Blue Wave Spirit to Host “Kicking in the New Year” Martial Arts Training in Alton [Video]

ALTON – Blue Wave Spirit will host a “Kicking in the New Year” event for all who want to show off their martial arts skills on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023.

Attendees will do 24 reps of 20 different kicks to “kick in” 2024. The hour-long event starts at 11 a.m. at the YWCA in Alton, and it encourages confidence and empowerment, two major parts of Blue Wave Spirit’s regular martial arts training.

“It’s very much focused on self-defense and building a lot of those personal skills like discipline, confidence, self-management,” Blue Wave Spirit Director Tom Withee explained. “That’s the number one draw of training in martial arts. Learning self-defense is really great and being able to protect yourself, but that’s not what most people get out of training. What they get is they develop self-confidence, they develop a sense of peace, and they learn how to interact with other people …