Abbot's Place

Flogging 101: An Introduction

Flogging is one of the more popular BDSM "sports." Whether for the associations with spankings and punishments, the traditional connection with S/M, the feeling of disgrace and submission, a demonstration of devotion, endorphin ecstasy, or any of a hundred other reasons, almost everyone involved with BDSM has either watched or participated in a flogging.

A flogging scene can be truly impressive. The flying tails, in the hands of a skilled practitioner, describe a smooth arc and land exactly where intended. The recipient's reactions -- whether a mellow sigh or a surprised yelp -- add to the atmosphere and feed the top's energy. A really well done flogging can be almost hypnotic to watch.

The most beautiful flogging I've seen in recent years was at BR10. A top of remarkable skill was wielding a pair of matched floggers in an interleaved "figure eight" pattern that was simply beautiful. I am told that his style derived from Nito, a style of Kendo (Japanese sword fighting) which uses twin swords. Because he was landing four blows with each circuit, his precise strokes beat out a fast tempo that was at odds with the slow, graceful movements of the floggers. The result must have felt something like a massage, and there was no doubt that the recipient was enjoying herself.

At the other end of the spectrum are people like Yours Domly: still struggling to control their flogger's tails, which sometimes seem to have a mind of their own. Forget reaching a Zen-like state of oneness with the whip; it's all I can do to make it through a session without wrapping at least once! But I continue to attend every flogging workshop I'm able, and my confidence and skill are slowly growing. I'll get there. [Update from 2001: I'm pretty good at it these days.]

Anatomy of a Flogger

Most folks never bother to learn the names of all the "pieces parts" of a flogger. I'm one of 'em; as long as I know which end to hold and which end to whack with, I figure my time is better spent practicing technique than learning trivia. But here's a quick run-down for those with a scholarly bent.

The part you hold is called the "handle." (Duh!) The majority of handles have a large knob at each end; on the highest quality floggers, these are intricate woven knots called a "Turk's Head." Regardless of the construction, the front knob is placed at the "neck," where the handle meets the tails. The back knob is at the "butt," or rear of the flogger; this knob is sometimes called the "button." Some floggers have a wrist strap attached at the rear; the best also include a tiny loop for hanging the flogger from a belt or hook.

Just Handle It

Whipmakers express much of their creativity in the handle. Our personal flogger collection, part of which is pictured here, hints at the wide variety of treatments possible.

Copyright 1998, James LiGate. All Rights Reserved. The purple suede "double" flogger has twice as many tails as normal, and is finished with a beautiful diamond pattern and traditional Turk's Head knobs.

Next over is a horsehair flogger in black, silver, and blue; it has a simpler, elongated Turk's head at the neck and practically none at the butt.

The black cowhide flogger in the center was given to me by a former submissive trainee. It was created by a local craftsman and is fashioned with unique thong-based cylinders that have a diagonal ridge woven into them. A Turk's Head crowns the butt.

The red and black suede flogger was created for Renee by Jason of Adventure Bound; Jason was a member of Escape, our former BDSM support group. He used preformed cylinders which are covered with suede, and a wide spiral wrap on the handle.

Rightmost is a combination suede and chain flogger which is finished with a cylindrical Turk's Head at the neck and no knob at all at the butt.

Sting Versus Thud

The "business end" of a flogger is, of course, the "tails." Also called thongs, tresses, or the fall, flogger tails are made of different materials in different styles and with different "tips" or "points."

While handle designs are mostly a matter of personal taste and the whipmaker's "signature" (especially in the knobs), the tails make a very real difference in the sensations delivered by the flogger.

Floggers fall somewhere on the spectrum between "thuddy" and "stingy." As you might expect, a thuddy flogger delivers a deep, pounding sensation. Used moderately, it can feel something like a massage.

Stingy floggers deliver a sharper, more "surface" sensation, something like a light slap. Many people report two waves of sensation, one when the flogger hits, followed by another a second or two later.

Which flogger you use will depend on the effect you're after, as well as the preferences of your submissive. For example, as a recipient, Renee finds "sting" very distracting; she prefers a thuddy flogger.

Practically every aspect of the tails contributes to how stingy or thuddy a flogger will feel.

Width: The wider the tails, the thuddier the sensation; thinner tails mean more sting.
Number: Fewer tails equals more sting; more tails, more thud. The typical flogger has about 15 to 25 tails.
Points: Rounded and square-cut tips are the most gentle; pointed tips are stingy and forked points, doubly so.
Length: The longer the tails, the heavier they are and the faster the tips will be traveling when they hit their target. Heavier generally translates to thuddier, while faster can mean stingy. The exact effect will depend on the other factors controlling sting versus thud. About 16 to 24 inches is an average length for flogger tails.

To Tell the Tail

Beyond weight, width, length, and point cut, the tail's material matters most. There are a wide variety of leathers and other materials available, and each provides a different sensation. I've ranked them here in roughly increasing order of severity. (Note: This is only a general guideline, based on what you'll generally find under these names. The fact is, the weight of leather and how it is tanned has a tremendous bearing on the "feel" of the leather. Whenever possible, touch for yourself rather than relying on descriptions... mine or anyone else's.)

Chamois: The same thing you use to dry your car, chamois is buttery soft and very light. It's rare to find a flogger made out of this stuff, and with good reason: chamois will provide almost no sensation at all! You'll get some noise, a very light skin-level sensation, and not much else.
Plonge: A thin, lightweight, buttery soft cow hide, plonge has a shiny finish and a lush suede side. It is extremely gentle, although it can produce significant sting if used with force. Very few whipmakers work in plonge.
Deerskin: A light and velvety hide, deerkskin is great for caressing the body, and makes an excellent "warm-up" whip. Lots of noise, but very little impact. I watched Sarah Lashes, a talented whipmaker, repeatedly strike a volunteer at BR10 with a deerskin flogger using all her might. There was a loud thwack each time, yet the recipient never flinched.
Light Cowhide: Slightly stiffer and heavier than deerskin, light cowhide is used by some whipmakers as an "in between" material. It generally has a light thuddy feel.
Elk: Heavier than deerskin, Elk is still fairly soft and compressible. It delivers almost pure thud, but gently so: you can put a lot of force behind a blow without risk of hurting someone.
Full Suede: A bit harder and stiffer than Elk. Mostly thuddy, but can sting a bit if the tips are flicked quickly. Most of our floggers are suede, and we find this to be a versatile and useful material for most players.
Top-Grain Cowhide: These leathers are smooth on one side, creating less friction with the air and more sting on impact. Whipmakers seem to generally steer clear of these, perhaps because of the "mismatched" look of the tails.
Moose: A dense and supple leather with a nice surface texture. Mostly thuddy, with some sting. Very few whipmakers work in moose.
Buffalo or Bison: A thick, dense, yet soft leather with a very distinctive and defined grain. Very thuddy, but can sting if used correctly. Not many whipmakers work in this material.
Bullhide: Heavier and less stretchy than buffalo, bullhide produces a lot of thud and some sting.
Latigo: A very dense and tough cowhide, heavily tanned. Rarely used in floggers, latigo produces intense sting with very little effort.

Leather or Not...

Leather isn't the only material available for whipmaking. Some very interesting floggers have been made from nontraditional materials.

Rope: Unwind or unweave a rope, add a handle, and you have an interesting and versatile flogger. Widely frayed ends result in a very gentle toy; knotted ends can be more severe. Only a few whipmakers work with rope.
Horsehair: Like a hair shirt, a horsehair flogger delivers the sensation of being scratched. This is one of the few floggers that grows less powerful as you make the fall thicker; more hair slows down the swing and reduces the impact. Our horsehair flogger has some thud and very little sting, and doesn't feel "scratchy" unless we strike with the very tips. Another, lighter horsehair flogger I tried had a lot of sting and felt quite scratchy.
Rubber: Most people will caution you that rubber whips are very severe. But take it from a rubber connoisseur: it depends on the type and cut of rubber. I have a small whip I call my "stinger" that usually hangs from my belt; it's made of a few tails of firm round rubber and it bites hard. Being something of a lazy sadist, I'm quite fond of the reactions I can get with this one just by gently flipping my wrist over. But I've also owned a "sauna whip" made of two dozen flat latex strips; with it, I could strike with as much force as I could muster and create little more than a mild sting. As far as I'm concerned, the cardinal rule for rubber floggers is, "When in doubt, try it out."
Chain: Fine metal chain, or the ball chain used to turn on ceiling fans, is sometimes used to make floggers. Very intense, these should be used with great caution. Since they're made of metal and hold temperature well, they're more popular for dragging over the skin after being stored in a freezer than for actual floggings. Renee owns a variation that has links of chain embedded in leather tails. More fearsome than it looks, the leather slows down the impact and results in a mild stingy/thuddy feel. Chain floggers are fairly rare.

Floggers Versus Cats

Depending on who you ask, all floggers are cats, all cats are floggers, or they're two distinctly different beasts. I tend to think of floggers as having flat tails and cats as anything with braided or round tails. In particular, nine braided tails with knotted or weighted ends is most definitely a cat.

Cats tend to be quite severe, and go past sting into more of a "cutting" sensation. And with good reason: it's quite possible to slice the skin and draw blood with a knotted or weighted cat. When carefully applied they can be a part of a very intense scene, but if you're going to use one, treat it with respect.

More to Come!

There's a lot more I could tell you about floggers and cats, their history and use. But this gives you a good basic introduction. Stop by again for part two, when we'll take a look at the act of flogging: what to hit and what not to hit, different swings and techniques, and more.