Taekwondo a ‘way of life’ for Valley Stream family

Bradley Sealy, 10, left, and his brother, Brandon, 13, have been practicing taekwondo for more than nine years with Master Tony Byon.

Nick Ciccone/Herald

Brandon and Bradley Sealy were busy last month: the brothers traveled to Nevada and Canada within a week for two separate international taekwondo competitions.

“We didn’t unpack,” said their mother, Sandra.

Taekwondo is a lifestyle for the entire family, as the Sealy brothers have both studied under Master Tony Byon at Taekwondo V Academy, at 29 West Merrick Rd., for almost all of the dojo’s nine years in the village. The brothers are accustomed to traveling. In the past five years, they’ve participated in similar events in Las Vegas and Chicago. Byon, the academy’s founder, said that that level of achievement is uncommon — only 10 percent of his clientele are able to practice competitively. “After six months, 50 percent drop out,” he said, noting the plethora of technology and entertainment that young people so easily become immersed in.

Where Brandon, 13, and Bradley, 10, differ from the rest is their commitment to and focus on martial arts, Byon said. The boys had some reservations about the sport at first, they acknowledged.

“At first it was a little bit annoying, but as I got older I got to understand the morals and principles more and I was able to enjoy the sport,” said Brandon, a third-degree black belt.

The boys traveled to Reno, Nevada for the Taekwondo U.S. Open that took place from Feb. 2 to 7, with more than 2,000 contestants from 90 countries vying for first place in his or her respective weight class. The prestigious competition caught the eye of the U.S. Olympic Committee this year, and the organization held trials for the 2016 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.

A week later the boys traveled to Montreal for the Taekwondo Canada Open. The competitions are broken down into two categories: the iconic one-on-one combat in taekwondo is known as sparring; demonstrating different stances and poses is known as poomsae.

Byon said that successful taekwondo competitors usually succeed because of their mental strength, not physical prowess. In Korean, taekwondo means “the way of hand and foot,” which Byon said refers to both the physical combat and the integration of focus and composure into everyday life.