PouceOnecom> News Combat Gunfighting with Mike Rayburn The only flashlight technique you'll ever need Sometimes you need a searching technique that doubles as a shooting technique Yesterday at 6:48 AM fvinGa & “There has been so much written about the proper way to use a flashlight when fring a handgun that you probably rolled your eyes at the thought of reading another article on flashlight techniques. But humor me - this might ust be the last flashlight technique youll ever need. Bold statement, | know, but ifyou have an open mind and are willing to try something new, you might be surprised at the results SHOOTING VERSUS SEARCHING TECHNIQUES | could bore you with the history of the various flashlight techniques already being used, and who invented ther, but why bother. The problem with ‘the majority of the flashlight techniques being used by law enforcement today is that they were invented on the controlled environment of a shooting range and not on the street where it counts, The other problem is they are shooting techniques and not searching techniques, Let me guess how your last lovsight training went. You were shown several different flashlight shooting techniques ~ the range instructor may have even told you which one is his favorite - and then you were allowed to practice withthe various techniques untilyou found the one "you Iked the best.” Sound familiar? ‘At the sound ofthe whistle, youll draw your handgun and get into whatever flashlight technique you prefer and fire two rounds. | bet that one sounds familar too? Instead, how about at the sound of the whistle, youll shoot the target? Seems alot simpler and quicker, doesn't it? Simpler, easier and quicker is what frearms training should be all about. shouldnt be about which flashlight holding technique you need to get into befare youre able to return fire at someone, who, if you read the Fl statistics on officer-involved shootings, may already be shooting at you. The premise ofthese various flashlight techniques is thatthe flashlight is married with the gun, so the gun and light are together and move together. Itsounds good in theory, but in reality ts a detriment to an actual shooting. One of two things ' going to happen. One, you won't use the light at ll. Or two, youll waste valuable time in a shooting trying to get target acquisition withthe light first, before you fire.Ive witnessed this phenomenon firsthand during low-light training. When gen the command to fire, the flashlights come on with beams of lights all ver the range, sometimes 30 feet up in the trees behind the back berm, Some wil take the time to align thelr ight beam on the target before shooting, while others will shoot with the available light thats present from all the other flashlights arcund them, and therein lis the key to flashlight techniques. Stop trying to use the flashlight lke it's 2 gun. In other words, stop trying to get the light beam to shine directly on the target/subject— as most of these techniques require — ke you're going to shoot him with the flashlight. You only need enough light to get two things: target identification and target acquisition. You need to identify the subject as a threat and acquire/see a target, so you can shoot it. Ifthe bad guy s already shooting at you, then Identifying him as a threat is pretty easy. You may even be able to get target acquistion by shooting at his muzzle Nash, But thats a shooting technique and nota searching technique, INDEXING YOUR FLASHLIGHT ‘There are going to be times where you'l ned target Identification and target acquisition, and not shoot, For those times, you need a searching. ‘technique that doubles as a shooting technique. Some of you will argue that you already have that with the various techniques already in service, If that’s the case, then why arent they being used in actual shootings? You need a technique that's simple to use, but effective at the same time. ‘evened nuptpia trp adit cient Tuna neat bef amine econ he ge, hae) ‘That technique is called indexing. There are two ways to do this. One is to index your elbow into your side. This works best for those of you that have an old style flashlight withthe on/off switch on the side - stil my preferred type of light. Index your elbow into your side, withthe light painting, ‘forward, Keeping your elbow indexed into your side allows the flashlight to always be pointing forward, The center beam, as we so often tryto do, doesn't have tobe directly on the target. You just need enough ight to get target identification and target acquisition. ‘The secondl way to index your flashlight i for those of you that have the on/off switch on the back ofthe light. Index your elbow into your side, as we dia previously, and bring your arm across the front of your torso, Youll have two points of index with cis technique. Your elbow is into your side and your forearm Is indexed across your torso.Both of these techniques allow the flashlight to always be pointed forward. I's important forthe flashlight and handgun to act independently from fone another. There will be times where you'll need to use your flashlight, but not your gun. Likewise, there willbe times when you'l need your gun ‘and not your flashlight. By indexing the flashlight to your body, the flashight and your body work as one unit. Wherever you plvot to, the ight wil always be pointing forward, Ifyou need ta look over or under something, you can easly move the flashlight around. Its not one of those things where you have to always keep the light indexed, Be flexible, thats what this ob is all about, PROTECT CENTER MASS ‘There's an added benefit to both of these techniques. We all now its been said the bad guys will shoot atthe light beam. By having the flashlight Indexed into your side, or across your torso, the lights low and off tothe side. But, ifyou marry the flashlight with the gun in one of those other techniques, the beam of light is emanating from your center mass area