Apache Knife Fighting

This post, like recent ones, involves retirement. Honestly, I never expected to write so much about the topic. For one thing, it bores me, since anytime it comes up people invariably bring up cruises, Morgan Stanley, kitchen remodeling, or grandchildren. I have nothing against any of these, particularly grandchildren (no “anti-natalist” am I), but I usually lose interest about 3.2 seconds into the conversation, sometimes sooner.

I have been writing about retirement not because I have found a revolutionary way to restore oak floors or anything like that, but because I have discovered something that has come as a surprise–more than a pleasant one. You may think it so obvious as to wonder why I even bring it up, but here it is. For the most part, I am finally able to do what I want, when I want, the way I want, with whom I want. I say “for the most part,” because I recognize that I live in a world inhabited by other people, and I figured out early on that’s it better to work with them than against them, if at all possible. As an aside, think of how many celebrities and social media “influencers” haven’t learned this lesson.

What have I been doing freed from the shackles of work? A lot of writing. Boxing, too, which has gained even more relevance now that Mike Tyson is stepping back into the ring at the age of 58. I also do home maintenance, although I don’t bore people with the details, including the neighbors, who have a vested interest in the repairs. I should spend more time with the grandkids, though, which would have been a great goal for Lent this year but will have to wait for next. They grow like weeds and are just as wild.

This new freedom offers possibilities that I did not even dream of before. For instance, this past week I took an Apache knife fighting course with a man by the name of Robert Redfeather. I hadn’t planned on going to anything like this, but the opportunity came up and, voilà, there I was sparring. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, really, since I have been boxing for a year and started practicing with firearms at a local gun range. In the interest of full disclosure, knives have also been on my mind. I am not preparing for Armageddon, but I like to think I am filling in gaps in my psychic substructure that need to be made whole. This is a spiritual exercise that allows me to settle deeper into myself (see Lessons from Boxing). Well, deeper into something. Plus, it’s exciting to have someone come at you with a knife. Reminds me of a certain ex-wife.

As you would expect, knife fighting ain’t easy. It requires consistent training to master techniques like Downward Wind, Upward Wind, Snapping Turtle, Raven (a feint with both arms), and Mountain or Ice Pick Grip as well as hammer blocks and canyon strikes. In addition, knife fighting is about more than cutting and stabbing, especially in the Apache style, which models itself on the physical landscape and fauna of the American Southwest, as the names suggest. The hardest thing to get used to in this style is its approach to engagement. In Apache knife fighting, you win not by standing your ground but by giving way and yielding.

Standing your ground is a cultural value in the West. Most people’s first instinct is to plant a foot and clench fists, ready to engage. This is even reflected in certain states’ “stand your ground” laws regarding firearms. Think, too, of traditional European armies squared off against one another in an open field, moving in block formation. The Apache style, in contrast, relies on stealth, agility, and engagement only when necessary to remove an immediate threat.

Redfeather confessed to us that he doesn’t carry a knife anymore, having been in enough knife fights to know better. He has also trained Marines and members of law enforcement and worked as a bouncer. “There are no winners when two people start cutting each other up. At best, you’re giving business to the doctor,” he told our group. Fighting smarter, not harder, and learning to yield when circumstances permit are spiritual exercises that, ironically, can lead to peace.

I can’t wait to see what retirement brings next, although I tell you right now I am not jumping out of an airplane.

---

Image credits: feature by AJ Festa. Photos taken at the Davenriche European Martial Arts School in San Jose, California. Want more? Go to Robert Brancatelli. The Brancatelli Blog is a member of The Free Media Alliance, which promotes “alternatives to software, culture, and hardware monopolies.”