Lights Out: Flashlights for Self-Defense and Urban Prepping
Flashlights are a true wonder. No matter your station in life, there's a time and place for everyone to say their thanks. They brighten dark corners, make sense of wires and pipes, and for the urban warfighter, they are completely indispensable. While many of us carry our flashlights daily, they are often tucked away in wait of a hearty job. But with the advent of ultrabright LED technology, perhaps it's time to consider the flashlight as a firstline companion to your urban prepping plan.
WHAT'S IN A LIGHT?
With the availability of lights today, it's easy enough to find a flashlight that puts out well over 1000 lumens (the higher the lumens, the greater the amount of light emitted per second). As someone who has volunteered his retinas to science repeatedly, I can say that anything over 300 lumens will get you blinking a little, but north of 1000 will give them a good crutch. While the higher lumen count sounds great in theory, the shape and size of a flashlight should also be considered. Similar to a concealed carry firearm, if it's too bulky, you won't carry it. Rechargeable lights are great way to combat bulk (see: my personal favorite the Nitecore EDC25), but you lose the availability to scrounge up batteries in the worst of times. Lastly - and quite possible the most important - grab a light that can start on 'high'. This whole thing falls apart if you try and bleach someone with 5 lumens and then have to cycle through your settings. Keep is simple, especially with your civil unrest loadout.
NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS AFTER MIDNIGHT
While I think this old saying applies to our proclivity for a good time (see: trouble), this is especially true for violent encounters. Though crime is fairly well spread out across the day, violent crime tends to peak during the darkest hours. This could be some hood looking for reluctant company, or just a drunk guy making his way out of the bar at 2:00 a.m. Male or female, we are all faced with the same problem at the end of the day: someone wishes to do us harm and they don't have the good sense to stop themselves. If unable to de-escalate or disengage, then that's where we have to lend a helping hand.
ILLUMINATE THE PROBLEM AND YOU'LL FIND YOUR OPENING
When faced with violence, bleaching someone in the eyes can be a great way to interrupt their decision-making process, providing valuable time to make your move. Even when people know it's coming, there's still an immediate reaction to getting ripped in the eyes. This can come in the form of scrunched eyes, or even an involuntary arm flinch. But again, it's all about buying that fraction of a second. On the receiving end, there's nothing more unnerving than getting flashed and losing sight of your opponent. To improve our position and remove the individual's strongest 'weapons', we should always strive to get off of our opponent's centerline. Whether a head strike or a 2-on-1 grip, the flank is the place to be.
The author's Streamlight Polytac, Surefire Backup, and 3-cell Maglite (perfect truck light).
AN EXTENSION OF THE HAND
With your flashlight held in a reverse/icepick grip, a quick flash to the eyes can set you up rather pretty. Depending on the size of your flashlight, this can be done from a non-confrontational posture with your hands in front or drawn directly from the pocket (even better when turning slightly to cover the draw). While the flashlight also makes a solid palm-filler, we should try to avoid closed-fist strikes at all costs. For this reason, the hammerfist should be considered a go-to when striking in a self-defense scenario. While the priority is to protect our hands, the hammerfist can be equally as effective as a punch. Now, when you utilize your flashlight as kubotan/palm stick, this concentrates the force of the blow onto the bezel of your light. Think of it like swapping a baseball bat for a hammer. But this also changes to tool itself. While the general rule is that hard weapons strike soft targets, and soft weapons strike hard targets, this is in place to keep you from breaking your own bones. But with something as solid as a flashlight, it doesn’t hurt to seek out hard targets such as the hand, wrist, clavicle, or above.
MAKING LIGHT OF THE SITUATION
The last place we want to find ourselves is on the receiving end of a violent encounter, but if we do, it falls to us to take the upper hand. A quick flash of light can buy us the time to disrupt our attacker's line or give us the opening to get away. For those who aren't training formally, this is a maneuver that can effortlessly be brought into your combative toolbox - a series of easily called upon combinations executed explosively and violently - which I will cover more later. So, the next time you head out onto the town, throw that light into your pocket or waistband. Never hurts to have a little backup, especially when it can accompany you anywhere in the world.