Newark Kenpo Karate

10/27/2026

For those of you joining us this weekend, here is a schedule of the times for all the seminars and events. Hope to see everyone there!!! Its getting close now!!!

10/06/2026

Paul Mills Legacy Fall Training Camp Details
October 30 through November 1, 2026
Newark Kenpo Karate
120 Peoples Plaza
Newark, DE 19702

Join us for three days of training honoring the legacy and teachings of Grandmaster Paul Mills. Train alongside senior instructors and fellow Kenpo practitioners while exploring the concepts, principles, technical details, and training methods that continue his legacy.

https://form.jotform.com/262625644864062

Sessions and Fees
Friday Afternoon: AKKI Black Belt Session
Friday, October 30: Afternoon | $50 | Lunch Included
Reserved for Black Belts who were previously members of American Kenpo Karate International (AKKI).

Friday Evening: Open Training: All Belts
Friday, October 30: Evening | $50

Saturday: Open Training: All Belts
Saturday, October 31: All Day | $100 | Lunch Included

Sunday Morning: Rank Testing
Sunday, November 1: Morning | See your instructor for fees | Lunch Included

No video recording is permitted during testing or seminars without permission.

Sunday Afternoon: Open Training: All Belts
Sunday, November 1: Afternoon | $50
Test corrections and final wrap-up.

Weekend seminar registration: $165 for all seminars
Session eligibility requirements apply.
Rank testing: See your instructor for fees

Zoom access to open classes: $75

In-Person Payment
In-person payment and the participation waiver can be completed on-site. Please let us know if you are planning to attend.

Rank testing: See your instructor for fees

Online via Zoom
Zoom access to open classes: $75
Open classes are Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday afternoon.

Send payment through PayPal to [email protected]. After the organizer confirms payment, the Zoom link will be emailed to the address provided in your registration.

Please include your registration name and email address with your PayPal payment so the organizer can match it to your registration.

Expected-session selections are for planning and do not change the $75 Zoom fee.

Hotel Information:

Candlewood Suites Newark South
1101 South College Avenue
Newark, DE 19713
302-368-5500

A block of 20 rooms has been reserved for Fall Training Camp attendees. (I can't get the link to load) Call the hotel and mention Newark Kenpo Karate. 1 Queen and Kitchen, $138 per night. 2 Queens and Kitchen, $153 per night.

Dinner and Evening Plans

Friday, October 30, 2026
8:00 p.m. reservation
Mick’s Pub and Crabs
902 Pulaski Hwy
Elkton, MD 21921

After dinner: The Haunt of Red Lion
3570 Red Lion Rd.
Bear, DE 19701

Saturday, October 31, 2026
8:00 p.m. reservation
Mad-Macs
801 S. College Ave.
Newark, DE 19713

After dinner: Haunted Drive
30 Blue Jay Drive
Arbour Park
Newark, DE 19713

Sunday, November 1, 2026
7:00 p.m. reservation
Ted’s Montana Grill
3194 Fashion Center Blvd.
Newark, DE 19702

All listed times are Eastern Time, local to the event.

Clock-change reminder: Local clocks move back one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1.

For questions about joining the dinners or evening activities, contact Kathy Owen at [email protected] or 302-836-1557.

Seminar registration does not confirm a restaurant seat.

Instructor assignments and class details are being finalized. Updated information will be shared when confirmed.

Organizer Contact
Kathy Owen
[email protected]
302-836-1557

https://form.jotform.com/262625644864062

09/19/2026

Time is quickly passing for the upcoming Training Camp!! Reserve your spot today!! Instructors include Kathy Owen, Scott and Greg Hilderbrand, Bruce Tomsen, Bernie Drakes, Randall Miller and many others. For those of you who have previously tested for ranks of Black under the AKKI and didn’t receive your certificates, they will be ready and available at the Camp. Looking forward to seeing everyone soon!!!

08/04/2026

Some highlights from my trip to Revere MA for the Boston IKC Tournament last weekend. It was so great to see everyone again after many years. The photos are posted a little backwards with the dinner first and the tournament later but oh, well. The weekend started bright and early for me joining Doreen and Dian for a Women’s Forum to discuss topics of concern to women in the martial arts. I think they forgot Kenpo people are mostly vampires because they scheduled it for 8 am. Ugh. But we had a great turnout and great topics of discussion. The tournament commenced without a hitch thanks to Sita Van and Anthony Cogliandro working hard every step of the way. Kudos to them for a job well done and many thanks for the awesome hospitality they showed throughout the weekend.
It was so great to connect to my good friend, Olivia Charels, who took the double Grand Championship in both Forms and Fighting. We met when she was just a kid of maybe 12 or 13 and I could see then that this young lady had a bright future ahead of her in Kenpo. So talented and such a hard worker. Congrats to her and her partner, Kamiel, on their engagement!!
But what really made the weekend special was being able to connect with my dear friends, Gilbert Velez and Norman Sandler. Gilbert, Norman, Doreen and I used to spend many hours training together and it was so fun reminiscing over old times.
In two years, July 2028, the tournament will be hosted by Olivia and Kamiel in Belgium and my plan is to be there!! Can’t wait!!

05/30/2026

For any women in the Newark, Delaware area: I will be doing a Self Defense workshop tailored to Women in 2 weeks on Fri., June 12. This is not a Karate class but is a practical approach to street self defense focusing on a woman's strengths and learning to use them to defeat larger and stronger attackers. The skills and techniques that will be taught do not require size or strength, just the knowledge of how to apply them. Cost is $20 per person with a $5 discount if you bring another friend or family member. Workshop will be followed by refreshments! Come join us.

05/29/2026

Having a great time in our Adult Kenpo Class tonite. I think we have a record for our Post Covid classes. 21 students physically in class and 2 students on Zoom! Working timing patterns and reviewing forms and later I’m going to pull a little coordination challenge out for them. It’s the happening place to be!!

04/22/2026

A Paul Mills Legacy Training Camp was held in Littleton Colorado this past weekend and included 3 days of seminars and testing. The first day brought us a spring snow storm and 3 inches of snow. The test went on anyway and brought us 3 new Black Belts who performed at their peak. Demonstrating Weapons curriculum, standard forms and personal forms as well as the standard basics and self defense, they rose to the occasion and set a strong example for all the lower belts also testing.
Seminars followed with multiple instructors offering classes on Refinement of Basics, Centerline Set, Form 2, Lock Flows, Form 1 Pressure Testing, Explosive Movement, and Technique Refinement. It was great to see 2 instructors participate that I haven’t seen in quite some time, Mr. Greg Hilderbrand and Mr. Larry Kongaika. So good to connect again. Overall it was an awesome time and can’t wait to do it all again in the fall in Delaware!! If interested be sure to contact me here at Newark Kenpo!!

03/01/2026

Congrats to my students on their success at the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club Winter Warriors Challenge yesterday. Two others placed who didn’t make it into the pictures. Very proud of all of them for representing Newark Kenpo Karate.

02/21/2026

A tough but necessary decision sometimes. Moving a student ahead when they aren’t ready doesn’t help them. It only sets them up for failure when they attempt to do the next level material. They will not have the skills needed to be successful and often don’t understand why. New material is typically built on previous skills and requires successful accomplishment of them before progressing to the next level. Have patience and trust in your instructor and you will achieve your goals.

Let’s be honest...promoting someone who hasn’t earned it teaches them nothing.

No Sensei enjoys telling a student they’re not ready for a belt exam. But a real teacher stands firm. If they don’t, they’re not teaching value. They’re just selling rank.

In a culture of participation awards, many people think showing up and going through the motions is enough. It’s not. That is not how martial arts training works.

We teach the standards. We drill the material. You go home, study, practice, and return ready to prove you’ve mastered it. Only then should promotion even be considered. Otherwise, we are failing to teach how achievement actually works.

There are no participation trophies in a good martial arts school. We push students to become better than they were yesterday. A Sensei must clearly define expectations and stand firm on them. If we don’t, we fail to instill one of the most important traits martial arts builds: indomitable spirit.

That spirit is what carries students to heights they never imagined...both in their Karate and in life outside the dojo.

It’s easy to spot someone who was handed a black belt instead of earning it. The fundamentals aren’t there. What’s tragic is that many of those students might have truly earned it under proper standards...and been GREAT had they had a good Sensei!

If you’re afraid to tell a student they’re not ready, you’re not helping them. Promotion should come only after the work has been done, the standards met, and the skills proven.

Anything less is catering to comfort instead of building character.

That’s how I see it.

02/19/2026

Well said. His legacy truly lives and is being carried forward to the best of all our abilities. I miss him every day.

Two years ago today, the Kenpo world lost a guiding force—but his legacy did not fade. It lives on in the precision of our movement, in the foundation of our principles, and in the relentless pursuit of refinement that he demanded of himself and of us.

Mr. Mills was more than just a martial artist. He was a thinker. A craftsman. A man deeply committed to preserving and advancing the art given to him by Mr. Parker. His dedication to structure, detail, and depth shaped generations of instructors and students across the world.

For those of us who had the privilege to train under him, attend his seminars, and learn directly from his insight, we carry something that cannot be measured in rank or certificates. We carry his standard.

Mr. Mills reminded us that Kenpo is not simply a collection of techniques—it is a living system of logic, adaptation, and personal growth. He challenged us to think, to refine, and to never stop learning.

Though he is no longer with us, his teachings remain alive in every black belt who continues his work, in every student who ties on a belt for the first time, and in every instructor who chooses to teach with integrity.

We honor you today, Mr. Mills.
We are grateful for your leadership.
We remain committed to the art that you left us.

Your legacy continues.