The Surprising Similarities Between T’ai-chi
And Apache Stalking Techniques

by Roy Ashton

One aspect of t’ai-chi, which fascinates me, is its close similarity to the bodily and awareness techniques used by the Apache people for hunting and stalking animals. I have encountered these stalking techniques through books written by Tom Brown, Jr., a famous tracker, naturalist and survivalist; and I also completed a Survival Skills class at the Tracker School in New Jersey, which involved some teaching of stalking techniques. I will outline some of the similarities between these two practices, which are in many ways so similar despite the fact that they originate in cultures so distantly separated from one another.

Briefly, the Apache stalking technique discussed in this essay involves a particular style of walking and slow stalking that was found to be highly effective for Apache scouts and hunters. In general, this technique involves slow, relaxed movements, high levels of physical precision and also meditative awareness practices. The technique is in a surprising variety of ways very similar to many of the features of t’ai-chi practice.

T’ai-chi and Apache stalking both pay close attention to the feet: both to the positioning of the feet, including which part touches the ground first, and to the distribution of weight. In Apache stalking the salient aim is to make as little noise as possible (so that your prey is not disturbed by your approach), and therefore it is crucial to pay careful attention to the placement of the feet, which should end up properly flat on the ground, with the weight through the centre of the foot, as in t’ai-chi. One difference, however, is that the Apache taught that it is always the side of the foot that should be placed on the ground first, whereas in t’ai-chi it is most often the heel that is placed first (or the toe when moving backwards or flat when moving sideways).

In Apache stalking, no weight at all is put into the front (leading) foot until it is properly placed in its next position. When it is properly placed, the weight is very slowly and evenly poured from the back foot into the front foot, continuing until one hundred percent of the weight is in the front foot. Thus careful attention is given to the distribution of weight between the feet, and to the way in which that weight is transferred. These principles are also found in t’ai-chi. In fact, the technique that Apache stalkers call ‘Fox Walking’ is extremely similar to t’ai-chi walking, the weight staying on the back foot until the front foot is properly placed, after which there is a gradual and controlled shifting of weight to the forward foot.

The way in which the legs are used is also highly similar in t’ai-chi and Apache stalking. In the stalking method, the legs are always kept bent at the knee. It is important to keep your body at the same level, and not rise or fall too much, (also found in t’ai-chi), as this would catch the attention of your prey. It is important also in stalking to maintain a lower centre of gravity (by having knees bent), which results in the stalker looking shorter than his/her full height—again, identical to t’ai-chi. In t’ai-chi we practice spending some time in particular positions of standing meditation, some of which involve standing with all the weight on one leg. In fact, the form keeps the practitioner’s legs working all the time, as the knees are always bent, and this has the effect of strengthening the legs. Likewise in Apache stalking, it is recommended that the stalker practice standing on one leg with the knee bent, for as long as possible. In addition, modern practioners of Apache stalking (at the Tracker School in New Jersey, for instance) have developed a specific technique called ‘The Burning Four’ in which you stand for 30 seconds or a minute with your knees bent to varying degrees, including a position in which the thighs are roughly vertical to the ground—a position which is considered ideal in Tai Chi, if the practitioner has the strength to stay in it.

Another similarity between the awareness and positioning of the legs in t’ai-chi and Apache stalking is that both teach that the knees should be aligned in the direction of the feet. In t’ai-chi, the knee should always be aligned to the center of the foot. In Apache stalking, it is emphasised that the toes should point in the direction of the step, and not be turned to either side. Not only does this (as in t’ai-chi) reduce strain on the knees, but it also reduces the width of ground that the stalker treads on, thus reducing the noise he/she makes. It also increases the efficiency of the step.

Even the suggested use of the eyes is the same in both t’ai-chi and Apache stalking. In t’ai-chi, we are taught to relax our gaze and unfocus our eyes, so that we are not focussing on any one particular thing, but rather paying attention to our overall gaze and to our side-vision. In Apache stalking, the eyes should likewise be unfocussed and relaxed, and attention paid to the side vision, in a technique known as ‘Owl Vision’. The explanation given is at least threefold: wide-angled vision increases one’s perception of movements in one’s surroundings; it reduces the extent to which your prey is aware of you (whereas, if you use narrowly focussed vision, your prey often senses that you’re looking at it); and it helps the mind to properly relax.

Having discussed some of the techniques that both t’ai-chi and Apache stalking apply to particular parts of the body, I would like to mention some of the more general similarities in the approaches of these two arts. Both share features in the ways they teach movement: both teach that movement should be slow and smooth and fluid. In t’ai-chi we practice slowly so that we can perfect the movements before we can correctly use them fast; in Apache stalking, slow movement is essential to avoid detection by your prey. In Apache stalking, smooth and fluid movements are less likely to be noticed by your prey than fast or jerky ones; in t’ai-chi, moving smoothly and fluidly helps the flow of ch’i and is consistent with the practice of a relaxed state of mind and body. T’ai-chi also suggests imitating the movement of water, and that is perhaps another reason for the emphasis on smooth and flowing movements.

Both traditions teach that the movements must be accompanied by an awareness practice, as well as by general mindfulness. In t’ai-chi the spiritual emphasis is on connecting with universal ch’i, or energy, which might also be described as a kind of spirit that is everywhere, in every thing, and to which the practitioner can attune him- or herself. In Apache stalking, there is a very similar awareness emphasis. The stalker should tune in to the ‘Spirit that Moves in All Things’ and dwell in an awareness of that plane whilst moving. This level of awareness has been compared to the scientifically measurable beta brainwave state, which is the state of relaxation and calm reached through many mindfulness meditations. Using the techniques of Owl Vision and Fox Walking in combination, the stalker can very rapidly enter this beta brainwave state. The utility of this for the stalker is not only that it helps him or her become less visible and less threatening to other animals in the forest, but also that it increases intuitive capabilities. In the martial applications of t’ai-chi, such ability to respond intuitively and spontaneously are very important, and the meditative awareness also enhances the practitioner’s ability to control ch’i.

Both t’ai-chi and Apache stalking provide relatively simple, repetitive, formulaic practice techniques for students to learn the principles of these two arts. Students concentrate on perfecting these formulae in drill situations, to make their style become second-nature, with the goal that they will be able to successfully apply the principles in the idiosyncrasies of a particular situation: in t’ai-chi this might be a fighting situation, for Apache stalking it might be the hunt. Thus for both techniques, the principles of the ‘taught’ movement are applicable to any position or form of gait. For example, I once heard a story told by a modern practitioner of Apache stalking techniques, who described seeing an athletic runner one day who embodied the style of movement taught in Apache stalking. He approached the runner and asked him about his running style. The runner replied that he was a t’ai-chi practitioner and he had decided to apply all his knowledge of t’ai-chi principles to his running style! It is apparent, then, that the two techniques are recognisably similar: and that their principles can be applied to different kinds of movements and situations.

Many of these strong similarities between the two traditions seem surprising; however, the origins and applications of these two methods also share some important features, which help to explain some of their similarities. I shall conclude by naming some of these. Importantly, both t’ai-chi and Apache stalking techniques arose in cultures living close to the earth—both ancient Taoist China and the Apache were more rural and earth-based than urban societies. It is also noteworthy that both methods have important military/martial applications, (t’ai-chi for fighting, stalking for hunting or military scouts) yet both are slow, gentle and meditative, and suggest ‘tuning in’ to nature and a natural way of being. Both techniques have a spiritual aspect to their awareness practices—and interestingly, both are modelled after the ‘teachings’ of animals’ movements: t’ai-chi was originally based on the movements of five animals, the tiger, the bear, the crane, the monkey and the deer, and some of its positions carry the names of animals (for example, White Crane)—and Apache stalking techniques carry the names of two important hunting animals which the Apache sought to emulate: Fox Walking and Owl Vision.

Given modern Western society’s separation from nature and its lack of movement-based meditation techniques, it seems that the teachings of t’ai-chi and Apache stalking, although they come from very different and very ancient cultures, have particular relevance in today’s world.

17th November, 2003

Roy Ashton is a t’ai-chi student at Naropa University.