Adding Intensity

Looking to dial up the intensity of your pain play? Here are some of our favorite options.

We like the calf binder for experimenting with intensity, but most of these techniques will work with any kind of painful bondage.

Positional changes

You can change your partner’s position to increase the tension on the rope:

• If two body parts are tied together, pulling them apart will increase tension on both of them (we use this technique with the waist to thigh position).
• The calf muscle is smallest when the foot is pointed and largest when it’s flexed. Tying a calf binder with the foot pointed and then flexing the foot will make it more painful.
• Putting your partner’s weight on a tie will escalate the sensation—try having your partner kneel while in a calf binder. You can also use your own body weight to put pressure on a tie.

Rigger punch

We normally apply rope to the body in a slow and deliberate fashion, but you can increase intensity by adding rope with sharp, forceful motions. This technique works especially well when targeted at specific body parts: the result will be very different if you use the rigger punch over the calf compared to the shin bone.

Squeeze the bulges

You can cause additional pain by squeezing or punching the places where the flesh bulges out between the rope.

Cross the rope

Crossing the rope over itself will increase the intensity, especially if you target a sensitive location like the shin bone.

Use more painful rope

Smaller rope is more painful: consider using 4mm instead of 6mm. Some people also enjoy more abrasive ropes like coconut or palm fiber rope.

Twist the rope

You can temporarily tighten the rope by sliding a metal chopstick or carabiner under it and twisting to achieve the desired level of intensity.