Brown eyes Stuttgart 2016

Karate fighter Kevin Brown enjoyed a dream year on the local martial arts circuit, topping the Jamaica combined martial arts team's standings with 43 points by sweeping the first three lightweight titles of the season.

Brown punctuated his local exploits with two International Sports Kick-boxing Association (ISKA) World Championships silver medals in Portugal before returning home to add the Ningen Open in May and Jamaica Seido grand championship to his tally in one of the most dominant runs ever recorded by a local martial artist.

A 2013 invitee, Brown's explosive form in his second year as a first-team member took most by surprise after an ordinary season in 2014.

"I thought 2014 would have been a good year but I was having some issues with my school, and didn't get to train with the combined team. I ended up being ranked about ninth or 10th for the 2015 season.

"I believe I also took a while to get used to the rigorous training. I was kind of slow in transcending into the combined team," he added.

However, 2015 was Brown's turnaround season and he dominated the lightweight category.

"I slowly caught on to the training and gradually improved. It took me a little while to adjust. I became a black belt in 2012 and wasn't used to sparring with the more experienced fighters," he explained.

Were it not for an injury sustained at the Seido Open, Brown's phenomenal season would have been extended to July's US Open in Orlando, Florida.

However, he was forced to watch from the sidelines as his Jamaica combined martial arts teammates basked in medals at the world's biggest martial arts open.

The 24-year-old's issues with his school, Rising Sun Karate, have returned to haunt him, leaving him unattached since the US Open. However, he intends to "iron out things with my instructor".

"If that can't be done I might have to look elsewhere for a different school. I want to be at the ISKA World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, next year," he said.