10 bondage terms you should know

Bondage


Implying body movement restrictions, requires a certain level of education before moving on to their accomplishment. So let's start with the very basics: terminology.

Maybe you tied your partner up with a silk tie so you could do with him whatever you have imagined...
Or you have been looking to see bondage scenes online, dreaming of being the tied up person in the clip, or being you tying up a submissive person: you are definitely interested in bondage.

This article presents ten terms that are commonly found in bondage and that you should know if you intend to participate in bondage sessions.

Consider this article a starting point in your education in bondage.

Rigger


Is the Dominator, the Top, in the bondage scene. Refers to the person who ties up the submissive, after obtaining their consent, applying partial or total suspension, sometimes even upside down! A rigger can be a Top in a bondage scene, but he/her can be the Dominator in a D/s relationship. As for the power dynamics in the bondage session, the rigger is the person responsible.

The word "rigger" comes from an old term in navigation - which designates the person responsible for the ropes controlling the sails of a ship.

Rope Bunny


Is the bottom, the person subjected to bondage. It is the person bound and unbound by her rigger.
The term "bunny" is used with affection and shows the enthusiasm of the person subject to being tied up. A person who is submissive during a bondage session may not have this position in other BDSM plays.

Rope bondage


Not all ties with ropes are the same. Techniques in rope bondage include wrapping the submissive's body with ropes (wrapping), a more complex rope braiding (weaving) that may also include wrapping, or a technique involving the use of two ropes (double rope). In bondage the ropes can be made of cotton to jute.

Shibari


Is a form of Japanese bondage that literally means "to bind." The term is often used in BDSM interchangeable with "bondage", which is not entirely correct. Shibari is traditionally, an aesthetic bondage, while erotic bondage is known as Kimbaku. In Shibari, only hemp or jute rope is used. It is characterized by elaborate patterns made of rope and is often used to suspend the submissive person.

Suspension bondage


Suspension bondage often include Shibari with its intricate patterns made of ropes and bindings.

The submissive part is partially or totally suspended by a pole with the help of ropes.

Suspension bondage can be part of a sexual scene, participants getting pleasure from the execution of suspensions, but can also be made as art and for artistic photography. Riggers should have a lot of experience and attention in the execution of bindings to avoid the risks of suffocation or interrupting blood circulation under nodes and ties, to know how to correctly execute load-bearing nodes.

Breast bondage


Breast bondage is done using a rope harness that accentuates and emphasize the beauty of a woman's breasts, which is the submissive part in this type of bondage.
If some riggers and submissives aesthetically admire the tied breasts, other fetishists use breast bondage in their BDSM plays.
Through bondage, breasts are prominently exposed, with easy access for sexual and sado-masochistic pleasure: flogging, pinching, smacking. Breast binding does not immobilize the submissive person, but can be used with other forms of bondage. Even if porn and BDSM photos show bruised breasts and tightly tied, stopping blood circulation is dangerous and should be avoided at all costs!

Hogtie


"Hogtie" is a common bondage position that effectively immobilizes the submissive person without always needing rope. Handcuffs and adhesive immobilization tape can also be used. Classical position implies binding at the back the hands of the submissive person and then the ankles together. If a person is not very flexible or the position causes unpleasant discomfort (that is not part of the BDSM scene), their wrists and ankles may be bound more distant from each other. Once bound, the submissive can be positioned on the stomach or a side for easy access. It can also be tied with its legs apart for sexual play.

Crotch rope


This type of bondage, with rope between the legs, is carried out most frequently, in women, but it can be done also in men. In women, the rope is pulled between the labia to apply pressure on the genitals. A knot is often used to apply strategic pressure or friction on the clitoris. For men, the rope is used to place pressure on the scrotum or to tie the scrotum.

Regardless of gender, bondage can be used for pleasure or pain, depending on how tight the rope is or how it is handled after bindings. The ropes between the legs can be worn under clothing allowing a "kinky play" in public without fear of being caught.

Predicament bondage


Predicament bondage do not necessarily have to include ropes or a form of physical binding.
Submissive is given to choose between two "bad" options and forced to maintain a difficult position, or a certain attitude, knowing that if she fails, she will be subjected to one of the "tortures". It is a mental bondage and a physical challenge rather than one involving only rope bindings, be they more complex.
However, the predicament bondage may incorporate the binding itself. A submissive can be partially suspended by the hair, while swaying in precarious balance, at the end of a string... She may be allowed to stand on the tips when she gets tired, choose between being pulled by the hair and suffering the burn between her legs, where the rope is rubbing and pulling...

Sexual bondage


If you want something less intense than total suspension bondage but more to spice up a sex session, sexual bondage is right for you: there are different variants, from restricting vision with a scarf, to metal handcuffs. The aim is to prevent the submissive person from moving and escaping, while the Dominator tickles her, torments her but gives her pleasure at the same time.
For those in a more intense power exchange relationship, bondage in sexual interaction can be erotic torture, humiliation play within the relationship of power dynamics, domination and submission.

Finally, something about bondage and safety

When a person is physically immobilized with rope, handcuffs, duct tape, or whatever else, physical injury is a real threat. A safe word and / or a safe gesture is always required. The Rigger, however, should not rely solely on what the submissive communicates to indicate a possible problem. He or she should be careful to discolor or bruise of the limbs, breasts, or to anything else that might indicate problems. Check each other out often!

Always keep surgical scissors handy when playing with rope or even tape, if the submissive, whose movements are restricted, must be released quickly. You need to know well where the keys to the handcuffs are. Don't tie someone with rope until you have well learned some techniques: when bondage goes wrong, people can be seriously injured!

Watch the change in the color of your submissive limbs, too. Hands, feet, breasts and other body parts that turn purple and blue are often seen in some porn films, but it is not a safe way to play. Certain positions can make the submissive to have difficulty to breathe, or may cause numbness and tingling. Stop the play session and immediately unwind or cut the ropes if that happens: always play safely!


by sclava

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