Apache Stalking Techniques

• References to Geronimo's supposedly magical ability to walk without making footprints could actually relate to traditional Apache stalking methods. These were used by Apache hunters and scouts so they are methods for both war and daily survival in a harsh environment. The Apache stalking technique required setting the front foot down without putting weight on it and then slowly transferring the weight to the next foot so no sound was made.
  
  

Evasion and Attack

• Geronimo was known for his ability to evade opposing soldiers and then strike back with intense aggression at a time and place of his own choosing. When Geronimo fled the reservation in 1885, his band of less than 100 Apache successfully eluded a force of 5,000 soldiers and 500 Indian auxiliaries for several months. His counterattacks were said to be so fierce that Mexican soldiers took to calling upon St. Jerome to protect them from him -- the origin of his nickname of Geronimo. The basic Apache fighting technique could be described as the art of evading, stalking and then destroying an enemy.
  
  

Apache Fighting Training

• The Apache attitude to warfare was one of extreme aggression, emphasizing the destruction of the foe. Apache boys trained to be warriors by competing with each other in target shooting, hand-to-hand fighting, fighting with knives and sticks, and racing horses. An Apache boy in his teenage years would already be helping the older warriors in their raids for horses, cattle, weapons and prisoners.
  
  

Apache Battle Tactics

• The Apache were known for their preference for knives as can be seen in anecdotes of Geronimo charging soldiers while armed only with his knife. Modern Lipan Apache martial artist Snake Blocker teaches Apache knife fighting techniques and Apache battle tactics in seminar format. The Apache battle tactics course is based on the training once given to Apache youth. Snake Blocker has also served as a military close-quarters combat instructor.