Hanshi Eddie Morales, 9th Dan ‘Goju-Ryu Karate, Kensei Ryu and Kobudo’

Hanshi Eddie Morales, 9th Dan

‘Goju-Ryu Karate, Kensei Ryu and Kobudo’

In the 1950s his family came to New York City from the island of Puerto Rico. Eddie Morales was born in Manhattan New York and grew up in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. In the 1970s all five boroughs of Brooklyn were filled with gangs and gang violence. 

He grew up within that culture in the school of hard knocks. He began his martial arts training early in life at first as a young child trying to learn on his own from whatever information he can get his hands on then eventually began formal training. 

From his words, “Williamsburg Brooklyn had a sense of darkness that only the residence can see and feel. A feeling like something was going to happen at any given moment. Anyone living in New York City at that time knows what I’m talking about. Every small incident turned into a battle for survival and it was never a fair fight.”

His father was a quiet man that was dedicated to God, work and family and maintained a disciplined household. His mother was very laid-back but had a no nonsense approach to life. She once chased two hoodlums with a baseball bat from the roof of their apartment house on Grattan Street. 

Eventually, the family moved to Park Slope which is another section of Brooklyn. He continued his martial arts practice every day with a passionate dedication and deep sense of survival. Morales trained under Grandmaster Aaron Banks and Master George Bradley in Japanese Goju ryu. 

By his words, “The Dojo was as hard-core as you can get with two hours of nonstop, Karate practice then one hour of fighting five days a week. He said, “The fighting was brutal, and the bumps and bruises were a regular occurrence like any other Dojo in New York City at that time.”

As time moved on in the mid 1970s, he attended Pacific high school in Brooklyn and excelled in art, specifically life drawings. In 1976 he went to a place called Aspira, which was a Latin community center that taught a variety of job skills for free. His initial visit was regarding an art show at the location on Court Street in Brooklyn and he went there to showcase his artwork because his art teacher asked him to. 

This was where he met a few people that would change his life. William Rivera R.I.P, Nelson Melendez, George Tornedo Lopez R.I.P and Doel Rivera. In the basement of that location, there was a training space, and that is where his first introduction to the Goju karate system began. 

The four people mentioned kept him motivated and taught him a lot. Within this time, he also found his way to the Tiger Dojo, which was run by Kyoshi Victor Vega. There he learned the Chinese Goju system and was eventually promoted to first-degree black belt in that art. Within this time. In the 1970s Morales was also a singer songwriter and performed in nightclubs, theaters, television and radio. He sang English and Spanish songs.

Moving forward in the 1980s he began teaching at a Dojo located at 47 Ann St. in lower Manhattan New York, with one of his instructors from Grand Master Aaron Banks, New York karate Academy and good friend, Sensei George Bradley.  He was there approximately four years and produced dedicated students that are currently active in martial arts. Moving forward, Morales eventually moved to California where he began studying the art of  Kobudo (Traditional Okinawan weapons) under Kyoshi Anthony Marquez, from whom he received a Black Belt in 1999 and later, with Sensei Juan Benavides also in Kobudo as well as Kensei Ryu and Okinawan Goju.

Within his journey, he has also trained with Sensei Ben Otake in the art of ‘Shin Shin Mugendo, Sifu James Ibrao, and his training partner and best friend Shihan Tom Serrano of the Gosoku ryu system. He says he learned a lot from his friend Shihan Serrano. Morales is a well rounded martial artist and places, emphasis on strong basics. He says, “regardless of what system you study, whether it be traditional or eclectic, if you don’t have strong, basics, you have nothing.”

Within his time in California, where he currently resides he also got involved in Law enforcement and eventually became one of the instructors in defensive tactics , arrest and control and use of force for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Academy and a few other local agencies. 

He is a published author with many books on the Amazon format and was also a radio announcer on KCAA 1050 AM NBC NEWS RADIO along with his co host Dan Hect. He also ran a successful martial arts online magazine called martialforce.com for 24 years featuring interviews with all the East Coast top martial artist as well as from other parts of the country.  Morales continues to train and teach karate, Kensei ryu and kobudo. 

His favorite phrase is, “karate is not what I do, it’s who I am.” He says, “Whether it’s martial arts or anything else in life without a dedicated commitment to practice you have nothing.” You only get out of anything what you put into it so put your heart behind it.”