When choosing an item for self-defense, people pay attention to options such as gas cartridges, all kinds of batons, knives, and even pneumatic weapons. Often, however, these means, instead of intimidation, on the contrary, only provoke the attacker to more aggressive actions. In addition, you need to know how to use a flashlight in a tactical situation to protect yourself and not cause excessive harm to the attacker.
When discussing unique means of self-defense, then often such a device as a flashlight is not taken into account or even completely ignored. And in vain because the flashlight can serve as an excellent means of self-defense. With the help of a bright beam of light or some unique modes, such as a stroboscope, you can blind an attacker, as a result of which he temporarily becomes disoriented in space.
What Is a Tactical Flashlight?
In the middle of the last century, scientists established that short exposure to bright light flashes negatively affects a person, disorienting him in space. At the same time, the frequency of such flashes, to achieve this effect, should vary from 6 to 20 Hz. This phenomenon was called the Booch effect.
Later, they decided to implement this mechanism in lanterns, creating a stroboscope (a light source that flashes at a particular frequency). Initially, it was used exclusively for rescue purposes to signal the location. Nevertheless, after several cases of successful use of such a regime for self-defense purposes, many began to use flashlight as a means of self-defense when attacking both people and wild animals.
Thus, a pocket light with a stroboscope is quite an excellent protective tool. A regular flashlight differs from a tactical one:
- Along with its high strength and waterproof design, the flashlight makes tactical use of an aggressive bezel, as well as a direct-action face button.
- Tactical flashlights must be robust enough and have a long duration. The device should have several modes of operation — different levels of brightness, strobe mode, etc.
- The bodies of almost all flashlights on the market are made of lightweight and durable aircraft-grade aluminum alloy with high hardness anodizing.
- The presence of rubber O-rings at the joints of the removable parts provides a high degree of protection against moisture.
- High-quality assembly and the presence of spring-loaded battery contacts neutralize the negative impact of recoil when firing, increasing the reliability of the flashlight.
Why Every Man Should Carry a Flashlight
A flashlight is a necessary accessory that should always be at hand. Nowadays, realities demand more and more versatility from our defending accessories to meet all our changing needs.
Night and darkness have long been scary for humanity, that in itself causes a certain kind of fear about most people. Invisible risks materialize into fearful imaginations, which further reduces the adequacy of behavior and readiness for a decision. Moreover, to the point, many attacks by intruders or evil animals take place at night — when the person is disoriented.
A clash that occurs in the dark then naturally becomes the most unpleasant combination of these factors. We can often hear that people were injured on the way home on a dark night in the alleys because they were attacked. But this can be avoided.
Since a person does not have the fantastic ability to see cats even at night, a technique should help him. There is simply no other way if a person wants to protect himself in case of danger at night.
If we exclude the most modern and expensive equipment an appropriate light source is needed to identify the source of danger. These needs will be met by a quality led tactical flashlight for dangerous situations.
Flashlights: The Most Underestimated Tool for Personal Defense
Under the influence of frequent, bright tactical light, a person or animal becomes disoriented and cannot concentrate. Accordingly, he cannot decide what to do next. In this case, the main factor is the fear of a strange glow and ignorance of the surrounding environment, making the animal turn back and run away, and the person covers his face with his hands and turns away from the light source.
In the course of research on the use of flashlight as a means of self-defense, it was found that the best effect is observed with the dynamic movement of the light source, because of which the attacker cannot determine where the light is coming from and becomes even more disoriented.
This tactic is most effective at a range of up to 8 meters. Thus, the attacker practically does not see all your movements, or he does not recognize them correctly, which is why he cannot fight back or attack you.
Which Flashlight Is the Best Flashlight in Tactical Situations?
However, not every flashlight is suitable for this role. Therefore, when choosing such a means of self-defense, it is better to pay attention to the following parameters:
- This parameter is the most important since with a dim flash, you will not be able to scare and blind the attacker but only provoke, which is fraught with more aggressive behavior on his part.
- The ideal option would be a flashlight with a stroboscope that can flicker at a frequency of 10-14 Hz, which is quite enough for short-term blindness. When choosing options with a higher or lower frequency, you should be prepared because such a flashlight will not provide the proper blinding effect.
- This parameter includes the weight and dimensions of the flashlight because, first, such a means of protection should be invisible and fit even in the smallest pocket or purse to have the effect of surprise.
- Despite the small dimensions of such a flashlight, it must be resistant to falls, mechanical damage, powerful vibration, and even to the claws and teeth of wild animals. That is why the bodies of most modern, truly reliable defensive flashlights are made of high-quality aluminum, which is not only highly resistant to physical damage but also has a relatively low weight.
An additional advantage of the flashlight for self-defense will be the striking steel edge — it not only protects the glass and helps break the glass and becomes an additional «weapon» in close combat. In addition, the high-quality flashlights are equipped with special threaded O-rings. This allows the flashlight to work without problems.
How to Safely Maneuver in a Dark Space With a Flashlight
The main task in a tactical flashlight self defense is precisely the visual and psychological pressure on the enemy. Disorientation due to a stroboscope is a kind of fright in the face of the unknown, in front of a «scaring» effect:
- Being under the influence of outbreaks, a person cannot receive visual information about what is happening around him, and his attention cannot concentrate on anything.
- This leads to instant discomfort and gradual fear.
- All of this serves as a strong deterrent, and in the right hands, can be very effective.
Stroboscope loses its effectiveness more quickly under static impact. A significant role here is assigned to the photosensitivity of peripheral vision. If the stroboscope is fixed, and its owner is displaced (for example, it is a few steps to the side), then the chances are good that the enemy will either not notice the owner or will not adequately assess the degree of threat.
In other words, if you put down a flickering flashlight and step back and take a firing position to the side, then you will be safer than if you were hiding behind a strobe. Tactics like these are excellent for defending, defending targets, and holding positions.
How to Use a Tactical Flashlight When You’re Unarmed
First, after finding out what is a tactical flashlight, it’s better to know how to apply it. Since most tactical flashlights already have high lumens, they are incredibly bright, so they can temporarily blind the person who is about to attack or threaten you.
This is especially important in the dark, as the attacker’s eyes are more focused on less light. If you blind an attacker this way, you can gain precious seconds to escape, which is a priority in all self-defense scenarios.
In the worst case, you can hit with the flashlight, the larger models with the stick where the batteries are located, or the smaller models usually have a «copper fist» in front of the lens, which in the worst case is not only suitable for burglary.
