SKILLS 101: Rope Bondage - Safety Basics

Rope bondage is an amazing skill to learn to use in your BDSM play! It can be a risky kink so first things first is staying safe.

Personal Safety

1. Communication and monitoring: Encourage your submissive to communicate with you about how the rope feels or if something doesn’t feel right. And watch them for how they are reacting as that can be a sign of something going wrong. Communication can make a session safe and prevent permanent injuries.
2. Some little partners are very wriggly! Either with excitement or trying to get comfortable or trying to escape. Watch their movements so you can work out how to better restrict them next time. Watch for dangerous positioning if they move themselves into a new position. Be aware of weight distribution and joints and safeword as soon as anything has the possibility of becoming dangerous. Put your partner’s health before your pride!
3. Minor injuries from rope can occur but you can learn from them:
1. Compression marks - these are just the beautiful rope impressions on your submissive’s skin and should be gone in a few minutes after taking the rope off. To mitigate this, put less body weight on the ropes.
2. Rope burn - this is caused from friction from the rope being dragged too hard or too fast over the skin. To reduce this risk, use a different rope material, pull the rope more slowly and steadily, or pull it away from the skin when it needs to be dragged across.
3. Pinch marks - these can occur when two lengths of rope are near each other but not against each other, so when pressure or weight is applied, it can force the two sections of rope together which pinches the skin. To help prevent this, when you put a length of rope ear another, slide your finger under one of them while pushing it towards the other. That way they will be moved flush together with no skin caught in the middle.
4. Knot bruising - this is when a knot is placed in an area that needs to bear weight. To help stop this happening, research your knots and bindings so that they don’t end up under your submissive where they will bear the weight

 

Medical Safety

1. If any numbness occurs for more than a few minutes, seek professional help as soon as you can as it could be nerve damage. It is okay to feel a bit of discomfort but if it lasts then get checked out!
2. Avoid placing bindings on the insides and outsides of shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees and ankles because you don’t want to cut off circulation. Damaged veins may be able to be fixed by a medical professional but nerves are not so easy to fix, so restore circulation as soon as you can.
3. Asphyxiation - typically you would think of rope being around a neck stopping the submissive from breathing, and that is something that you never ever want to happen! But it can also happen if your submissive is in a position which means they can’t breathe properly, like if they are hunched or twisted. Gags can make it worse so just be very careful.
4. Be aware of your and your partner’s medical conditions. Stress and excitement can be felt in bondage play and that can trigger conditions like asthma or circulation issues like arthritic joints. If you are aware of the health problems in advance, then you can plan your rope session accordingly or be very aware so you can stop at the first sign of any issues. Old injuries should be spoken about as well, as previous surgeries can lead to discomfort months or years down the track.

 

Equipment for safety

Sometimes you might need to get your submissive out in a big hurry! If they are in pain and struggling and you are trying to untie knots and having trouble, that puts them at risk of serious injuries. So you will need to have safety equipment on hand:

1. Safety scissors. Not only do you need to have them on hand, but you need to test them before each session to make sure they are sharp enough to get through your rope first go. You don’t want your partner to start panicking while you are trying your hardest to get blunt scissors to cut through your rope!
2. Safety hook - this tool is designed to cut things like straps in an emergency and like scissors, you will need to make sure it stays sharp. 
3. Don’t just go for a budget option and use a traditional knife as if you have a writhing upset partner, there is a possibility that they will get cut as well as the rope!
4. You don’t just have to use rope for restraints. What about velcro cuffs or cuffs with little snap buttons that can be removed very swiftly.

 

Safety is paramount! So yes, your rope may be ruined if you need to keep cutting it to release your partner but it is so much more important that they be released than your rope stay in one long piece.

 

Maintaining and own your environment

1. Clean your area so you are having a rope session in a safe space clear of any fragile objects, drinks or anything else that could get knocked over or caught in your rope. Make sure your tools are close enough that you can get them quickly in case of emergency, but not close enough that they will hurt someone. And keep real life pets out of the way if playing at home!
2. You might have a special play room just for rope bondage and that is great! But if you don’t, make sure you are choosing items to attach your rope to that can bear the weight of your partner, not just while they are stationery but while they are wiggling all over the place. Also make sure nothing you are using will tip over if your partner suddenly shifts their weight.
3. Consider your binding points. Some partners might like the feel of being completely immobilised whereas others see your bondage as a challenge for them to escape out of. Attaching someone to four points on a bed is very different to attaching them against a wall! Make sure your hook or point you are connecting them to can bear their weight, and if your partner has the possibility of fainting make sure you are binding them in a way that avoids their entire weight being on their shoulders. Additionally, if you are attaching them vertically and they faint, you may not be able to safely remove them if you can’t manage their body weight on your own. So they are just some things to think about before starting.

Handling your rope

1. Consider weight distribution - consider spreading the distribution over a wider space. Make sure your ties won’t tighten when your submissive moves about and use multiple wraps where possible. Also be aware of how your rope behaves eg. will it snag on itself and cause kinks or be a little odd around corners, or does it contract or expand when it gets wet, or does it twist and wind?
2. We recommend never using rope as a blindfold as it does not take much pressure to damage the eyes.
3. Segmented bondage with smaller lengths of rope works better than one big 150 foot roll of rope. If something goes wrong in your ties, then you don’t lose your entire lot of hard work. It can also make it easier to play safe ways for a quick release if something goes wrong as you can target the specific problem piece rather than having to remove the entire lot of rope. 

Level of bondage

Bondage, without other elements of BDSM, is quite a physical stress activity (as opposed to when combined with BDSM when it is just as much mental as well). So some physical things to consider when planning your session are:

1. Think about your duration of a session. A bondage experience may last for a few hours but that can still result in cramps and sore muscles and joints afterwards! If you try extending your arm straight in front of you and holding it still and keep it there for 10 minutes. That sensation is your muscles being immobilised. It is a little different in rope, when it is also the rope and not just your body keeping one part of you in one place, but if you consider that someone might be in positions like that for hours, it could get painful! We would also suggest some massage during and after a session to ease those sore muscles. It is also a nice form of aftercare and bonding afterwards too. 
2. Some people do love tight and restricting and difficult bondage, which is great! But be mindful of the pains as mentioned above as well as keeping an eye on nerve and circulation risks.
3. If you are into self-bondage and are binding yourself, take extra care as it is only you who can get yourself out of it!

Ropes, ropes and more ropes!

It is amazing to have all different types of rope - lengths, materials, colours! There are three groups of rope types: plant fibres, plastics and metal (ie steel cable). We won’t even talk about metal as they do not bend repeatedly very well or knot very well! The main consideration when choosing your rope is material. Yes, you might need to replace it soon but how it works in play is much more important than that. Thighs to consider are how easy they are to cut, how the ends react to being cut and how easy they are to clean. But you also need to consider your rope bottom! Do they have any allergies or preferences? 

Playing with rope and experimenting with bondage is an amazing experience for Riggers, rope bottoms, Dominants and submissives. Research, learn, have fun, laugh and get floaty!

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BONDAGE SAFETY

• A test for radial nerve sensitivity
• Bondage Rope 101

ROLES – ROPE TOP & ROPE BOTTOM

• Hands-on Rope Bondage

TYPES OF ROPE

• Midori Hands on Rope Bondage – Part 1.
• Midori Hands on Rope Bondage – Part 2.

FLOW

• Esinem – Gote: Flow and Feeling.

ROPE HANKING/STORAGE

• Rope Space
• Twisted Monk – Rope storage.

MULTIPLE TOPICS

• Twisted Monk – Good basics here
• Two Knotty Boys – A great deal of fun Western fusion style ties

SINGLE COLUMN TIES 

• Topologist – Easy column tie – Single.
• Topologist – Reverse Somerville Bowline.
• Topologist – Reverse Somerville Bowline Application – Note1.
• Topologist – Slipped Somerville Bowline.
• Topologist – Double Reverse French Eskimo Bowline.
• Topologist – Double Reverse French Bowline.
• Topologist – Reverse French Bowline Failure.
• Topologist – Reverse French Bowline vs Somerville Bowline.
• Twisted Monk – basic single column tie.
• Twisted Monk – single limb cuff.
• WykD_Dave – Boola Boola or Yuki on Rope-topia

CHEST HARNESS 

• Topologist – Chest-loading Takate Kote: 3-rope Version 3, Part 1 of 4.
• Topologist – 3CTKv3 Part 2/4.
• Topologist – 3CTKv3 Part 3/4.
• Topologist – 3CTKv3 Part 4/4.
• Toplogist – Chest-loading Takate Kote: Short Variation.
• Topologist – Partially Chest-loading Takate Kote. (Note is caveat of “this is an experimental tie”)
• Toplogist – Chest-loading Takate Kote: Stem Management.
• WykD_Dave – Nemuri Shibari – Chest harness tied while bottom lying face down. 

KNOTS

• Reverse Tension Variation – Rope Space
• Thistle Knot – Rope Space

CBT

• Bondage for CBT – Tony Buff & Derek da Silva

DVDs & BOOKS FOR PURCHASE

• Lee Harrington – Passionandsoul
• Lew Rubens – Bondage and Suspension
• Midori Planet Midori

SUSPENSION

• Gan Rapto Four Point Mounting of Suspension Rope.
• Hebari – Suspension Teppou Shibari
• Michael Sol – Guerilla Bondage (partial suspension)
• nennemich – another suspension technique (attaching to a hardpoint

TEPPOU SHIBARI

• Hebari

PAID SITES

• Kink Academy – This site as HUNDREDS of videos of all types of play as well as rope instruction. It’ well worth a month of viewing if money allows.
• Esinem

FROG/HOG TIE

• Twisted Monk/Delano.
• Twisted Monk – Basic Hog Tie.

FUTOMOMO

• Rope Space

BONDAGE ROPE

REKINK [Pack of 2] Long Soft Cotton Rope
9.5mm Japanese Shibari Cotton Rope has been braided to eliminate the possibility of opening up when contorted.

GRAVITY BOOT

• Nennemich
• Daddyanddiem.

HAIR BONDAGE

• nennemich – hair tie
• Twisted Monk

HEAD/FACE BONDAGE

• Twisted Monk.

HIP HARNESS

• Lee Harrington – Inversion hip harness.
• Lee Harrington – Swiss seat.

KARADA/BODY HARNESS

• Midori – Lightening Harness

POCKET SLING

• Midori & Twisted Monk – sex sling.

SHRIMP TIE/EBI

• stephano_birdofprey – Agura Shibari
• Twisted Monk.

SPREADER BAR

• Delano/Twisted Monk.