What The Flogger?
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Whether you are a seasoned BDSM practitioner or you've just finished rewatching 50 Shades of Grey, there is something a little intimidating about floggers used in impact play. Knowing which flogger to buy, what length is right for me and what does a cat with nine tails have to do with any of this, might be questions running through your mind.
Well, sit back with a cup of coffee and let me save you from clearing your browser history by taking off the blindfold on some flogger basics to get you started.
Anatomy of a flogger
Floggers come in many shapes and sizes but below is a brief outline of a traditional flogger configuration.
A flogger consists of a hanging loop, a butt, the shaft and falls.
The hanging loop is there to allow you the option to hang the flogger from a hook when not in use. It is not meant for your wrist as extended scenes can actually cause fatigue and injury to ones wrist.
The butt is usually an intricately woven knot indicating the end of the shaft.
The shaft or handle is the part you hold onto when utilising the flogger in a scene. A well balanced flogger will have it's balance point along the shaft. You can find that balance point by resting the flogger on one or two fingers along the shaft. This is important to know as it is an indication of a well made flogger.
The falls or tails are the flowing parts at the top of the flogger that create the impact on the person being flogged during a scene. The tails could be made up of numerous lengths of leather, PUV (fake plastic leather), paracord or rope depending on the type of flogger that you purchase.
What type of flogger should I get?
When looking to purchase a flogger you need to consider the material the flogger is made of and the desired impact the flogger needs to provide.
Floggers can be made out of many different types of material, from leather to paracord, rope to vinyl. When looking at leather floggers, the way the leather was tanned, finished and plaited can change the impact and sensation received from the flogger. The heavier the leather, the more of a thud it will provide and if spikes have been integrated into the tails then one can expect a heightened flogging experience.
What size flogger should I get?
The flogger you purchase should be in proportion to your reach. A good place to start would be to look at floggers no longer than your arm. As you level up your flogging skills, the length of the flogger will become more irrelevant and it will come down to flogger type preference.
At the end of the day this is all about safe, consensual fun and having a little bit of knowledge on the subject can help take the sting out of it.
Yours in leather
CJ