The American Freestyle Kaizen Association is slated to present Layton resident and Marine Corps veteran Jason Brooks the Legendary Martial Arts Master Award. The recognition will occur at the organization’s 50th Anniversary Hall of Fame Ceremony on Nov. 21 at the Lynchburg Grand Hotel in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Brooks, a retired staff sergeant and native of Las Vegas, previously served as the lead instructor for the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program with the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion. He medically retired in 2005 following combat injuries sustained in Iraq.
Having trained in martial arts since age four in 1977, Brooks has earned multiple Black Belts across more than four decades of various disciplines. His expertise includes Tang Soo Do, Karate-Do, Bushinkai Ninjutsu, and Krav Haganah. He is already a member of the 2025 United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame and the 2026 Universal Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
After his military service, Brooks pursued further training at the CRI Israel Counter Terrorism Training School and the UCF Executive Protection Security Team, and worked in professional security.
Brooks recently moved to Utah from Las Vegas to assist in expanding a relative's dentistry business, CJ Dental Utah, located in Bountiful. He noted that the move to Layton felt divinely guided after connecting with a landlord who is an Air Force officer while searching for housing.
The American Freestyle Kaizen Association was founded by Lawrence Arthur in 1975. Brooks expressed that the Hall of Fame event offers a unique opportunity to connect with martial artists from various organizations globally, allowing for an expansion of perspective beyond a single art's paradigm.
For more information regarding the AFKA Hall of Fame Ceremony, details can be found at goathonor.com/hall-of-fame.
