. Systems Council (One of only three members) 2) as the National Testing Director and 3) Regional Representative for a ten state area (region #10), known as the "Paul Mills Family Group", at the same time. He was also one of a handful of Mr. Parker's black belts to teach at the 1991 I.K.K.A. Ed Parker Memorial camp at the Pasadena studio. 

Although Mr. Mills is internationally known for his speed, having been a world record holding quick draw artists, he has many other attributes than just this one. Speed was just one of many things that he covered with Mr. Parker in the time they spent together. 

He has more than twenty years experience working security in his nightclub in the cowboy town of Evanston, Wyoming. He worked some of the roughest years in Wyoming's history during the "Boom Years". He had to deal with some of the wildest cowboys who would often square off against each other in his nightclub. He learned many valuable lessons first hand with people who didn't want to leave his establishment or those who just knocked out someone on the dance floor. He has hands on experience that has helped guide him as to what is realistic and practical when developing the curriculum for the AKKI association's students and instructors. 

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