Fetish Friday – Caning

Caning is a form of percussion play that many kinksters engage in, which has

Photo credit: andyspb – Source – CC license

its roots in corporal punishment. Some kinksters may utilize as a form of punishment in a D/s relationship or play scene.

A cane is the instrument of choice, most often made of a stem of rattan, a type of palm. Such canes differ from a walking cane, usually being about 10mm thick and anywhere between 60-80cm long. Some people prefer a straight cane, while others prefer a cane with a crook. While rattan is popular, canes can be made of artificial materials such as acrylic, Lexan polycarbonate, Delrin, or carbon fibre, which tend to have a different feel, but are less likely to break and easier to clean. Bamboo, though visually similar to rattan, should not be used as it more rigid and brittle, and therefore more likely to splinter or break the skin upon contact.

The cane is used to strike the bottom’s flesh (clothed or unclothed), with the Top holding the handle end and the opposite end making contact with the bottom’s skin. Strokes should generally be confined to fleshy areas such as the buttocks, breasts, and thighs to avoid unnecessary harm such as broken or chipped bones. Some people do engage in a variation of caning in which they strike the underside of the foot, called bastinado.

Photo credit: Mountain-Top – Source – CC license

As a cane is flexible, it tends to develop a slight whipping motion as it swings through the air. The resulting impact is a fairly sharp and concentrated pain, as the surface area of the cane directs the entire energy of the swing into one thin strip. Depending on the force of the stroke, the impact often creates red stripes on the skin which might swell and welt.

Often a Top will use a cane by making faster, but less forceful strokes to build up to a threshold of pain, after which they may temporarily ease off before giving a much more forceful stroke.

Caning can be used as part of a predicament scene, in which a bottom must keep track of the number of strikes that they have received. Miscounting or forgetting might result in a further penalty of strikes being added to the total.

Model: Katee Calaway – Source – Permission

At the time of writing, more than 54,800 users on FetLife have caning listed as a fetish they are interested in.

Do you enjoy caning? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below! We’d love to hear all about it!