By Jim the Whip Maker and Dick Carlson

Part 1: Bulls, Snakes & Other Scary Critters
Part 2: Swing & Target Practice
Part 3: Long Whips
Part 4: The First Crack
Part 5: The First Shot – The Full Overhand Shot
Part 6: The First Useful Shot – The Pick Up
Part 7: The Real Thing – The Single Side Shot
Part 9: For the Whip Bottom – Dealing with Your Whip Top
Part 10: A Word on Cuts for Whip Bottoms

And so, what about the masochist himself? From the Top’s point of view, the receiver of your attention and reason for all this must be comfortable with the situation. For many, this will be their first bullwhipping. If they want extra protection, let them have it. If you are gentle and careful, they will want to get down to skin and the “real thing” in no time flat.

You should always provide kidney and neck protection. Use a weightlifter’s belt and for the neck a wide slave collar or scarf. In the good old days there was a whipping collar, like a dog collar with a two or three inch kilt of strip leather covering the lower neck. Maybe someone out there can come up with something.

If you have any doubt at all, cover his head. A hood with eyeholes is good, and if there is a mirror he can still see all the action — very important for many bottoms.

Cover his balls — a leather jock is good. That lash can find its way between the legs and end the scene right there.

With the masochist’s consent, of course, good areas to go for are the upper back at shoulder level down to mid-back (the traditional flogging area) and of course the butt. Avoid the sides (this is a ranging problem), which are thin skinned and sensitive, and the chest for anything beyond petting. Stay off the backs of the legs. This could cause problems with varicose veins in later years. Keep the stripes well-spaced to avoid breaking the skin with the stronger shots.

Download a free copy of our illustration of BDSM Impact Play Safe Zones for reference.

When you restrain the bottom, take the normal precautions regarding the degree of comfort and tightness of the bonds or cuffs. Also, be sure that the whip will not strike the gear, damaging the whip or throwing the shot off target. Hauling the arms overhead, or in a “Y” with rope and pulleys will keep everything out of the way. If you can, you might try using an overhead beam, with no whipping post or cross at all, thus clearing the eara entirely. It’s a matter of taste when you get down to it.

Remember that the lines of communication must be intact at all times, so keep the bondage within reason. Also, ensure that a quick release is possible. You must test skin thickness and condition. A frequently-whipped back has skin three to four times as thick as a first-timer.

Be sure to know how much your masochist wants or can take. This is in part due to your skill as a Whip Top, so don’t stop practicing.

One of the most critical things for the Top to keep in his head is that he must keep his head at all times. His confidence, or lack of it, will communicate to the masochist and the scene will not go. You must be cold sober if you expect to be good. If you cannot manage without some relaxation, then at most keep it within the legal driving limit and have someone there to act as referee. Better still, just don’t!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

This article first appeared in DungeonMaster magazine, Number 33, September 1987 published by Desmodus Publications and edited by Fledermaus (Tony DeBlase).

Jim the Whip Maker and Dick Carlson taught this material as a course for the now defunct SandMutopia University, which was founded and operated by Tony DeBlase.

DungeonMaster was published from 1979 to 1992. After Tony DeBlase bought Drummer magazine in 1986, DungeonMaster became, in some ways,  the little brother of its more popular stable-mate. Articles published in DungeonMaster were sometimes later reprinted in Drummer. In 1992, Desmodus Inc., which then included Drummer, Mach, Tough Customers, DungeonMaster, The Sandmutopia Guardian and The Sandmutopia Supply Company, was sold to a Dutch corporation headed by Martjin Bakker, the owner of RoB Amsterdam stores and galleries. Tony DeBlase became Editor Emeritus and passed away in 2000.