Flogging

What a flogger is

A flogger is a handle with multiple tails, usually of leather, suede, rubber or rope. Where a cane concentrates force into a line, a flogger spreads it across the tails' landing area, which is why flogging is so often described as thuddy, rhythmic and almost meditative. Many people who dislike sting love being flogged.

Choosing a flogger

The feel of a flogger comes from a few variables.

• Material. Soft suede and deerskin are gentle and thuddy. Heavier cowhide is firmer. Rubber and thin leather sting. Rope and nylon are sharp and tend to mark.
• Tail count and width. More and wider tails mean more thud, because the force is spread. Fewer, narrower tails mean more sting.
• Tail length. Longer tails hit harder and are harder to control. Beginners do well with tails around 45 to 60 centimetres.
• Weight. A heavy flogger does the work for you and encourages a slow rhythm. A light one is quicker and more precise.

A good first flogger is medium-weight suede or soft leather with twenty to forty flat tails. It will forgive mistakes while you learn placement.

Basic swings

Practise on a pillow or a wall marked with tape until your tails land where you intend every time.

The figure eight is the foundation: a continuous loop that lands alternately on each side of the back. It is rhythmic, builds heat evenly and is easy to sustain. The straight overhead brings the tails down vertically on one spot and is more intense. Underhand and horizontal swings land on the buttocks and thighs. Florentine flogging uses two floggers at once and is beautiful to watch but takes extended practice.

Aim so that the tails land flat, roughly in the middle third of their length, on the upper back, buttocks or thighs. The tips wrap around the body and can land on the hip or inner thigh with far more force than intended, so stand at the correct distance and check where every tail falls.

Building a scene

Start with light, slow strokes to raise blood flow and let the skin warm. Build gradually in force and pace. Alternate heavier sets with pauses, touch, or a lighter flogger to let sensation settle. Watch breathing and posture; a bottom who sinks into the strokes is in a good place, one who tenses or goes rigid needs a check-in.

Avoid the lower back, spine, neck and anything bony. Finish by easing down rather than stopping abruptly, then move into aftercare. Flogging frequently produces a floaty, dreamy state, and the person who was flogged may need time, warmth and quiet before they can talk.