Impact

Make an impact with a variety of props and tools that are designed to tease and to strike the chords of excitement. Choose from floggers and whips, paddles, crops, canes and other devices designed to deliver teasing sensations as well as "thud" and/or "sting"

IMPACT PLAY BASICS:
When it comes to impact play, there are two main types of sensations produced: stingy and thuddy. Stingy is a sharper sensation that is caused by light/thin toys that can cut through air quickly. Thuddy is a duller sensation that is caused by heavier toys. Generally speaking, most folks that don’t particularly enjoy pain or are newbies to impact play will likely prefer toys that produce a thuddier sensation.

What does the term “warm up” refer to in percussive play? What products could “warm up” a body part for an intense, stingy flogging session? Generally speaking, impact play scenes have three phases: 

1. Warm up: Using a lighter toy with less impact or sting, the skin becomes accustomed to the fact that it will be impacted. Light garment leathers, soft bungee or rubber floggers, or fur are good for this purpose, as well as for cooldown. 

2. Build up to climax: gradually increase the desired sensation (typically “thud” or “sting” or some combination of the two) until an “endorphin high’ is reached without overkill or injury. 

3. Cool down: Gently providing softer stimulation to end the impact scene after climax, sometimes followed by or incorporated into “aftercare.” 

Cane depending upon use, mild to intense sting, often marking. Used in corporal discipline and capital punishment in many parts of the world. Typical materials include wood, rattan, plastics, metals, rubber 

Riding Crop leather, nylon, rubber light sting, slap. Used to extend reach, apply sensation, create loud and stingy sensation when applied full force.

Dressage Whip used for extended reach, nylon cracker provides light to intense welting sting. 

Flogger unbraided multi-thonged whip generally thuddy, or light to heavy sting depending the material and cut of the falls. Typical materials include leather, rubber, synthetics, chain, horsehair. 

Cat-o-Nine Tails Braided flogger with nine tails. Typical materials include leather, rubber, synthetics, chain or horsehair. Generally cat-o-nines are stingier than standard floggers as their falls are usually braided.

Paddle rigid flat-surfaced implement - soft flexible leather and padded versions can be quite thuddy, hard and nonporous versions can be quite stingy. Edges and handles of hard material paddles can provide intense thud and also massage or pressure point sensation.

Slapper flexible semi-rigid strap used like a paddle usually soft leather/ette, rubber two-part impact; bigger bark than bite. 

Strap loop of leather with a handle leather, rubber thuddy (rubber also quite stingy in many cases).

Viper/Serpent's Kiss slapper in the shape a forked tongue leather, rubber sting, rubber more so than leather. 

Dragontail type of whip; has a triangular piece of leather at its tip leather, rubber, nylon, wood, fur, plastic, metal leather cutting, sting (like snapping a towel) or folded in half to create warm up/thuddy sensation.

Snake whip leather, metal sting type of single tail whip that is braided all the way down to the end and does not have a rigid handle. 

Bullwhip Type of single tail whip with braided rigid handle. 

Frequently Asked Questions about Impact Play
What areas of the body should be avoided when using canes/crops/paddles and other percussion toys?

Green areas on the body diagram--that is, buttox, thighs, and arms--are considered safe zones for hitting. Yellow regions on the body diagram--the upper back/shoulders, upper arms, chest region, inner thighs, and back of the calves--are considered low risk and can generally receive impact with minimal caution. Orange regions on the diagrams--head/face, neck, stomach, mid-back, shins, calves, feet, ankles, knees--are high risk. These areas contain vital bones and organs and thus, any impact that exceeds a light tap/slap will require great caution and risk-awareness beforehand. Pink regions on the diagram--front of neck, joints, achilles--should not receive impact whatsoever. Two parts of the body that one should be particularly careful with when it comes to impact are the kidneys and the spine. While these areas can normally sustain light-moderate impact (flogging, soft riding crop), harder impact can have debilitating effects. 

What can be done to attend to bruises/use for aftercare following percussion play?

Arnica gel is used by some players to help bruises and welts heal faster, but also piercing, or perforating the welted skin to “bleed” out the excess blood can reduce bruising.

What does “balance” mean on a flogger? Why is it important?

Balance refers to the center of weight on a flogger. Floggers with traditional handles are traditionally balanced at the center so the tails and handle are similar in weight, but front balanced floggers with finger loops are easier for people with limited mobility to use because front weighted impact toys keep the momentum in front of the body.