SKILLS 101: Canes
Newbie BDSM-ers might think of caning as old-school punishment, but using a cane in an impact play scene is an amazing tool and can leave some phenomenal marks!
First and foremost, play safely! Canes can produce cuts, so don’t use porous canes with more than one partner, clean equipment thoroughly, and make sure you have a first aid kit nearby just in case.
As far as where to hit, keep hits parallel to each other (as damage can be more severe if injuries are crossed) and never hit anywhere near the tailbone, kidneys, face or neck. Always check your cane for splinters or any sharp bits.
Types of canes
The greater the rigidity (stiffness), weight and diameter of the cane, the deeper the pain and thud against the skin will be. On the other hand, the lighter, longer and more flexible the cane, the greater the sting will be.
These are porous so not the best for sharing!
Rattan
- Flexible and lightweight
- Can have a big sting!
- Wrapped rattan canes encased in leather can add depth to the sting
- Often have a natural slight curve
Bamboo
- Often mistaken for rattan
- When dry it is liable to break and splinter so not ideal for beginners
- If it breaks, it often breaks lengthwise leaving very sharp edges so keep it moist
Reed
- Similar to rattan but without joints and usually not varnished
- Extremely narrow so create a huge stinging sensation
- Leaves impressive stripes on bottoms!
Synthetic fibres
These can instil so much fear, especially if your submissive hears the whoosh as you swing it without hitting them!
Fibreglass
- Typically white and often opaque
- Lightweight and relatively easy to control
- Slightly less flexible than some other (natural) materials so the impact can be painful and deep
Lucite
- Completely see through and available in a variety of different colours
- Very rigid with a hard thud
- Tendency to break with sharp edges
- For experienced caners
Plastic
- Relatively flexible and easy to control
- Ideal choice for beginners so you can perfect your aim
- Smooth and solid
- Makes a beautiful cutting sound through the air as it moves towards the ‘sweet spot’ and lands with a sting
Derlin
- Hard like rubber and heavy
- Very thuddy
- Much harsher than rattan
- Only for the extreme players
Carbon fibre
- Less flexible than rattan
- Very deep stings
- Common breakages because of their rigidity,
- Electro conductive, so why not turn up the voltage and introduce a violet wand do your play?
Techniques
The way in which a Dominant/Top strikes the skin will determine the sensation felt by the submissive. This could range from making it a stingy hit by lifting the cane right before the moment of impact to creating more of a thud by pressing and holding the cane down after the moment of impact. Another option you may choose is to let the cane bounce off the skin, or come in from an angle to graze as well as sting the skin.
Sting & Thud
There are two sensations associated with caning; stingy and thuddy. Canes are more commonly a toy that creates a sting; however some more rigid or heavier canes will deliver an almighty thud. This technique, as its name suggests, simply means alternating between the two, so you could deliver some quick stingy blows followed by some heavier landings. Not only does it give the submissive a break when one of the sensations becomes too much, it will keep them always anticipating and on their toes and ensure that they never get complacent.
Scary Swish
Oh my goodness! That scarily exciting, sadistically satisfying sound as something cuts through the air. This can be particularly gratifying. Simply move the cane quickly through the air, making cutting sounds to build up anticipation and fear in your submissive.
Surprise Surprise
Use wrist flicks to quickly and gently tap your chosen ‘sweet spot’ in a consistent rhythm. The strikes should be soft and gentle, barely hard enough to sting the skin. Once the submissive has relaxed into these gentle hits, start tapping a little harder. You will find that they tense up at first and then relax back into the rhythm. Keep going with the rhythm but add in a hard whack! Continue with the gentle taps, next time startling them with two hard hits, and so on. Gradually build it up so that every tap becomes a hard whack.
Floating back down
The submissive is likely to be in subspace during your caning play, so how you bring them back to reality is extremely important. If it’s time for the scene to end, or you’re ready to move onto bigger and better things, try to find a way to engage them by asking them to pick a number between one and twenty, and that is how many more hits they can expect to feel. Or you might just tell them how many more are left, or let the submissive signal to you when they are happy to finish. It will help the submissive to be emotionally understanding that the caning play or punishment is almost over.
Cane Care & Storage
Never use porous canes on multiple partners due to health and safety issues. Canes must be cleaned thoroughly after each use especially if you do use them on more than one bottom. Try spraying with a disinfectant or sterilizing it with alcohol swabs.
Canes made from rattan, bamboo and reed are natural materials so they need a little bit of added care to keep them from drying out and breaking. To help them retain moisture you can either soak in salt water or steam regularly. If you don’t do that, they can become dry and brittle with the potential to break upon impact. A cane breaking on a submissive’s body can cause a painful injury.
Store your canes either hung up or suspended, rather than lying down or in a bag. Also avoid storing in any way that the tip can be damaged. You could even keep rattan canes, or those made from other natural fibres, hung up in your bathroom to absorb some of the moisture.
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Canes can sure deliver a fierce punch of pain ... or a strip of pain! And some beautiful beautiful marks. To see our cane collection, CLICK HERE.
~ Master's lovely
