Hanshi Eddie Morales

interviewed by Aurelien Henry OBAMA

Shiai Magazine: Hello Hanshi Eddie Morales, welcome to Shiai Magazine. You have more than 40 years experience and practices in martial arts; tell us exactly what truly brought you in this passion of yours and your life?

EDDIE MORALES

My initial interest in the martial arts started when I saw Bruce Lee as Kato in the Green Hornet television series in the mid 1960’s. I recall trying to imitate every movement I saw him do. I eventually met an instructor by the name of Joseph N.Navarro who taught a system called Chinese kempo. It was through him that I began my formal training and earned the rank of first-degree black belt within two years in the early 1970’s. As one thing leads to another, in 1976, I met a person by the name of William Rivera who studied a system called U.S.A. Goju Karate. We became training partners and trained in a place called Aspira, which was a Latin youth center, located on Court Street in Brooklyn New York. As I increased my knowledge in the Gojuryu system, I embraced its practice with passionate intensity, which led me to my next instructor.

 

I visited Grand Master Aaron Banks School (The New York Karate Academy) and I was so impressed with his teaching method that he has been my instructor since. Back then the Chief instructor at Banks school was Master George Bradley and he and I became friends and opened a school in lower Manhattan New York, which was located at 47 Ann street. Bradley was my senior in the system and maintained the position as my instructor while we both continued under Grand Master banks organization. I also learned from Sensei Jose Jordan and Kyoshi Victor Vega while practicing with a few of Master William Louie’s students learning his system. William Rivera introduced me to Sensei Doel Rivera, Sensei George “Tornado” Lopez and Sensei Nelson Melendez, all of which helped me realize my potential.

Later on in life I relocated to California and got involved in Law Enforcement as an instructor and Officer. I continued my quest for knowledge and was fortunate enough to meet great instructors as a result. Some of the instructors were Kyoshi Anthony Marquez who taught me Okinawan Weapons, Master Ben Otake who taught me the system Shin Shin Mugendo as well as Sifu James Ibrao with Jun Boa Kung fu to name a few.

In 2008 I was promoted to 8^th degree black belt and the title of Hanshi by Grand Master Aaron Banks, which felt as if I had reached full circle since being promoted to first-degree black belt in 1973. I have been actively involved in the practice of martial arts since I was eight years old and will continue until it is not physically possible. My daily life is governed by one thought that extends into every facet of my being, “Karate is not what I do, Karate is who I am.”

Shiai Magazine: With your long experience and practices of martial arts have you encountered the existence of African Martial Arts or martial arts systems created by the African Diaspora?

EDDIE MORALES

My encounter with African Martial Arts has been by way of videos that I have viewed. I have never studied with anyone that was trained in an African art. I mentioned I grew up in New York City so it was always a matter of what was available. At that time in the 1960 and 70’s there were no African Martial Arts being taught that I was aware of in New York City but I am sure that has changed since then.

Shiai Magazine: Why is the name for your first school the Divine Strength Academy of Martial Science?

EDDIE MORALES

While it sounds like it has a spiritual meaning, the name actually has no hidden connotation; it was just a name chosen for the school at the time. I along with my student Joseph Craig selected it because it was unique and we agreed upon its use.

Shiai Magazine: Have you been to Africa before?

EDDIE MORALES

No sir, I have never been to Africa but would one day like to visit.

 

Shiai Magazine: You pursued a Law Enforcement career and you are certified with P.O.S.T. (Police Officers Standards in Training) as an instructor. How has martial arts helped you in your police career?

EDDIE MORALES

It has helped tremendously in every facet of the job because as an Officer, when you respond to a call it can go from zero to deadly force within seconds. The confidence and physical ability alone that is gained from training is invaluable. It teaches you how to walk into a situation with command presence, which is very important. In training you prepare yourself for the unexpected and when it comes you want to react instinctively with a focused determination. The name of the game is to go home safely after all encounters.

In regards to my P.O.S.T. Certification, I have been teaching Defensive tactics, arrest and control since 1995. This encompasses teaching Academy trainees and sworn Officers anything it takes to gain control of a suspect and bad situation.

Shiai Magazine: Have you trained and worked with Africans/Blacks in the world of martial arts? Are there some names you can mention to us?

EDDIE MORALES

With African American Yes, I am originally from Brooklyn New York and anyone that has trained in New York would know that the Major part of the Martial Arts community is predominantly black and Latino. I have been inspired by people such as Masters Haisan Kaleak and Ron (The Black Dragon) Van Clief. While I never trained with either one, their inspiration in the martial arts has been enormous and has given me the drive to go forward. There are other African American instructors I have trained with such Master George Bradley who taught at Grand Master Aaron Banks School back in the 1970’s. I also learned a lot from my good friend Professor Sharrieff Nashid.

Shiai Magazine: So Michael Jai White was your student, what made him so special to succeed in the martial arts film industry?

 

EDDIE MORALES

In regards to his movies, I personally have nothing to do with his success. What makes him special in my estimation and observation throughout the years that I have known him is that Michael Jai White has always had the motivation and drive to succeed. When he was a competitor he competed with tenacity, which in my opinion is one of the keys to his success. He did not wait around for opportunity to find him; he worked hard and made his own opportunity.

Mr. White studied Gojuryu Karate with me but also studied many other arts with other instructors as well. When we met, he was a black belt in Kyokushinkai Karate. We have been and continue to be good friends now for over 25 years. His latest movie “Blood and Bone” by Director Ben Ramsey is doing great. His movie can be purchased on Amazon or rented at your local video store.

Shiai Magazine: With your experience in martial arts what is the difference in practices concerning martial arts sports competition, security defense survival combat training and martial arts movie fight choreography?

EDDIE MORALES

The difference is the levels of physical control. In Sport competition your goal is to score points and win without really doing any physical damage to your opponent.

Security defense is different because your only goal is the survival of a physical confrontation that could leave you and /or your family members incapacitated temporarily or worst-case scenario, permanently. In this level you will fight relentlessly as your existence depends upon it.

Fight scene choreography is a combination of both in a fantasy world setting. By that I mean you must make the fights appear real and deadly, with the correct coordinated effort of your cameraman and participants while assuring that no one gets injured.

Shiai Magazine: What is Shuryoku-Kai-kan Karate Organization and are there any representatives in Africa?

EDDIE MORALES

Shuryoku-Kai-kan Karate directly translates to Main Force organization and house of Karate. I mentioned Joseph Craig earlier; both he and I created the name in 1985. We were training diligently as usual and wanted a name that would personify the continuity of our passion for the martial arts.

In regards to representatives, there are no Shuryoku-Kai-kan representatives anywhere outside of New York and California.

 

Shiai Magazine: What is the particularity of MartialForce.com in which you are founder and president?

EDDIE MORALES

I began Martialforce.com Online Magazine because I wanted to assure that the martial artist from the east coast would not be forgotten for their contributions. When I did extensive research on who was being interviewed by the Martial Arts magazines at the time, I noticed that the east coast was being left out of the interviews. It could not be explained by non-participation because the tournament circuit was full with east coast competitors that were consistent winners in Fighting, Forms and weapons so the reason eluded me. There were a few interviews done, as that decade came to a close but in my opinion not enough to cover the vast talent that is the east coast martial arts community. In Martialforce.com we cover martial artist from all over the country and outside of the United States but my focus and commitment is on the east coast.

Shiai Magazine: Can you give us more details about manuals and videos of Defense tactics in which you are the Author, where can we obtain them?

EDDIE MORALES

The video I believe can be purchased on Amazon and a few other venues. The title is Police and Security and covers techniques used by police officers and generally any Law Enforcement group to arrest and control a suspect.

The defensive tactics manuals cannot be purchased as I developed them for in house police training but I am in the process of writing a book on Defensive Tactics that will be available by late 2010.

Shiai Magazine: You also had the chance to exhibit your martial arts skills in movies, can tell us more about the movies you have acted in?

EDDIE MORALES

My involvement in the movies was as a result of a call I received one morning from Michael Jai White. He called me at my home and said that a friend of his by the name of Stephen (The Fight Professor) Quadros was holding auditions for a movie called Pit Fighter. I recognized the name Stephen Quadros’, as he was the commentator for the majority of Mixed Martial Arts fights coordinated at that time as well as being a writer for black belt magazine. I went to the audition and passed but told was later told that I didn’t fit the part because they were looking for a person to play the role of a Mexican federal Officer.

I recall Mr.Quadros filming the auditions as countless people demonstrated their arts.  My name was then called to audition and demonstrate my martial arts skills. Directly after I demonstrated, Mr. Quadros walked up to me and said, “Hey, you may not look fancy on film but you look like you could definitely fight and hurt someone.” I viewed this as a great compliment because of his position in not only movie making but also in studying fighters.

While I didn’t get the role I auditioned for I was told they wanted to use me because of my aggressive look, which I found interesting. The Director Jesse Johnson then created a part for me. The role was “Don Rafael” who was the leader of the Murrieta Mafia. I was involved in the project and did a short fight scene with Dominique Vandenberg who is a great martial artist and fight scene Choreographer.

It was great experience and I enjoyed working with Mr. Vandenberg, Stephen Quadros and Jesse Johnson. All of us have remained friends since this movie and we stay in constant contact. The movie project was called Pit Fighter and did really well. It can be found in local video stores or purchased on Amazon.

Shiai Magazine: African Martial Arts and Black martial artists in general are struggling to promote their image in several African Martial Arts film productions such as “The Way” (USA), “Money Bag” and Lost Brother “Waka-waka man”(Cameroon, Africa). Do you think that every martial arts system needs to be promoted in the movies?

EDDIE MORALES

In regards to the entertainment value I have to say yes, it would be nice to see different martial arts as opposed to any one art demonstrated many times. As far as the arts themselves all you need on the movie screen in my opinion is a good representation of the Martial Arts regardless of cultural background. My thought is that if you represent the martial arts with passion and technique, placing your heart in front of everything you do then you will gain the needed momentum in the right direction.

The audiences don’t always distinguish which art is which but they know what they like regarding bad or good martial arts performances. We all know that life isn’t always fare in regards to race and anyone that doesn’t think so is living in an alternate reality but at the same time, giving up is never an option. I am of Puerto Rican heritage, my parent are both from the Island of Puerto Rico so I have had my share of racism but I realized at a young age that while there is a percent of ignorance, not everyone is judging you by your race. I don’t care what is thrown in your path, you must get around it, over it or simply smash through it and that is the bottom line.

While it doesn’t seem like it, the struggle is part of the journey and while it may reach different levels of misery you gain experience and a welcomed mental toughness. Understand that while you are going through life’s obstacles there is always someone else that is fighting those very same obstacles and simply not accepting defeat.

In regards to all the names and projects you mentioned I say these simple words, “If you give up trying then blame no one else but yourself, because you gave up.” This relates to any and all endeavors you may attempt in you lifetime. If you feel the project was worth doing then it is worth seeing so move forward no matter what.

Shiai Magazine: You were the third of four children. What advice can you give to the African child who wants to succeed in martial arts but especially in life, which is not always easy?

EDDIE MORALES

My advice is to set a goal and don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot reach it. You must always go forward and take action; every action you take will build up momentum towards your goal. It is the people that think and talk too much about what they would like to do but never place action behind their words that stay lost. While all situations vary in regards to financial and or emotional circumstance you must tell yourself, “ I refuse to give up, and I will succeed as it doesn’t matter who believes in me because I believe in myself.” So many times in life you’re faced with a decision of whether to act or not. You must train and mentally condition yourself to recognize any situation now. Think of the different scenarios that could arise and envision a positive outcome. Whatever your endeavor, you must strengthen your basics and everything else will fall into place because you prepared yourself and made it happen.

There is a saying that goes, “It is better to be prepared and not get the job then to get the job and not be prepared” With that thought in mind, Preparation starts now! Your central belief must be in yourself! Think about it, why should anyone put it on the line and give you an opportunity if you don’t believe in yourself or at the very least, demonstrate confidence in your abilities?

Shiai Magazine: What opinion and vision do you have about this African Online Martial Arts Magazine?  Do you think that initiative of this magazine should be supported morally and even financially by international martial arts community?

EDDIE MORALES

The magazine was your creation and in essence an extension of yourself. I believe you are putting your heart and spirit behind this African online magazine and that alone deserves the attention and support of anyone reading and enjoying the articles and interviews. It is my observation from communicating with you that you have a deep sense of pride in who you are and what your representing with your Magazine. Please continue your efforts because in this life there are people that take a sincere leap to help others and in my opinion, you are one of these people. You are doing the noblest of all acts by presenting the achievements of the people of Africa while recognizing other people of non-African heritage and I sincerely commend and salute your dedicated effort.

Shiai Magazine: Are there any projects or last words in which you like to mention?

EDDIE MORALES

My last words for this interview are for anyone that has ever had an idea but never seemed to act on it. There is nothing easy in life and I don’t foresee that changing anytime soon so adapt to the circumstance and please overcome. Take the steps forward because each and every one of us is just as important as the next person. On this planet “There is only one You” and Ideas are too precious to remain idle. Take care everyone and I hope I answered all your questions.

Shiai Magazine: Thank you Hanshi Eddie Morales for accepting to be interviewed by us. I hope one day by grace of Almighty God you will have the chance to visit us in Cameroon “Africa in miniature”, God bless you.

EDDIE MORALES

Thank you for this opportunity, I am honored to be chosen for this interview and also feel blessed to have a new friend in you.

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