Combat Shooting Methods for Real World Encounters

BRIGHTEN UP YOUR NIGHT

In this article, I want to discuss issues relating to the use of artificial lighting (flashlights) in the realm of close-quarters combat. There are many issues that directly relate to the use of artificial light in defensive scenarios. I will focus on several areas that I believe to be important about the use of artificial light. My objective is to increase the readers understanding and awareness of the factors that can affect the outcome of a violent encounter in dim light or “no light” conditions. As a secondary objective, I will introduce you to a “tool” that could make life a little easier when shots need to be fired and the use of artificial light can make a difference in the outcome of the fight.

My entire law enforcement career of approximately 23 years was spent working during hours of darkness - my beloved graveyard shift. I literally had to depend on the use of artificial light to stay alive and, of equal importance, keep from making a fatal mistake by failing to identify friend from foe. One critical factor relevant to this discussion is how vision is affected by light during hours of darkness or in conditions where lighting is poor to almost non-existent.     

Our vision is the one sense that provides our brain with almost all the information necessary to make force option decisions. Yes, the senses of hearing, smell, and touch can also provide information that can be useful in making force option decisions, but in the context of personal defense and law enforcement operations, our vision is by far the predominant way our brain receives information about the environment.  Therefore, in the context of use of artificial light in a tactical/personal defense environment, our objective is to enhance OUR vision and DEGRADE our adversary’s vision. What is good for us must become bad for our adversary.

There are many textbooks and articles written by optometrists and specialist that provide a detailed review of the complex issues of how our eyes work and how lighting affects our eyes. I will leave that to them and encourage you to do more research. I will simply state that our day vision uses the cones in our eyes and our night vision uses rod cells. No pun intended, but the difference between how the cones and rod cells in our eyes work is the difference between night and day. While looking directly at an object during dark/dim light conditions, the image of that object fades quickly and a rule of thumb is to avoid staring directly at an object in dark/dim light conditions. This will allow your eyes to capture a better image of the object and see it for a longer period of time. It is like using peripheral vision during the day. Again, this is not designed to be a scientific article but one in which the majority of us can use to gain better understanding of the issues surrounding the use of artificial light for defensive /combative purposes.  Also, because our night vision has difficulty capturing the image of an object that we are attempting to view in the center of our vision, there is a “blind spot” in the center of our vision. The amount of area that is affected increases with distance from us to the object. In other words, an object in this “blind spot” can be difficult, if not impossible, to see even though the object is in a direct line with our eye. This is why in my Marine Corps night training, we were instructed not to look directly at anything during hours of darkness. We were instructed to look to the side of the area we wanted to view. This is simply maximizing our ability to see during hours of darkness.

Alright, what the heck does this have to do with artificial light? Great question! Are you ready for the answer? EVERYTHING!

If I am fighting someone at night or searching for someone in hours of darkness in poor lighting conditions, one of my main objectives is to destroy his/her ability to use their vision which is a primary way their brain receives information about how to fight me.

I want to use my artificial light to take away or degrade their ability to see and/or track me when I am moving. If I can accomplish this goal, not only will my opponent have trouble seeing me, but also have trouble processing information in their brain. Why? Because the information they need may never get there because of what I have done to their eyes. I want to cause my opponent to fight as though he has blinders on his eyes.

I am introducing a small compact flashlight via my company, GUNFIGHTERS Ltd. that will assist in achieving the goal outlined above. It is called the Lightsaver LS 162 MK II. It is a compact (4.8 inch, 2.1 ounce (w/o) batteries) flashlight that can function as a conventional white light source but has the added feature of strobing at approximately 7 times per second. It is simple to operate. If you want white light only, a rapid push on the end cap turns it on and another rapid push on the end cap turns it off. If you want to immediately strobe, just push forward and hold the button on the end cap forward. It can also strobe when on constant white light mode by simply pushing forward on the end cap. The operative word for its operation is simple! 

So what is the big deal about having a strobe function on a flashlight? Well, we have discussed the goal of “attacking” your opponent’s eyes to better your chances of wining the encounter. The strobe will give you some added advantage in certain situations that will help you accomplish your objective. Let’s discuss this issue.

First off, please understand that the ability to have a strobe feature in your flashlight is NOT the end all cure for all night time /low light tactical problems. It is a tool that can be used to help us win.  Generally speaking, if there is enough ambient lighting present so that you can still somewhat see the environment/opponent, then the affects of the strobe will be somewhat diminished.  The strobe really comes into its own when you are in lighting conditions where it is extremely dark and ambient light doesn’t allow much view of the environment. In order to maximize the affects of a strobe feature, the darker, the better. The reason is simple, if your opponent has to use his night vision to attempt to see you; his eyes are working via his rod cells (much like his side vision during daylight). His forward vision has been reduced to next to nothing because of the darkness and then the strobe bombards what is remaining of his forward vision and if he looks towards the light source it only gets worse at a rate of approximately 7 times per second. If he turns his head to try to see you, his rod cells get blasted. This is a good thing for the good guys. Also, if you are moving, the strobe is allowing what little information his eyes are transmitting to the brain to be distorted and more confusing to analyze. Meanwhile, if you combine that with movement in a close-quarters engagement, it will be more difficult for your opponent to track you. Remember, we are looking for ANY advantage we can get to stay alive. If I can have a simple, compact “tool” that can help me accomplish that goal, I would rather have than have not. This Lightsaver LS 162 MKII flashlight gives you the best of both worlds. The operator can use the constant white light feature when needed. Also, the operator can immediately have the ability to use the strobe feature when the lighting conditions will allow the strobe to work to its maximum capability.

I tried to simplify this complex issue to the degree necessary to understand what happens to our eyes during various lighting conditions. I also wanted to introduce you to a “tool” that can be used in the spectrum of lighting that is present in low light operations to help gain the initiative in a close-quarters fight. 

My best wishes to all of you. Train hard and be safe,

Louis M. Chiodo

Founder, GUNFIGHTERS Ltd.