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Whips If you've ever considered taking up single-tailing, this is the story of how it happened to me. I make no attempt to advise or teach here - though I have included links that may do so. I am a complete novice when it comes to whips, and that's the point of this story. A simple tale of one man's experiences so far - and I'll add to it when I can.
The first single tail I bought was an eight plait, six foot snake whip. Coreless, the initial stiffness wore off quickly, and I soon found myself with a very 'fluid' whip with almost no weight to it at all. Despite hurling one end of the thing away from me repeatedly, she proved to be a very loyal beast, and often returned to her point of origin with a degree of affection bordering on assault. I'd read that a whip will always come back to where it started from, and was half expecting to have to be ready to catch it in my teeth at some point. Apparently some of the longer heavier bullwhips have a talent for smacking their user in the face, so I was quite relieved to find that this one only seemed to like my hand, catching the back of it on the way out, and my knuckles on the way back in. Compared to some of the injuries possible when learning to use a whip I count myself as fortunate, but a glove and a hat with a brim would probably have been a more sensible move rather than trusting to luck.
I had to rat-tail to begin with, trying to keep the whip off the ground and away from the cats, who thought it was great fun to chase the tail the moment it began to move. They soon learned to keep away from it once it had got going though, and I still see them occasionally glance at the marks on the doorframe and shake their heads. Gradually, and with many a sore shoulder muscle, I was able to predict more or less where the end would flick out to, and began to concentrate on using less effort and more style to throw, not chasing the crack, just getting used to the idea that one of my arms was now nine feet long and considerably more dangerous than nature intended - (both to me and to others).
As with anything that comes with a hazard warning, it's best to read the instructions first, and so while all this was going on, I searched the web for articles and advice on using and caring for whips. There's a lot of stuff out there, but it's all worth reading, comparing one person's opinion with another's and gradually coming to have my own about certain aspects of whip care and use. For instance, there are those who advocate the use of a leather treatment called 'neetsfoot oil' and there are those who swear against it, claiming it will eventually rot the whip. Having seen both sides of the argument, I decided that a dressing known as 'Pecards' seems to be well known and trusted by all, so I'll stick to that to be on the safe side, (proving that sometimes it's best to read everything you can find, and then make up your own mind).
The best net link I have found to date is www.bullwhip.org where they have embedded Quicktime movies demonstrating the various different throwing techniques, tutorials on how to choose a whip, how to make your own, how to replace poppers on different types of whip, and a link section leading to just about every other whip site worth knowing about. These guys live, eat and breathe whips, and the advice available comes from many generations of experience, so take a look and make it a close one. It could save you a lot of grief in the long run, and certainly saves me a lot of typing - and I'd only be copying what's already there. However - I digress.
After months of working the snake, I knew that the time had come for me to get a 'proper whip', and something I had read started to make a lot of sense - that anything less than twelve plait just 'aint a 'proper whip'. On any whip there will be a natural curve to the thing, even on an eight plait, but having a core surrounded by tightly bound thin strands is so different from just having eight thick strands braided together. So now my floppy, almost loose six foot snake has been joined by a rather nice little black and red twelve plait three foot signal whip. Stiffer, snappier, and with more personality than its predecessor, I found that it would crack straight out of the box, and with none of the unpredictability of the (now rather sad by comparison) snake. But I also know that without all the work I did with the snake I would have had difficulty controlling the signal whip quite so easily, so all that training was worth it. Whereas before I'd had to make sure I had enough room around me to allow for the snakes somewhat over-affectionate embraces, I can now sit back in my armchair and crack flies out of the air - much to the annoyance of the cats, who seem to have difficulty getting used to the idea that there is now something faster than them in the house.
It will still be a while before I would ever consider using a single-tail for play in a BDSM sense. Consensus of opinion is that it takes the average person between one and two years to be proficient enough to aim it at flesh safely, and I by no means consider that it will take me personally any less time - perhaps even more. But I didn't get into single-tails to scene with. I like the things for what they are, how they move, and have always wanted to be able to handle one well. So - I'm getting what I wanted out of it already - anything else comes as a bonus, and will happen in it's own time.
It's not a cheap hobby - a half-decent 26" flogger would cost around £40 - a half-decent 36" whip around £120. But the old adage holds true that you get what you pay for, and a good whip should last you most of your lifetime, so I'll always buy the best I can afford. Once you get into it, all sorts of people you wouldn't suspect (and some you really would) start pulling out their toys to show you, and I've found them all more than willing to share their knowledge and experience.
I've had no complaints from the neighbours yet, but only use the whips indoors for now, though some of the more exotic throws - such as the Hungarian Pig Drovers crack ( I kid you not) - need a lot of room to swing correctly, especially for a beginner. So I guess eventually I'll have to find a quiet corner of Hampshire and scare the f*** out of the wildlife - lol. Right - I'd better get going - lots to practice.....................
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