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- The Rod of Rods
- How to Flog Someone So They’ll Come Back for More
- By Gary Switch (1998)
URL:
http://www.albanypowerexchange.com/BDSMinfo/caning.htm
To the novice flogging may look easy, and actually it’s
not that difficult, but it does require concentration and
physical exertion along with some practice. However,
knowledge of some basic guidelines can greatly enhance the
learning curve and enrich the experience for both the “top”
and the “bottom”. And a beginner would do well to practice
on a wall or pillow, focusing on the intended striking
point.
-
The cane is the reason why erotic flagellation is known
as the English Vice. As iconic as the maritime
cat-o'-nine-tails, Scottish tawse, fraternity paddle, and
the American bullwhip may be, none is so perfectly suited to
the task at hand. None possesses the elegant severity of a
thin, swishy wand of rattan.
Rattan is the stem of a
giant tropical Asian grass, growing over twelve feet tall.
Bamboo won't do. It lacks flexibility and is prone to
unexpected splitting, its hollow shaft suddenly sprouting
razor-sharp edges -- although whipping with split bamboo
rods was a form of capital punishment in ancient China.
Synthetics (Delrin, Lexan, and fibreglass) make popular
canes. They're available clear, and in black and other
colours. They don't fray or dry out, but they're denser than
rattan, hence too severe; and lack a natural direction of
bend, hence harder to control. And they have all the
aesthetic appeal of artificial flowers. Nature does it best.
- WHY THE CANE?
The cane became the rod of choice during the
Victorian era, usurping the birch. There were several
contributing factors:
- Availability. British and Dutch traders opened
up the Far East at the end of the eighteenth century and
began importing rattan for use in wickerwork and furniture.
Nilgiri canes, from a district in eastern India, became the
standard instrument of academic correction.
- Modesty. A birching must be delivered on the
bare, and the Victorians were uncomfortable with indecent
exposure. As a French commissioner noted, "One is astonished
at seeing English masters remove a garment which the prudery
of their language hesitates to name." A cane is effective
over the drawers, even over the trousers.
- Durability. A bundle of birch switches, even
soaked in brine, shreds to pieces after a whipping or two. A
single cane can see to hundreds of bottoms. When the end
begins to split, it is simply trimmed and returned to
service.
- Efficiency. A memorable birching requires dozens
upon dozens of strokes, its effect resulting from the
cumulative sensation of hundreds of minute cuts and
scratches. Six of the best with a cane is sufficient for a
brisk but unforgettable experience. Every stroke counts. The
cane's flexibility permits its tip to attain speeds of up to
200 miles per hour.
- Favourable pain-to-damage ratio. The cane's
smooth, round cross-section, lightness, and speed transmit
maximal deep-down sensation while causing minimal surface
trauma. Intense sting and several days sitting-down
discomfort -- an ideal reminder for students -- may be
inflicted leaving only stripes that soon fade. A stringent
birching slashes the loins into a bloody shambles. Thus
frequent caning is both practical and humane.
In discussions of caning, one case always arises. The
civilized pleasure of erotic flagellation bears no relation
to the brutal ordeal suffered by American vandal Michael Fay
in Singapore. He was dealt four strokes from a rod half an
inch thick and four feet long, wielded with maximum force by
an executioner using a two-handed grip. (The original
sentence was six strokes -- Fay had a good lawyer.) Such
judicial barbarity results in bloody furrows and permanent
scars. Not safe, not sane, not consensual, no fun. Not what
we're talking about. But remember that atrocity was
perfectly legal - yet they call people of kink depraved!
So why did British aristocrats crave to recreate their
dread schoolboy discipline by patronizing flogging brothels
and paying the likes of Alice Kerr-Sutherland (author of A
Guide to the correction of Young Gentlemen) and Theresa
Berkley (inventor of the Berkley Bench) a guinea a stroke?
Because it hurts so good! You and your partner may be
enthusiastic spankers ready to try other flavors. Spanking
is a thud. Caning is sting and burn, a sharply focused
sensation, a compelling excursion into the entertainment
potential of your central nervous system. It's ecstasy for
endorphin junkies, heaven for heavy players, paradise for
bottoms who've learned to process pain into pleasure. Pain
is when I stub my toe. Pleasure is when I'm tingling in
anticipation of the next stroke. Caning can be severe or
sensuous, decadent or decorous, spontaneous or scripted.
Incorporating a single implement into your play can add
oodles of atmosphere.
- SELECTING THE BEST CANE
A practical recreational rod measures about 1/4
to 3/8 of an inch in diameter (the narrower, the stingier),
and from 24 to 32 inches long. A yard-long school cane is
difficult to control without much practice. Considerably
less expensive than fancy paddles and floggers, canes have
another distinct advantage: their impact makes very little
noise, an important consideration if your bedroom has thin
walls with nosy neighbors on the other side. (Noise made by
the recipient is another matter.)
A good cane need
not be straight as an arrow. In selecting one, stroke
vertically in its natural direction of bend and beware of
any wobble to the left or right. A few gentle swings should
reveal its flexibility. Do not attempt to bend the cane into
a circle; this will damage it.
The British public
school tradition insists on a crook handle for hanging the
cane menacingly on the wall, but a loop attached to the end
of a straight cane serves the same purpose. Sometimes the
end of a cane is steam-bent into a complete turn to form a
handle, but the best natural handle is the knob at the root
end of a rattan stalk. Knob-handled canes are rare indeed.
Some merciful schoolmasters used to brace the crook against
their forearms in a style that prevented any wrist action,
also shortening the cane's effective length. If you purchase
a crook-handle cane, be sure the crook is properly aligned
relative to the cane's natural bend to suit your grip and
stroking style. Crooks also serve to prevent the cane from
flying away, as does a straight-cane handle wrapping. Use a
thin leather thong (kangaroo is ideal), racket-handle tape,
shrink-wrap, or bicycle handlebar wrap. Electrical tape
works too, but lacks elegance.
- CARE OF YOUR CANE
Canes are usually sanded to remove some or all of the
bark and to smooth the joints. A "peeled" cane with all the
heavy bark removed is much less dense, so it's less severe
as well, making it a good cane for beginners. It's also more
fragile and should be frequently examined for splinters.
Unsealed, such a cane soaks up bodily fluids like a sponge
so its use should be restricted to light play or limited to
one particular bottom. Sealing a sanded cane with repeated
light coatings of shellac, varnish, or polyurethane prevents
it from soaking up bodily fluids. Leaving all the bark on
results in a heavy, stiff cane with joints that may cause
more bruising than you'd like.
Canes should be stood
upright with their business ends in an inch of water and
left standing overnight every few months. The fibers will
draw in the water, keeping the ends from drying out and
splitting. Purists advise sanding and resealing the end each
time, but this isn't necessary if only the very end is left
unsealed. The tip should never dig into your target, anyway.
A split end may be trimmed off, but be sure to sand it to a
smooth, rounded tip before re-use. Taping the tip retards
splitting.
- CANING TECHNIQUES
It requires remarkably little force to deliver a
memorable cane stroke. Think of it as a whip, not a stick.
Think badminton, not tennis. Wrist alone (if your wrist is
strong and supple) will be enough to satisfy many bottoms.
Wrist and forearm combined suffice to deal an exhilarating
cut. A wrist flick right at the end of the stroke can be
devastating. Chastisers used to hold a book (try a Bible, if
you're very kinky) under their caning arms to limit the
power of their strokes. A saber-stroke-style slash with
shoulder, elbow, and wrist all fully involved is probably
over-doing it.
Practice on a cushion upholstered in a
nappy fabric (or a teddy bear) so you can see where you're
striking. Aim a few inches short of the edge of the pillow
because a power stroke will reach further and wrap around
more. Begin with the cane up next to where you want to
strike, tap, draw back, and let it return mostly by its
natural recoil, applying very little additional force.
Gradually increase the involvement of your wrist and then
your elbow. Start the stroke further away from your target
but continue to begin each stroke by drawing back, allowing
the cane's end to achieve maximum travel. Your goal is an
even impact of about the last third of the cane's length.
You don't want the tip to cut in. Once consistent accuracy
has been attained, you can develop fancier strokes in your
own personal style.
After you've achieved control, practice on your
partner's clothed hindquarters. Use a wide, thick belt to
protect the lower spine and kidneys. Insist on detailed
feedback. You're looking for an "Mmmmm!" You might chalk the
end of the cane to tell exactly where your strokes land.
British school prefects used to do this as an aid in
striking repeatedly in precisely the same spot, a sadistic
practice that is extremely painful and may result in deep,
long-lasting bruises. Spread your strokes around.
Stand to the side and a bit forward of your target, so that
the far buttock won't receive the brunt of the blow. The
ideal is an even stripe across both buttocks. Since this is
difficult to achieve, you'll want to move from your forehand
to your backhand side periodically, in order to evenly treat
both cheeks. The sulcus, or crease between the buttocks and
thighs, is extremely sensitive, as are the backs of the
thighs, because they lack the natural padding of the butt.
If you intend to stimulate these areas, decrease the force
of the strokes you direct there.
- STROKE VARIATION
There are two main schools of caning technique.
English-style traditionalists insist upon power strokes
only, with no warm-up, while the West Coast school enjoys
inflicting a variety of intensities. Many sources insist
that there is no middle ground in caning -- that strokes are
either wimpy or wicked. Striving to please my partner,
Rebecca, who loves to receive the cane but has a low pain
threshold, I have proved that moderate strokes are possible
with practice and sensitivity to each individual cane's
response.
A cane has a natural rhythm, useful for
delivering a massage of rapid pitter-pats. An educated wrist
can endlessly vary the intensity, unexpectedly interspersing
harder shots to keep the bottom alert. This massaging
technique is an excellent way to learn to control the force
and to stimulate sensitive but delicate areas where a full
stroke would be dangerous, e.g. palms of the hands, soles of
the feet (bastinado), insides of the thighs, armpits, belly,
breasts, and genitals. The narrow tip of the cane is perfect
for tickling those hard-to-reach spots. Such rap-tap-tapping
is a great warm-up for power strokes.
Severe strokes
demand ceremony, both in giving and receiving. For some,
formal ritual is an essential element of caning. The
ceremony begins with the commands, "Unbutton. Let down.
Assume the position." Dangling shirttails are "taken up,"
tucked or pinned out of the way. The drawers may be slowly,
humiliatingly lowered by the chastiser, or left up with a
promise to lower them if the culprit proves unruly. A
fearsome whistling swipe through the air puts the subject in
the proper frame of mind.
The position is usually
bent over, so that errant strokes will miss entirely rather
than impacting the lower spine. (But aim low to avoid the
tailbone.) Bending over tightens the flesh of the buttocks
so that the stroke is felt more keenly. Lying prone is a
good position for subjects of novice caners because downward
strokes are easier to control, and unstretched buttocks are
more padded. A pillow may be put on the far side of the
target area to harmlessly absorb any wrap-around.
Power strokes must be slowly served and savoured. The pain
is two-fold: the surface smart at the moment of impact and
the delayed internal fire as the compressed nerves spring
back. To masochists, the sensation of a perfect stroke is as
exquisite as an orgasm, and one has been known to lead to
the other. Allow plenty of time for full appreciation of the
blooming pain's slow burn before you deal the next one.
Strokes are awarded in sets of six. Counting by the
culprit is key. "One. Thank you Sir/Ma'am. May I have
another?" Penalty strokes are awarded for miscounting,
flinching out of position, or attempting to shield the
target area with a hand. Bondage is seldom employed, since
voluntary submission is an essential part of the correction
ritual.
- DECORATIVE RESULTS
It is customary to create a closely spaced grid of
parallel stripes, each welt bearing twin red edges, to
demonstrate your superb control. An expert caner is capable
of producing stripes that will last for hours, days, or
weeks, according to the recipient's pleasure. "Gating" is
the fiendish technique of crossing such a pattern with a
diagonal stroke, often drawing blood where the stripes
intersect. (Obviously, if blood is drawn, the cane must be
carefully plastic-bagged and disinfected, but it's a rare
bottom who hasn't had enough well before this point.)
Schoolboys returning to their dormitories after a session
with the headmaster, used to rate the severity of their
thrashings by having classmates count the number of "stars"
on their bottoms, where strokes had crossed.
Afterward, the culprit may be required to hold position and
forbidden to rub the afflicted area until permission is
granted to rise. It is customary to kiss the cane and
express gratitude for the exertions of the chastiser.
"Thank you, Miss, for having corrected me. I ask your
pardon for the trouble you have taken, and I promise never
to steal again." -- -- Harriet Marwood, Governess, by John
Glassco
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