BDSM Rope Play Tips

 

Rope play is a form of bondage that focuses on using rope to restrain your partner, either done on its own or in conjunction with other BDSM activities. Whether or not you use rope play sexually, it is a great power play as the sub is left completely immobilised by their dom.

Rope play can be very gratifying when done properly, on the other hand it can feel very underwhelming and even boring when done wrong. Keep on reading to learn more about rope play and how to successfully restrain your partner.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

When it comes to bondage there is one primary goal. Restrain your partner. It sounds really simple when you put it like that, but there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to enjoying bondage.

Put yourself in your sub’s shoes for a second. Your dom commands you to get on the bed so he can restrain you and you get excited. Everything is going great, until you notice that the rope is loose and you could actually escape pretty easily if you wanted to. Or the rope is too tight and your wrists start hurting, but you don’t want to ruin the mood. Or they end up fumbling around with the rope and by the time they’re done, you’re just not interested anymore.

These are some common examples of rope play going wrong, so to make sure you don’t end up looking like you have no idea what you’re doing here are some tips:

  • Communicate with your partner when restraining them to make sure the rope fits perfectly, not too tight or loose.
  • Test your handiwork when you’re done to see if it still fits perfectly after moving around.
  • Do your homework beforehand, a dom that knows what they’re doing can be incredibly sexy for your sub.
  • Buy the right type of rope. Shibari and other rope tying works best with specific types of shibari rope

Bight or Bite?

Biting can be pretty fun in BDSM play, especially if your sub has been tied down by your skilled ropework. If you’re still wondering what a bight is, it is a fundamental concept of tying knots.

The bight is simply the middle of your rope. To find the bight of your rope, bring the two ends together and the bight will be on the opposite end. The bight is commonly used as the starting point for most ropework, so it’s important that you know what it is and how to easily find it.

Different Knots

Now that you are prepared for your next rope play session, you’ll need to learn how to tie some knots to really impress your sub. Here are some examples of basic knots you should practice:

Single Column Tie

Single column ties are essential to know, as they can form the foundation for more complex and intricate ropework. You may be wondering why it’s called a column tie, it gets its name from the fact that your body is technically made up of columns. Your arms, legs, torso, and wrists could all be classified as a column.

Mastering this knot will give you a strong base for when you want to learn more advanced ropework, and can still be used for bondage. You could use this knot to tie your partner to bedposts, for example. However, you will need to use rope to connect the knot to the bedpost.

As the name suggests, this tie is good for tying a single limb. This type of tie isn’t ideal for tying your sub’s wrists together, if you want to do that then you will need to learn the next knot.

Double Column Tie

Double column ties are used to bind two columns together.

Learning how to tie this knot will give you a great option for restraining your sub, as you can get more creative with how you restrain them. Here are some examples of how you can restrain your sub using a double column tie:

  • Tying wrists together
  • Tying ankles together
  • Tying a wrist to their thigh
  • Tying a wrist to their folded upper arm
  • Tying an ankle to their upper thigh, with their knee bent
  • Tying a wrist or ankle to a chair

Go crazy with your imagination, as long as you think of something safe, and have fun mastering the double column tie.

Lark’s Head

Although it isn’t technically a knot, the lark’s head is also a fundamental knot that you should learn how to do. It is extremely versatile and is used as a foundation for other more advanced knots.

The lark’s head falls under a type of knot known as a sliding or constriction knot; When you pull on it, it gets tighter. This may sound good, but it is very important to know that you shouldn’t use this to restrain your sub due to the risk of the rope becoming too tight.

Safety

Finding the perfect balance of tying knots will make sure that your bondage is fun, comfortable and most importantly safe. If you are still new to rope play, it’s better to tie your knots on the looser side.

Don’t think that tighter is always better, as this can put your sub at risk of harm. Not only is tight rope extremely uncomfortable, it can cause rope burn and nerve damage.

To avoid this, ensure that you can fit two fingers between the rope and their skin when tying the knots. Your sub will be able to tell you what they are comfortable with so that when you become more skilled at ropework, you can safely tie the knots tighter.

Conclusion

Bondage and shibari are great skills to know, as they can be more versatile and aesthetically pleasing than a pair of handcuffs or a spreader bar. They will also help you improve your communication skills and build trust between you and your partner. Now that you know the basics, it’s time to find some rope and start perfecting your ropework.

Peachy BDSM has a wide range of bondage and shibari ropes, so check them out now!