Flashlight For Self Defense

Self defense is such a common topic of conversation these days.  You can hardly scroll through Facebook or Instagram without seeing some self proclaimed “self defense expert” trying to sell you an at home video training series. 

In just 5 minutes a day you can guarantee your safety in public settings. It’s claims like this that are causing people to have a false sense of security. It’s not just videos either.  When we look at the self defense product market as a whole, there are tons and tons of great products out there, but there are also tons of garbage products out there that not only will not make you safer in society, they may actually put you at more risk.  

Let’s face it guys, ladies are attacked more often than guys are.  Whatever the reason, this is a sad reality. When it comes to women’s self defense products, there is one thing to keep in mind.  The company that makes the product you are looking at doesn’t care (generally speaking) if you are actually any safer or not because of having this product.  The company is simply trying to get their piece of the pie;the pie in this case being a multi billion dollar industry that focuses on selling a feeling of safety.  

I don’t want this to sound too ominous because there are some great training companies out there that do care, and there are some products you can purchase that, if you used properly will make you safer in society.  

First and foremost, if you are not already training Jiu Jitsu, you should be.  I know, I know, insert excuse here (I‘m too busy;It looks uncomfortable;I can’t afford it, etc).  Let’s talk about this for a minute.  

Let’s start with the I’m too busy objection.  This is an easy one to overcome, as soon as you let it be. What I mean here is simply, you make time for things that are a priority to you.  If you truly saw a value in training you would not need me to convince you that you had time, you would make time, like you make time for hanging out with friends, or going to the grocery store, or taking the kids to their events, or any of the hundreds of things that you make time for each and every day.  The harsh reality is that you simply don’t see the value in training, therefore it is not a priority to you and thus, you don’t have time for it. I get it. I really do, but let’s go on and talk about why you need to train and see if we can find some value for you.  

The next common objection from people in general, not just ladies, is “I don’t want to be so close to other people, or I don’t want to roll around with another sweaty person, I think it’s gross and uncomfortable”.  There’s only one way to say this, and it’s like ripping off a Band – Aid…. Getting sexually assaulted is uncomfortable and gross… Let that sink in for a minute. 

Regardless of what you are being led to believe, the simple truth is there is only one way to prepare for a sexual assault, or an attack of any kind really.  The only way to truly prepare is to train in a controlled environment with people you trust from these awful positions that you hope to never be in outside of the academy.  The reality here is that the more you train from these positions the better prepared you will be for an attacker of any size. Jiu Jitsu helps you build confidence that as a female you can over power even a larger male who is trying to hurt you in a calm, strategic way, keeping yourself safe and neutralizing the situation. 

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For example, let’s look at closed guard.  Closed guard is awkward at first because you are locking someone up between your legs, essentially locking them into the very position you are trying to avoid in an attack situation.  The thing here is in doing this on the mats of your academy, in a safe and controlled environment, there is no risk, however the rewards are plentiful. You will learn the triangle choke from guard, the arm lock from guard, the kimura from guard and a handful of sweeps too.  These techniques will give you the confidence that should you ever be attacked, you know exactly how to handle the situation and have the option to put the attacker to sleep, break a joint, or both if you prefer, and because you have built the muscle memory required to perform under stress, your brain will take over and begin executing on your self defense strategy for you. 

While training Jiu Jitsu may not always look like the most appealing thing to do, I encourage you to give it a shot with an open mind because it’s not only extremely empowering, but it’s a ton of fun too.  I became a true believer in Jiu Jitsu when I was training with one of the ladies in our academy who had roughly the same skill set and time on the mats that I did at the time. As a male, weighing in at about 190 pounds at the time, giving her a 40 – 50 pound weight disadvantage.  She was able to control the situation, keep me from getting close enough to pin her down and work submission, and actually was able to take my back and choke with a legit choke that came on so fast I almost blacked out. At that moment, I could not have been more of a believer in what Jiu Jitsu offers to everyone, but especially what it offers to the ladies out there. 

Often times people find that the solution to self defense is not training but getting a concealed carry weapons permit.  As a concealed carry firearms instructor let me assure you that having a firearm with you at all times does not guarantee your safety.  Sure, it’s an additional tool that you have the ability to use, IF you train with it and take the time to learn how to get on target quickly and safely, but at the end of the day, it’s just a tool.  Look at it like this, self defense is not a one size fits all scenario, some situations may be better suited for a firearm response, while others may be better suited for a Jiu Jitsu response, while still others may be best handled by simply walking away.  The more tools you have on your self defense tool belt the better off you are going to be.  

One of the most underutilized tools out there is a good quality tactical flashlight.  Let me first start by saying just because it says tactical does not mean it’s ideal for self defense, or anything for that matter.  The word tactical is currently being added to everything from a marketing perspective to lead people to believe if they have the same “tactical gear” as the elite military operators that they too will perform at an elite level in a self defense situation without any training.   That could not be more wrong. The elite perform the way they do because of practice, hours and hours of practice, not because they have the best gear.  

A good flashlight should be part of your daily carry, phone wallet keys flashlight.  You can take a flashlight with you almost anywhere, many places that you can not take a firearm, but you can take a flashlight, such as airplanes, courthouses, etc. A good flashlight should be small enough that you don’t feel burdened by carrying it, and should have the button to turn it on on the bottom of the light.  It’s up to you if you want a light that clicks on, or is only on when you are pushing the button. The flashlight should also have raised edges around the lamp end of the light. These edges can be used for striking if necessary and will help you to deliver earth shattering blows to the attacker’s head, creating enough force to easily knock them out or even kill them if the strike is positioned properly. 

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Additionally, the flashlight can be used in conjunction with your situational awareness to make a threat aware that you are not an easy target and that you do see them.  What I mean here is if you are paying attention to what is happening around you, you will likely see someone following you or acting a little “off”. The very moment you notice them is the time to take action, not when they have closed the distance and are now able to hit you or worse. What you should be prepared to do is point the flashlight at their face and boldly yell something similar to “I don’t know you leave me alone”  This informers passerby’s that you don’t know this person, and that you feel like there may be a threat. This also lets the bad guy know that you are not going to be an easy target, likely deterring him from continuing the attack. 

Personally, I preach the need for everyone to carry a flashlight to all of my students in concealed carry classes because in my opinion it’s the single best self defense tool.  As you just read, there are tons of ways this tool adds value to your self defense arsenal. 

Check out some flashlight techniques from Chad Lyman in his video clip “Intro to Flashlight for Self Defense”.  

Chad goes over some of the basic requirements of a self defense flashlight and how it may be used briefly in this video, but takes a much deeper dive in his video instructional titled “Street Fighting Secrets”.  Unlike a lot of the self defense videos out there, this video instructional will help you transition your Jiu Jitsu training into an effective self defense tool enabling you to use your training effectively and manage even the worst of situations.  If you are looking for something a little more on the aggressive side, check out “Alpha Male Self Defense” – by Dean Lister. Dean and his friend put together this self defense video instructional based on knowledge form decades of Jiu Jitsu training and competition, years of both of them being Jiu Jitsu black belts, as well as his friends knowledge as a Navy Seal Commander.  This video instructional is the perfect addition for the guy who thinks he knows how to fight. As the saying goes, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.  

At the end of the day, do the best you can with the time you have to build the best possible self defense strategy that provides you with the most tools to keep you safe in society.  In my opinion the ideal plan consists of Jiu Jitsu as a foundation for your self defense, carrying a flashlight and knowing how to strike with it, knowing some striking to get you into your Jiu Jitsu positions, and lastly as an absolute last resort, carrying a firearm, if you so choose.  This is simply my opinion, and your ideal plan may look differently and that is ok too. Just please do not fall prey to any self defense seminars that aren’t based on real world tactics that will actually work, or targeted sales pitches for products that just simply aren’t actually making you any safer in society.  At the end of the day, if you want to be better at getting out of uncomfortable situations, you need to train from uncomfortable situations as much as possible in a controlled and safe environment. 

 A Jiu Jitsu athlete should have the skills to defend himself and protect others. If not, it's almost irresponsible. Thankfully Chad has a DVD / On Demand series on just that. Check it out here!

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