This is part of a series for beginners interested in S&M/B&D
A flogger is a flexible, multi-tailed striking tool made of strips of leather or similar substances, for striking certain areas on a submissive's body. In short, not bullwhips, braided cat-o-nines, crops - just floggers. The wider the tail, the more surface area to be forced through the air, and the more of it lands at once on the skin. As a general rule, thin tails 'sting' and wide tails 'thud'. The more tails a flogger has, the slower it travels; the longer the tails are, the more leverage is gained. Both of the above make a flogger heavier, but the longer tails can make it much more difficult to control. Therefore, many of the standard floggers have tail lengths between 15 and 22 inches. Very short floggers have special uses for close-up work, like the cock or nipples.
For safety, flogger tails must remain fixed to the end of the handle. The handle must work with your hand, not against it, neither too large nor small for a proper grip. A knot or roll of tape near the end of the flogger will prevent your hand from slipping. Short handles are better for control, longer handles will give you more leverage. The weight of the handle must feel 'right' with the tails, which is something you must feel, not read about.
The material you choose for your flogger is extremely important. There are many types of materials that inflict varying degrees of sensations and/or pain. The materials listed below provide a range of severity and feelings from mild to severe. In general, the softer and lighter the material, the safer it is and can be used harder and longer without risk. As always, the top must test each one on himself before uses it on his sub, and checks for breakage or other safety problems before each use.
Materials
The first two items listed are great for beginners or those who wish to simply try it and do some experimentation.
Chamois - usually a 3/8 inch tail width 20-tail is a specialized tool for flogging either a complete novice or one who prefers nearly no sensation. Causes very little noise, a very light skin-level sensation (however it may also cause him to look back at you and ask if that is all you plan on doing.... :)
Fabric - silk and other softer fabrics can be made into floggers. Avoid fraying of edges by sewing the fabric into closed tubes, ironing each tube flat, then sewing the flat sides together along the long axis. Similar to chamois, more decorative colors available, and many fabrics are washable.
Deerskin - soft and caressing, a tiny bit of sting and a bit of thud, and little else. Unless one is hitting exceptionally hard, a deerskin flogger can be used for a very long time without any notable skin reactions beyond a light flush. A great choice for light play or the less experienced.
Light Nylon Cordage (1/8 inch) - Take 15 loops 34 inches long (circumference), tying them together in a knot at one end. Cut the other end (tail length now perhaps 15 inches), fray the cut ends and attach to a handle. Two sensations, a very light one from brushing with the tips alone, and a heavier one from the non-frayed section. Simple to clean, quite inexpensive, and different weights of cord are readily available.
Elkhide - heavier than deerskin, yet soft and compressible, almost entirely thud. A lovely flogger for a slow building scene, very easy to relax into, and can be used with great force with little risk of harm.
The next three are varieties of leather. These are not specific cuts or tanning terms, but are classes of weight and type.
Suede - in the lighter varieties, slightly harder than elkskin, in the heaviest, just below the thick Topgrain below. Many floggers are made from various suede 'splits', these are inexpensive and simple to work. More thud and more sting than those above, may mark if swung sharply.
Topgrain leather - smooth leathers create less friction than suedes, yet usually have more of a sting. Available in many weights, from light garment leathers to heavy saddle leathers, the more flexible varieties are recommended.
Oil tanned thick leather - thick, heavy, and spongy leather, less flexible than thinner skins. Feels rather like an extremely heavy Elk as it compresses, yet a far more serious thud.
Bison - rough grain, heavy, rather inflexible, unless careful attention is taken the edges may cut the skin. Not a material for the beginner, but certainly something to use if desired.
Rubber - flexible, yet has a harsh feeling, stings like a thong flogger, leaves immediate marks. Different weight to air resistance ratio than any leather I am aware of. Exceptionally simple to clean.
Horsehair - extreme sting with no thud, entirely skin-level sensation of a very intense and itching sort. It is possible to break skin with horsehair, and it creates deceptively intense stinging at a very light touch. Cleanliness and body fluid precautions are required here,
Many people find floggings much more pleasurable if they are sexually aroused or become so during the process. If for no other reason, sexual arousal can stimulate the release of the same hormones that are released as the body experiences a flogging, thus facilitating the body's natural response. During interludes between heavy strokes, one may manually stimulate the cock and balls with one's hand. Or, with a heavy flogger, lightly stroke upwards between the legs, causing the tails to brush the entire genital area.
If an A-frame rack is being used, one option many people choose is to have another person stand inside the rack and sexually stimulate the bottom as he is being flogged. For many people, this works wonders. Other people, however, may prefer no sexual contact during a flogging; it's simply a matter of personal preference.
Especially if the bottom is restrained, it is good practice to have a "safeword", which, when used, will cause the top to honor any request that follows it.
If blood or other body fluids come into contact with your whip, you should clean it before using it on anyone else. You can clean the whip by first scrubbing off with an antibacterial soap, and then brushing or spraying the tails with something that will kill HIV and other bloodborne diseases. You may then have to treat leather floggers so they don't dry or crack (depending on the cleaning materials you chose). As it can be difficult to clean and treat suede without it becoming damaged, you may wish to avoid breaking skin with suede floggers. Also note that Hepatitis B is much harder to kill than other viruses, and you should consider getting the vaccination if you plan on receiving many heavy floggings.
For obvious safety reasons: the face, head, neck, hands, feet and open/healing wounds should not be flogged under any circumstances.
Where to flog extremely lightly if at all
Over any joint, the lower front and back and sides between the top of the pelvis and the lower ribs (kidneys and other internal organs), the spine, the tops and bottoms of the feet. Use a gentle brushing motion rather than a striking one, tips of a light stinging instrument only, such as the chamois or horsehair above.
Where to flog lightly
Lower legs, arms, inner arms, genitals, upper shoulders, top of buttocks near spine, the muscular ridge on both sides of the spine, and the ribs where not protected by muscle.
Where to flog "heavily"
Ass, upper back on each side of the spine, thighs, lower shoulders. These areas are principally composed of strong bones protected by muscle tissue and a fatty layer, any other organs present are reasonably well protected. There are reasons for these traditional areas being so traditional, they reduce the likelihood of major damage.
Body position affects the position of both skin and muscles. If someone is bent over, the muscles of the rear lengthen and are not as thick, so the muscles themselves no longer protect in the same way. If the skin is stretched as well, it will feel more pain than it would if relaxed. Flogging someone who is standing unsupported may lead to falling. Standing bondage changes without warning to partial suspension if someone faints, so plan ahead for that possibility.
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How to flog
The more ways one knows how to do an action, the more effects may be created, and the less one's arm aches afterwards. Varying the motions has a good effect for top and bottom. Practice the following until you can do them from various directions and speeds, they all feel and work differently. Knowing the techniques is only one part, knowing which to use and when is learned based on experience.
For many bottoms, whatever sensations may be varied, one aspect of the flogging must remain relatively constant: the pace of the strokes. Strokes that are rhythmic (and hence predictable) cause a hypnotic trance for many people. Strokes that are out of rhythm are jarring and can cause fear. This may be the effect desired, but the master should be aware that this is the effect which out-of-rhythm strokes will have.
Accuracy
A flogger (as opposed to a crop or whip) flops around more, it naturally covers a wider area and is more difficult to control. As a suggestion for beginners, start with the bottom reclining face down and the top kneeling or straddling, thus allowing gravity to assist in the guidance of the tails.
Wrapping
If the middle section of tails strikes first on a rounded 'edge' of the body, and the tips wrap following the curve, the tips actually accelerate far more than the original swing. This is called wraparound, and is usually a bad thing, causing inadvertent hard blows to areas one did not intend to touch at all. Keeping the flogger handle the same distance away from the skin as you did in practice will help here, as will being very careful to plan where the tips will fall at each stroke. Being 'tip conscious' is the best way to avoid wraparound, but placing a pillow to protect the side of a reclining bottom works as a temporary solution for those who have this problem.
An average of one stroke every few seconds is a good frequency. This 'blow-rest-blow' allows processing time to feel each sensation, and this rhythm once established may easily be changed for effect. Increased speed near the end is also popular, and pacing oneself early on will allow for that.
Scene Structure
Here are two different scenarios you can experiment with that have worked well for me in the past.
The slow building endorphin method:
Start slowly and lightly, begin by placing the flogger on the skin, holding the tail tips in one hand and the handle in the other, moving slowly back and forth on the skin. Then a slow caress with the tips for a while, using more and more of the tails in a soft motion, building the movement into a partial swing, then a full swing. Vary placement gradually, work up and down the body in a methodical pattern with few surprises. When changing to a 'harder' flogger, repeat the above procedure to get him used to the new equipment, matching the growing ability of the bottom to enjoy the increasing sensations. It's often possible to cause a 'flying' sensation of complete relaxation, anchored by trust and natural reactions of the body to slowly increasing stimulation, with little or no feeling of actual pain.
The overwhelming sensation:
More of a 'hard' style than the above. Useful for sensation overload and for those who seek a more painful experience. Beginning as above, vary the speed and intensity of the blows much more, pushing more, being less predictable. Work upper body and lower at seemingly random times, not allowing the bottom to grow used to the sensation before moving on. When changing instruments, do so with less subtlety and let him feel the change as an increase in intensity. Surprise is often more effective than merely increasing the power of blows.
A few final thoughts here: A flogging of even the gentlest type may have exceptionally strong effects on both participants. Reassurance, a caress, or a simple touch during the flogging may do wonders also. Do not expect verbal responses if the flogging takes the bottom into new areas, he may not be able to speak readily, and it may very well be that he wont hear as well either. Flogging the front of the body, use of ear plugs and blindfolds, tight bondage to open up delicate body areas, and making the bottom look at himself being flogged all are more 'serious' and have more emotional impact than a simple flogging. Bruises may appear immediately, not appear at all, or suddenly appear after as much as a day or two, depending on the body concerned, and most people have some reaction to such marks, whether positive or not.
The more ways one knows how to do an action, the more effects may be created, and the less one's arm aches afterwards. Varying the motions has a good effect for top and bottom. Practice the following until you can do them from various directions and speeds, they all feel and work differently. Knowing the techniques is only one part, knowing which to use and when is learned based on experience.
For many bottoms, whatever sensations may be varied, one aspect of the flogging must remain relatively constant: the pace of the strokes. Strokes that are rhythmic (and hence predictable) cause a hypnotic trance for many people. Strokes that are out of rhythm are jarring and can cause fear. This may be the effect desired, but the master should be aware that this is the effect which out-of-rhythm strokes will have.
Accuracy
A flogger (as opposed to a crop or whip) flops around more, it naturally covers a wider area and is more difficult to control. As a suggestion for beginners, start with the bottom reclining face down and the top kneeling or straddling, thus allowing gravity to assist in the guidance of the tails.
Wrapping
If the middle section of tails strikes first on a rounded 'edge' of the body, and the tips wrap following the curve, the tips actually accelerate far more than the original swing. This is called wraparound, and is usually a bad thing, causing inadvertent hard blows to areas one did not intend to touch at all. Keeping the flogger handle the same distance away from the skin as you did in practice will help here, as will being very careful to plan where the tips will fall at each stroke. Being 'tip conscious' is the best way to avoid wraparound, but placing a pillow to protect the side of a reclining bottom works as a temporary solution for those who have this problem.
An average of one stroke every few seconds is a good frequency. This 'blow-rest-blow' allows processing time to feel each sensation, and this rhythm once established may easily be changed for effect. Increased speed near the end is also popular, and pacing oneself early on will allow for that.
Scene Structure
Here are two different scenarios you can experiment with that have worked well for me in the past.
The slow building endorphin method:
Start slowly and lightly, begin by placing the flogger on the skin, holding the tail tips in one hand and the handle in the other, moving slowly back and forth on the skin. Then a slow caress with the tips for a while, using more and more of the tails in a soft motion, building the movement into a partial swing, then a full swing. Vary placement gradually, work up and down the body in a methodical pattern with few surprises. When changing to a 'harder' flogger, repeat the above procedure to get him used to the new equipment, matching the growing ability of the bottom to enjoy the increasing sensations. It's often possible to cause a 'flying' sensation of complete relaxation, anchored by trust and natural reactions of the body to slowly increasing stimulation, with little or no feeling of actual pain.
The overwhelming sensation:
More of a 'hard' style than the above. Useful for sensation overload and for those who seek a more painful experience. Beginning as above, vary the speed and intensity of the blows much more, pushing more, being less predictable. Work upper body and lower at seemingly random times, not allowing the bottom to grow used to the sensation before moving on. When changing instruments, do so with less subtlety and let him feel the change as an increase in intensity. Surprise is often more effective than merely increasing the power of blows.
A few final thoughts here: A flogging of even the gentlest type may have exceptionally strong effects on both participants. Reassurance, a caress, or a simple touch during the flogging may do wonders also. Do not expect verbal responses if the flogging takes the bottom into new areas, he may not be able to speak readily, and it may very well be that he wont hear as well either. Flogging the front of the body, use of ear plugs and blindfolds, tight bondage to open up delicate body areas, and making the bottom look at himself being flogged all are more 'serious' and have more emotional impact than a simple flogging. Bruises may appear immediately, not appear at all, or suddenly appear after as much as a day or two, depending on the body concerned, and most people have some reaction to such marks, whether positive or not.