What is impact play?
Impact play is any play where impact is made at any place on the body. This can be
achieved through a range of implements- hands, floggers, paddles, household
objects- and can be for a range of reasons that lead to gratification. Impact play is
not always about sexual gratification and can sometimes be for emotional
gratification like stress release. The dom/sub relationship dynamic is part of this and
the act of submitting can release huge emotional stresses for both parties. It can also
be known as corporal punishment.
The types of impact play are:
Erotic spanking: using a rigid implement like a hand, hairbrush, or paddle to spank a
body part
Erotic flagellation: using a flexible implement like a whip or belt
Less common activities include punching or face slapping. When doing these, please
engage in extreme caution as facial areas are delicate and more easily marked, and
serious injury could occur.
As with all aspects of BDSM, a safe word should be implemented and used. I
personally find that the traffic light system works well; if a partner says green they
are all okay; amber means they are approaching their limits, and red is for an
immediate stop. You can ask your partner what colour they are at varying points
during the session for clarification if they haven’t yet verbally expressed a colour.
Keeping an eye on your partners facial expressions can help reduce the likelihood of
them safewording- if they are grimacing and look like they’re in a lot of pain, maybe
consider lightening up on the blows.
A range of tools can be used to achieve differing sensations. Every individual's
preference is different. People have a vast range of pain tolerances, and types of
sensations they enjoy. The types of impact play sensation can be broken down into
three main categories:
- Sensation only (little to no pain)
- Thuddy
- Stingy
With a client who doesn’t enjoy pain, the usual impact play implements can be used
instead to focus on the feeling and anticipation of what could occur, rather than the
act of hitting itself. Part of the fun is the level of fear of what might happen and the
threat of punishment rather than the actual act of punishment taking place. This can
be done by using the impact tool to caress, or run the fronds of a flogger over certain
body parts to increase the feeling of the material on skin for a pleasurable
sensation.
Thuddy play is done with an impact play tool that is larger in surface area to create
an impact that “thuds” as a broader impact. Usually achieved with items like hands,
paddles, and hairbrushes, it has a punch-like sensation. It’s a firm solid type of
feeling that can cause bruising if it’s a deep hard impact, but not usually welts.
Stingy sensations are achieved with thinner implements like floggers or whips. It’s
more like a slap than a punch, categorised by sharp intense sensations.
The material of an implement can often change the type of sensation- wood tends to
be thuddy for example.
It’s worth asking which a client prefers if they mention wanting to do impact play in a
session. If they’re a beginner, this is something you can find out together through
experimenting with different implements until you achieve the sensation your client
enjoys most. Some will have a higher pain tolerance for thuddy pain over stingy and
vice versa.
Types of implements used:
First off: if a toy comes with a wrist strap then USE IT. It’ll stop it slipping out of your
grip and flying across the room. Remember the Wii Fit remotes? Remember them
careening at your TV and smashing the screen? Use the wrist strap.
Paddles
Paddles are broad thuddy implements with a handle. They come in a range of
materials from fabric to wood to metal. They are great beginner tools and easy to
use with good control. Beware of using certain materials for your working paddles-
resin paddles look lovely and come cheaply in a range of colours but these are NOT
fit for anything more than display/ very light sensation play as they could shatter and
cause injury. Paddles can come in several forms- I prefer slapper/clapper paddles.
This is where the paddle has two parts that smack together on impact which makes
a louder noise and softens the blow of the strike.
This heart slapper paddle is not only pretty, it will also leave behind a gorgeous red
imprint of that heart shape to thoroughly ruin and mark your partner in all the best
ways
Floggers
Again, these come in a vast range of materials which will all affect the sensation
caused by using them. Sometimes, the tails/fronds are beaded or knotted at the
ends to produce a stingier sensation. The wider the tails, the less stingy the impact
and the more beginner friendly they tend to be. The cheaper floggers seem like a
great starting point but more expensive, specially made ones will have weighted
handles. This makes it much easier to control the flogger and actually hit where you
want to hit. With cheaper floggers, there is less control and the fronds could splay
out and catch areas of skin you didn’t mean to hit. It’s worth practicing with floggers
beforehand to get an idea of how to use them properly. You can also use these for
great sensation play, trailing the ends over the body for a tickling effect. This works
well for materials like latex floggers, suede, or leather.
The more tails to a flogger, the less easy they are to control. Avoid “wrapping”, where
after the initial impact the tails wrap around the body part to cause impact in places
you didn’t mean to and could cause injury.
Advanced flogging can be done with two identical floggers moving them around in a
martial arts style, known as florentine flogging.
This stunning suede flogger from our Fifty Shades collection is perfect for trailing
over a body and using for sensation play, as well as causing lovely firm hits
Crops
Crops are long handled tools with a small flat tip which is the end which makes
contact with the subs body. The shorter the crop handle, the easier to control. The
smaller the tip, the stingier the sensation.
This simple silicone crop is great for beginners with an easy to control medium
length, and a firm silicone paddle on the end for easy wipe down after use
Bullwhip
A bullwhip is a long, single tailed whip. These are extremely hard to control and
require a lot of space to use in a session.
We don’t currently stock bullwhips- they are more specialist gear for advanced users
but if you shoot us an email or comment, we can definitely help to recommend a
brand for you
Cane
Canes are thin whippy wooden sticks; these vary in flexibility depending on the type
of material used. Willow is a good option as it is very flexible whereas bamboo is
much firmer.
This multi strand cane is a hardcore piece of equipment, for those who adore stingy
marks
Dragon Tail
Dragon tails are a rolled end single tail whip which are heavier and generally easier
to use than regular single tailed whips like bullwhips. They pack quite a vicious bite.
We don’t currently stock dragon tails- they are more specialist gear for advanced
users but if you shoot us an email or comment, we can definitely help to recommend
a brand for you
Using household objects
Some people will prefer to use household objects- such as a hairbrush as a paddle,
a wooden spoon, etc. Obviously these items are not made for impact play which
increases the risk of them breaking or injury to the sub. Some people will prefer a
household item to fulfill a specific desire (if a sub was hit with a slipper as a child,
they may prefer a slipper to be used in a play session).
Where to hit
Not everywhere is safe for impact. Generally, the meatier the area, the safer to hit.
Stay away from places where organs are located and joints. The face is delicate, so
whilst some people enjoy light face slapping, proceed with extreme caution as it’s an
easy area to mark or damage. The butt, legs, and thighs are all safer areas. Some
light genital/breast impact is also towards the safer end of the spectrum.
Layering up
Warming up the area to be spanked/hit is key. Start with a larger surface area toy like
a paddle and “warm up” the area by giving light hits until the area is slightly red. This
increases the blood flow to the area and prepares it for heavier hits, making it less
likely to result in lasting marks. Then, move in with a heavier duty toy to continue to
redden the area. Once you’ve got a nice base skin colour, you can move in with a toy
that will deliver more painful hits. For example, a light paddling followed by harder
smacks with the paddle, then ending with cane strikes.
Aftercare
Specific aftercare for impact play will include cooling the area, with ice, cold cloth, or
soothing lotion. Caring for the sub is vital to avoid sub drop and make sure they feel
safe.
Practice on a pillow if you’re unsure of your technique. You can see where you’ve hit
by the indents in the fabric and can improve accuracy this way. Also, test out the
severity of toys on yourself. I personally wouldn’t hit a sub with anything without
knowing and understanding how it felt.
Happy hitting!
