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Caning Use

Because punishment canes are available in so many variations of size and materials, there is a vast array of sensations that can be produced.  A good dominant will always test a new cane on their own skin before using it on another person so that they know what their submissive is feeling.  If you don’t have an experienced friend on hand and aren’t flexible or coordinated enough to tap your own bottom with the cane, then a good way to sample the sting of your new toy is to tap the back of your calf, top of your thigh, or the palm of your hand.  Start with lighter taps and progress to stronger taps so that you can experience the range of sensations the cane can create.  Remember that skin is as individual as the person who wears it; a strike that doesn’t mark one person at all may seriously bruise another.

Aim is crucial to a proper caning.  Many novice caners don’t realize it, but the tip of the cane travels the fastest, making it the most painful part of a cane.  Because canes are flexible by nature and design, they curve upon impact.  If you aim the center of your cane at your target, any number of things can go wrong.  If they cane is dry or brittle, it can break and you will have ruined our cane and perhaps broken the skin on your submissive.  If the cane is flexible, the tip will wrap around the side of the buttocks and leave a nasty welt or blood blister.  The side of the hip stores a network of nerves, making it a very sensitive area that is not intended for heavy strikes.

The correct way to cane a bottom is to aim the tip of the cane at the area you want to strike.  Keep your focus on the fleshy parts of the buttocks; avoid the tailbone area and the top half of the buttocks.  These areas are bony and will not be tolerated well by your submissive.  Cane strokes to the thighs are generally considered harder to take than strokes to the buttocks.  Always remember to start with lighter strokes and work your way up to heavier ones, noting your submissive’s response to each blow.  Allow them time to process each cane stroke before proceeding to the next.

Effects of caning

Caning is a very intense BDSM activity, both mentally and physically.  Great care should be taken with your submissive to assure that play remains safe, sane, and consensual.  This is not limited to the duration of the actual caning, and should begin before play and continue after the scene has ended.  Prepare your submissive mentally and physically for their caning, and tend to their mental and physical wounds afterwards.

Physical effects

There is much more of a physical reaction to a caning than just the initial feeling of pain upon impact.  The cane delivers layers of sensation, coming in waves and lasting long after the caning has stopped.  First there is the strike of the cane, a blinding pain that supercedes everything else.  The sting gives way to heat, and then a persistent throbbing sets in.  Be sure to give your submissive time to process these sensations so that they can experience the full effect of the cane.  Quick, repetitive blows without a break in between will register as just pain, pain, pain.  The flesh of the buttocks will welt from heavy blows, and after repeated strikes the flesh will swell and harden.  The skin does become conditioned to regular canings, and some players are eventually able to receive heavy canings with little to no marking.  Skin can easily be broken during a caning, if you are anticipating this it is a good idea to have gloves and bandages on hand for aftercare.  Even if you don’t anticipate breaking the skin, it is still a god idea to have some supplies nearby.

Psychological effects

As human beings, we have a natural and unavoidable instinct to survive.  When faced with any kind of stress or danger, we experience an automatic ‘fight or flight’ reaction.  So it takes a certain state of mind to be able to willingly submit oneself to something as extreme as a caning or any other type of heavy BDSM play.  Many bottoms report that the anticipation is often worse than the physical pain.  Anyone who has ever been caned knows the distinctive swooshing of a slender cane slicing through the air as it flies toward its target, and will instinctively flinch when they hear it.  It is extremely important for the dominant to closely watch their submissive during a caning.  Monitor their breathing, their reactions, and their behavior.  Always make certain that your submissive is not panicking and is physically and mentally capable of continuing with the scene.  Bottoms, make sure that you are communicating with your top through body language and verbal feedback of some sort.  Although it is quite natural to panic in a situation such as this, there are things a bottom can do to help avoid a serious panic attack. 

Breathing is key to processing the pain and stress of a heavy caning.  People have a tendency to take quick, shallow breaths when panicking, taking their breaths with the top portion of the lungs.  Deep, slow, belly breathing helps maintain a calmness and allows the body and mind to process the various sensations and stresses.  The stomach should expand with each inhale and contract on exhale.  Bottoms, occasionally take a moment during the caning to analyze your body from head to toe.  People hold their tension in their bodies, usually the neck, shoulders, anus, chest, and face.   Scan your body for any areas where you are holding tension.  When you find one, focus on it and imagine breathing into that area on a deep inhale.  As you exhale, imagine blowing all of that stress and tension out with your breath.  Repeat as needed throughout the scene and afterwards.

Once you are maintaining your breathing and ready to take things a little further, begin to analyze the sensations.  What initially felt like just pain is really so much more.  Caning especially is a lingering effect.  Focus on the sensations it creates, describe them as though you were describing a fine wine.  The colors you see, the feelings of warmth and light, the persistent throbbing in your buttocks; they are all an adventure just waiting to be explored. 

After care

After care actually begins before the caning ends.  Your submissive needs some sort of mental preparation for the end of the scene.  Whether you want to bring them down slowly or go out with a bang, let your submissive know in some way that the end is indeed near.  You may find that they are able to take the hardest strokes yet knowing that they only have to endure a certain number.  Remember that your bottom is floating around somewhere in subspace, and you don’t want to yank them back to reality and then kick them to the curb.  Allow them to gather themselves, ask them about their experience, and give them some positive feedback of some sort.  Your submissive has just bared their soul and offered their flesh to you, to not acknowledge this in some way would be an insult. 

The flesh requires after care as well.  Icing the area can help reduce swelling and take a lot of the heat out of the buttocks.  Avoid hot showers or baths as this will increase the redness and swelling and revive the pain.  Arnica can help reduce bruising and speed healing and can be found in most health food stores.  Once a few days have passed, soaking in a warm bath of Epsom salt can help draw out any lingering bruises and fluid retention.  Drinking plenty of water will hydrate your skin and help flush out the fluids being stored in your swollen behind.

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