Building Warriors: West Point Judo’s Road to the National Championship: Transformational Coaching In Action

Dr. Morales attended the University of Puerto Rico where he was a Judo and Wrestling athlete, completed a degree in physical education, and received a commission as an officer in the U.S. Army in 1990. He was a member of the Armed Forces Judo Team and led the program from 2003 until 2013. He is an Army Master Fitness Trainer and Army Master Combatives Instructor. In 1998, he received a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology from the University of Georgia and became an instructor of physical education at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. During his first tour at West Point, he instructed cadets in personal fitness, wellness, unit fitness program development, Judo, and self-defense, and he was the head coach for the West Point Judo Team. After leaving the Academy, he was responsible for sports and fitness programs for Army Soldiers in South Korea, trained Soldiers in Fort Bliss, Texas to lead the new Army Physical Readiness program, and established the Army Combatives Program at Fort Bliss. Over his career, Dr. Morales certified over 1,500 Soldiers and cadets as Army combatives instructors. In 2004, Dr. Morales was selected to become an Academy Professor of Physical Education at West Point and became the first Hispanic ever selected for this position. In 2005, he attended Florida State University to complete his doctorate in sport and exercise psychology and reported to the academy in 2008. As an Academy Professor, Dr. Morales was Deputy Director, Director of Program Support, Director of Competitive Clubs, coached the West Point Judo Team, Course Director for personal fitness, combatives instructor certification, basic Judo instruction, and nutrition for performance. In 2010, Dr. Morales became a Certified Performance Enhancement Consultant through the Association for Applied Sports Psychology (AASP), and he has worked with athletes at the developmental, collegiate, and professional levels. In 2010, Dr. Morales led the West Judo Team to their first national title in 50 years, and in 2011 the team won all the team divisions of the NCJA National Championships, becoming the first and only team to complete that feat in the history of the National Collegiate Judo Association. Dr. Morales retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2014 and joined the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Mental Conditioning Team.