Bondage for Immobilization

1. Welcome to Bondage for Immobilization

Thank you for coming today

2. Introductions

MC introduces themselves, with pronouns
Instructors introduce themselves, with pronouns

3. What is Bondage for Immobilization?

Bondage that removes ability to wriggle / escape / resist
More secure, but not totally secure
Generally can’t be both safe and completely secure

We’re going to use technique rather than tightness
Trying to achieve immobilization via tightness is unsafe, ineffective

• But tightness is a valid goal for its own sake

Module 1: binding limbs better

Lashings and the Somerville bowline

Module 2: tying to furniture

Great way to truly immobilize someone

Module 3: hogtie

Putting it all together

4. Demo: using better technique

Demo unfrapped double column tie
Demo frapped version: more secure and more comfortable

5. How does the class work?

This class is equally for bottoms and tops

Bottoms are full partners and have as much to learn as tops
"Best bottoms" understand tying; "best" tops understand bottom experience

The class is divided into 3 modules

Each module has a technical skill and application of that skill

Each module begins with lecture and demo

Learn core skills
Get an overview of technical skills
See how it all comes together in a scene
During lecture, focus on learning “why”

Each module ends with pod time

We’ll break into small groups to practice
This is the time to ask questions
Also a great time for adaptations for bodies & play styles
During this phase, focus on learning “how”

There are no formal breaks: do self care during pods

6. Before we jump in, some logistics

Point out bathrooms, water, exits
Wear what you like, but keep bottom bits covered
Covid: wear your masks, we tested this morning

7. Single students

If you didn’t come together, don’t tie together
We have appropriate content for singles in each pod

8. Consent!

It’s the first thing in your handouts because it’s the most important thing
We’ll talk about it a lot, starting now:

• Ask before touching
• We’ll ask before touching, it’s OK to say no (we can still help)
• No photos, no phones: step outside if you have to use yours
• We’ll model some negotiation, but prior negotiation has also occurred
• We’re professionals: we won’t hit on you, please don’t hit on us

1. Qualifications?

What are my qualifications to teach this?
If you have injuries or health issues, consult a professional
Bondage can be hard on your body (especially immobilizing bondage)

2. What about stretching?

Only stretching right before exercise won’t increase flexibility
Stretching consistently over time can increase flexibility

• Can be helpful for bondage

Stretching should always happen after you are already warmed up

What about strengthening?

Also a good idea!
Particularly if you’re going to do suspension
Strong muscles help stabilize and protect joints
Can help you maintain a position for longer periods of time

3. Why warm up?

Bondage often involves being in same position for long time
Warming up increases blood flow to the heart, muscles, and joints
Which raises temperature of the area and increases oxygen availability
Seems to improve the natural stretch and flexibility of muscles and joints
May decrease the risk of injury.

Warm up first!

This should always be the first step.
Make sure you warm up the hips, shoulders, and spine.
Use an activity you already do and know your body tolerates:

• Walking or jogging
• Sun salutations (yoga) done at a fast enough pace to be a warm up
• Jumping jacks or jumping rope
• Dancing

Goal: You want to be physically warm!
10 minutes of warm up is often enough

1. About lashings

Now we’re gonna look at lashings
Lashings bind two things tightly together
Excellent combination of safe, comfortable, and immobilizing
Not as well known as they should be

2. Demo the parallel lashing

Make this a fun, playful demo
Let’s look at some options for tying someone to a chair

Demo 1: column tie on ankle, tie off ankle to pole

• Versatile, but lots of wiggle

Demo 2: tie ankle directly to pole with two column tie (no frapping)

• Keeps it in place, but has some pivot

Time for lashings!

• Parallel lashing is for parallel columns
• Square lashing is for columns at 90 degrees

Demo 3: parallel lashing against a pole (with frapping)

• Has more wraps than a column tie
• Removes much of the pivot

What do we do with lashings?

Lashings are ideal for binding people to furniture
But also great for binding people to themselves
Can use anywhere you’d use a two column tie

3. Now the square lashing

Now the square lashing, for columns that cross at 90 degrees

Keep the square lashing above the wrist, not on it
Connect to the cuff, not the frapping when tying off

Demo: square lash wrists together

• Tie in front, palms facing up
• Not really immobilizing, but significantly restricts movement

Demo: bind square lashing to chest

• Best if inside arms
• Under left armpit, under right armpit, tie off to lashing
• Immobilizing and sustainable

4. Let’s talk about the square knot

Notice that we finish both lashings with a square knot
Never mind the technical details, but it has some useful applications

Demo the basic technique.

You can finish a tie with a square knot instead of a half hitch

• Reason 1: uses less rope
• Reason 2: better tension

1. Parallel lashing

Procedure

1. Lark’s head around both limbs
2. Wrap in a spiral around both limbs
3. Pass between limbs
4. Make one or two frapping turns
5. Split ends and go opposite directions around limb
6. Finish with a square knot (go briefly through the details)

Notes

Demo cinching when pulling on square knot
Demo attachment options that don’t engage the square knot

2. Square lashing

Procedure

1. Lark’s head around furniture or limb
2. Start lashing: over the 2nd column, under the first
3. Continue lashing for 2 complete passes (if you have enough rope)
4. Add some frapping passes
5. Split ends and go in opposite directions
6. Finish with a square knot

Position suggestion to practice on self

Cross leg with ankle/lower leg across thigh

3. Lashing practice

Practice lashing body parts together

• Arms & legs parallel
• Crab position (compare to basic column tie)
• Hands behind the head with parallel lashing, to crotch or waist rope
• Ebi/crossed ankles

Lashing to furniture

• Chair bondage
• Parallel and square lashing to furniture

4. Single students

All of these exercises are appropriate for single students

1. Let’s talk about consent and instructors

Normally we talk about your individual actions
Today we’re gonna turn the tables and talk about instructors

Unfortunately, rope instructors are a major problem

You would hope that instructors would set a high bar for consent
Some do, but too many do not

Currently 3 rope instructors in Seattle with very serious consent problems

• None are allowed to teach at the Gallery
• 1 can’t even attend

2. Why do you care?

If you can’t practice consent, you obviously can’t teach it

• You will learn harmful practices from them

They use their classes to find new people to harm

3. How do you pick instructors?

Are they on ropeinseattle?

Have they adopted KEMS?

• What is KEMS?

Ask them about their practices (KEMS disclosures)

4. What about us?

We’ve adopted KEMS and KECC
We have nothing to disclose
We don’t play with students

1. What is it?

It’s one of many column ties
Developed by Topologist
We think it’s the best of the lot, although it’s tricky to tie

• We have some tips

What’s great about it?

It’s much faster to tie

Demo a basic single column and a Somerville in 30' rope
Don’t have to pull rope through even once

Also

Secure and reliable
Can pull on both ends of the rope
Doesn’t need a bight

2. What’s the secret?

We’ll teach how to tie it in pods
There are 2 critical things:

• Polite mouse fingers, X marks the spot
• It’ll make sense in pods

3. Two column version

There is a robust two column version
Can safely use both ends of the rope
Nicely separates the columns

We aren’t gonna teach it in detail, but it’s in your handouts
Happy to teach it during pods

1. Somerville Bowline

1. Place polite mouse fingers
   Key point 1: polite mouse fingers
2. Wrap twice around column, leaving 8" of bight
   Going over and away from you, moving toward fingertips
3. Cross bight over wraps, hold with thumb
4. Make a circle around the bight
5. Notice the X
6. Hold the X with your thumb
7. Lay the bight over the X (all of the X!)
   Key point 2: X marks the spot
8. Bight goes under wraps, up through circle
9. Snug by pulling both ends at once

2. Optional: two column Somerville

3. Single students

All of these exercises are appropriate for single students

1. Why tie to furniture?

Attaches them to something that isn’t going anywhere
Forces them into a shape
We’re gonna learn how to do it really well

Safety: choose your furniture wisely

Make sure it won’t topple onto you, collapse under you, or get damaged

What can you tie to?

Spread eagle on bed
Bent over a coffee table
Sitting in a chair
Sitting against a stair railing

2. What’s our game plan?

Beds are the best furniture for bondage, so we’ll start with rigging your bed
Then we’ll look at tying off in spread eagle position
And we’ll explore some ways to upgrade your tie offs:

• Midshipman’s hitch for adjustability
• Using geometry for extra immobilization
• Preventing jams so you can untie when you’re finished

3. Bottoms

As we go, keep these things in mind:

• Tying off makes everything more intense
• Higher risk of nerve damage, skin abrasion, positional fatigue

Work on managing and communicating these issues as they come up

1. Beds need anchor points

For obvious reasons, tying someone to the bed is great
But most beds don’t have good anchor points
So we’re gonna fix that

If you’re lucky, you have sturdy bedposts
Most bed frames are terrible:

• They’re hard to get to
• They have rough edges that are hard to work with

2. Rappel rings plus utility cord are the answer

We’re gonna make our own anchors using a rappel ring plus utility cord

• Cheap
• Can go almost anywhere
• Discreet, easy to hide
• Easy to work with, gentle on your rope

Lark’s head on a ring

Demo attaching cord to a rappel ring with a standard lark’s head
Demo the lark’s head on a ring

Now we need to attach the ring

Round turn & two half hitches

3. Adding a series of hardpoints

For example, along the side of a bed

Demo the hardpoint rail

Tie off an undoubled line with round turn & 2 half hitches
Run it along the bed rail

For each point:

• Make an overhand loop (optionally add a rappel ring)
• Reinforce by passing around base of loop

Tie off the end with round turn & 2 half hitches

1. Let’s tie off a wrist to an anchor

Just like you would for spread eagle

Begin with column ties on the wrists

Start with column ties on the wrists, with plenty of leftover rope
Make the cuffs a little loose for comfort / safety

2. Demo

Tie off and have the bottom demonstrate how much they can wriggle
That’s pretty fun, but there’s too much wriggle room

We need to get rid of slack

You should develop some intuition about how rope behaves

• You know how water goes downhill: rope has similar rules

Rule 1: rope goes in the direction it’s pulled
Rule 2: rope goes from thick places to thin places
Rule 3: bottoms will create slack any way they can

3. The midshipman’s hitch

The more you motivate someone, the more wriggle room they find
No matter how snug things are initially, you’ll end up with slack
So we’re gonna use an adjustable knot for removing slack as it happens

Demo the midshipman’s hitch

4. Reminder: no solo bondage

Remember: never leave a tied up person alone
The more immobilizing bondage is, the more dangerous it is to be alone in it

5. Using geometry

Removing slack is great
If you want to go further, the next step is to use geometry to your advantage

Geometry 1: Tie off one cuff to multiple places

There’s still side to side wiggle room
That isn’t a solvable problem: nothing is resisting the sideways motion
Let’s not dislocate their shoulder—use science instead!

Split the ends and tie off in different directions
Now the sideways motion is pulling against a hardpoint

Geometry 2: Tie off at two places

Tying off at 2 places reduces ability to pivot around a single cuff
Tie at the ankle and above the calf
Tie to a single hardpoint or two different ones

Geometry 3: Ladder

Final option is to use a ladder
Demo

• Begin with a column tie around the waist
• Ladder down the leg
• Tie off at the ankle
• Add rope using lark's head to use for tie offs (briefly cover attachment)

Tie off with a spiral

Undoubled line, two half hitches onto waist line
Spiral: around bed rail, through ladder rung
Finish with two half hitches.

Go through the ladder rung junction, not around the connector!

6. Bottoms

These techniques can lead to limbs being pulled in odd directions.
Watch out for muscle pulls and join strain.

7. Jamming is a problem

Struggling puts knots under lots of tension
This can cause jamming
Inconvenient and also a significant safety issue

Cutting rope

Cutting rope is your get out of jail free card
Don’t ever hesitate to cut rope: your partner is your top priority
Remember: you always need a cutting tool on your person
Practice cutting rope, both loose and under tension

Strategy 1: round turn

Your first line of defense is the round turn
Sometimes that’s enough

Strategy 2: slipped knots

The next step is to use slipped knots
Slipped knots are like quick-release knots
They rely on slipped half hitches
With two half hitches, slip the first one

Strategy 3: Munter hitch

Most effective strategy is the Munter hitch
Very reliable: we use it for suspension
Demo

• Finish with a slipped half hitch if you want to be fancy

8. Bonus tip: dealing with naughty people

Some naughty people like to untie themselves
Ideally the anchor is out of reach, but sometimes it isn’t
Solution: go through the anchor, then tie off somewhere else

1. Rigging your bed

Hand out supplies

Pass out rings and cord to your group
Make sure everyone has a good spot

Adding hardpoints to a bed

Lark’s head on a ring
Simple round turn & two half hitches attachment
Running along a rail

2. Midshipman’s hitch (for synthetic rope)

1. Tie off to 1 leg, around 2nd leg, halfway back the line
2. Make 1 inside wrap
3. Make a second inside wrap, over the first
4. Make 1 outside wrap

Key points

Show how to adjust

3. Slipped knots

Slipped half hitch
Slipped two half hitches

4. Munter

Run through tie off process

5. Additional practice

Samson position (standing, arms to sides)
Work on maximum immobilization

Practice triangulation

• Try same body part to two tie offs
• Try different body parts (ankle and calf) to same and different tie offs

Test different tie offs under load, wiggling, jerking:

• Round turn & 2 half hitches
• Midshipman’s hitch
• Slipped knots
• Munter hitch

6. Single students

All of these exercises are appropriate for single students

1. Knowing yourself is the most important bottoming skill

We sometimes think we all have to be the same “ideal” bottom
But actually, all great bottoms are unique
That’s not just a platitude—to be a great bottom:

• Play to your strengths, mitigate your challenges
• Know how your body responds in bondage
• Know what you like

2. Play to your strengths, mitigate your challenges

Many of us carry a lot of shame about our bodies
Belief that only certain bodies can/should be tied up
That is simply not true

Even famous bottoms have physical limitations
And every body is especially good at some things
Learn how you’re a badass and what you should avoid

Personal example goes here

3. Know how your body responds in bondage

Knowing how your body responds will let you do more, more safely

• What kind of warmup does your body like?
• What are your body’s warning signs?
• Can you stretch further after a few minutes in a tie?
• What does it feel like when you need to come out of a tie?

Also learn how to talk with your rigger about your body

• Injuries, strengths, limitations

Personal example goes here

4. Know what you like

Knowing what you like helps you and your rigger have a good time

Immobilizing bondage allows for variety of different moods
Moods that might be right for you:

• Resistance: struggling to get away
• Bratting: being mouthy but physically compliant
• Submission: enduring a challenging tie to please your partner
• Challenge: enduring a challenging tie to show what a badass you are
• Escape: getting out of an “inescapable” tie

Type 1 vs. Type 2 fun

• Type 1: fun while it’s happening
• Type 2: fun after it’s happened

Personal example goes here

1. Why a chest harness?

Convenient handles: rough handling, fucking
A great starting point for a hogtie

2. Tying the chest harness

Basic version: single band (just a basic column tie) on upper pectorals
For lying on back, put knot in front to avoid lying on it

Bottoms

Don't raise your arms while chest harness being tied.
Lowering arms will cause harness to tighten
Keep arms around shoulder level

People with and without breasts

Bottom preference varies
If no breasts, single band is often most comfortable
If breasts, single band above breasts or separate the bands (above/below)

• May need to use a ladder rung for spacing

Building connection

Great time to build connection via cuddling and touch
Can be sensual/sexual, or loving/comforting

3. Shoulder lines

Why?

• Keep wraps from falling down/shifting
• Helps keep arm attachments from sliding around
• Feels more secure

Consider weaving: decorative and more stable

Demo using the same line
Demo using a new line

4. Bottoms

Small changes have a big impact
Evaluate and give feedback on:

• Knot placement
• Location and evenness of shoulder lines
• How things change over time

1. About the hogtie

What is a hogtie? Demo the classic

• Face down
• Hands behind back
• Ankles together
• Ankles tied to chest

Why do we like it?

Very immobilizing
Can be very challenging
“Slow cooker” stress position
Pain with predicament element

Strain/stress points for bottom

Core muscles (back and abs)
Legs/hip joints
Chest harness pressure
Breathing
Hypermobility

Cramps

If you get a cramp, pulse (tighten and relax) the muscle to see if that helps
Always take off the rope if you need to!

2. Demo again, with detailed discussion

1: Attach to the upper body

Best option is generally a chest harness or figure 8
Chest harness is more comfy, figure 8 gives better leverage
Figure 8 is in the handout, we can teach in pods

2: Tie the ankles

Watch out for grinding the ankle bones (offset the ankles or add padding)
If you use frapping, don’t constrict it

3: Tie the wrists

Hands antiparallel behind back

4: Pull into a hogtie shape

Connect ankles to chest, doubling back to make a simple pulley
Be careful about face hitting the floor

Bottoms: lift into the bend rather than being pulled
Talk in advance about how much back bend you want and be sure to warm up

3. Options: legs

Separate the legs

• Futomomo or column tie
• Tie off with individual lines to chest harness
• Can tie the arms to the leg lines

4. Options: arms

Put wrists behind head

Put the arms behind the back:

• Antiparallel, as usual
• Crossed with a square lashing
• Strappado

Tie the arms to the legs:

• Attach wrists directly to ankles
• Tie off wrists to ankles
• Attach arms to the leg lines

Put the arms in front

• Maybe crossed with a square lashing
• Easier on the shoulders and back
• Less traditional, but totally valid

5. Options: hair tie

The hair tie is a great addition
Helps increase back bend, but be careful of neck
In the handouts, we can teach it in pods

6. Options: dialing up the intensity

Going for endurance?

• Just let them cook for a bit
• Maybe increase back bend over time using midshipman’s hitch

Short but intense?

• Carefully lift up on the stem (good lifting technique!)

1. Chest harness

Walk through basic harness

• Split bands versus single band
• Front knots vs back knots
• Shoulder lines

2. Figure 8 harness

Demonstrate / teach on request

3. Hogtie

Bottoms

Warm up before strenuous ties like hogtie
Chest harness is often biggest source of discomfort.

• Experiment with different harnesses, knot placement, attachments, etc.

Talk about breath restriction before starting

Procedure

1. Chest harness or figure 8 harness
2. Tie the ankles
3. Tie the arms
4. Tie ankles to chest

Ankles grinding together?

Offset the ankles
Add padding (frapping or a washcloth)
Separate legs

Other options

Legs separated (futos and/or separate lines to chest)

Arms:

• Bar tie behind back
• Arms in front
• Attach directly to ankles
• Strappado (much more intense)

Hair tie

4. Single students

Hogtie isn’t a feasible tie for singles
Recommended alternatives:

• Work on Somerville, including two column Somerville
• Work on lashings
• Work on tying off technique, including adjustable knots

1. Thank you for coming

We had a great time—we hope you did also.
What next?

2. About Full Circle Kink

We’re a professional, values-driven kink organization
We think kink should be super fun, and also super ethical
That goes double for kink instruction

We have tons of great stuff on our website

• Upcoming classes
• Free handouts
• Detailed tutorials for this class and lots more

3. RopeInSeattle.com

Great place to find classes, parties, events

4. Our next class

What / when / where?
What’s it about?
What makes it cool?

5. Class rope

Mpox: please put it in the dirty rope bin

6. Wrapping up

Individual instructors pimp their events & classes

Thank our hosts
Invite hosts to talk about themselves / their events

Go out in the world and have fun!