Page 48 - Bondage Basics: Naughty Knots and Risque Restraints

Of course, the need for information and basic safety care runs through all BDSM—but rope
bondage has its own set of safety precautions. Put in its most simple terms, the central
message of bondage safety is this: You should be able to get your submissive out of any
restraint in a matter of seconds.

Rope should never cut into the skin too aggressively, and you should be on the lookout for
any indicators of bad circulation and worrying discomfort in your submissives. If in doubt
about how tight wrist ties are, ask your sub to grab your hand and maintain the grip; if
he struggles, the ties need to be loosened. Ties should be snug but loose enough for you
to slip one finger in between the skin and the rope. If you’re a top, you should always be
checking for CSM (circulation, sensation, and movement) in your sub, and if anything seems
amiss, undo the ties immediately. There is a risk of nerve damage through overextension
or through compression, where rope presses against a certain area and affects the
nerves. This type of damage can take weeks or months to heal, so avoid tying around your
submissive’s joints or making one area bear too much weight. It should go without saying
that you should never, ever tie rope around the front of someone’s neck, but let’s repeat
that again for safety’s sake: never, ever tie rope around the front of someone’s neck.
 The most important piece of safety equipment is a pair of safety shears. They are inexpensive and widely
Good riggers will learn how to tie knots that can be undone quickly, and anyone who available. Don’t rely on a knife or a pair of scissors. Safety shears are designed to cut without hurting the skin.
They should always be within reach whenever you tie someone up.
restrains anyone else in a device should have the keys for that same device within grabbing
distance, but sometimes, it is going to be essential to cut your rope, cuffs, duct tape, or
whatever other material your gorgeously twisted mind has decided to use. If you’re playing
with rope, tape, leather, string, wool, cord, or anything else that can be cut, keep EMT No one likes ruining their toys, and if you’ve just shelled out for a set of gold-plated leg
shears nearby. I always buy the ones with the brightest-color handles I can find so that they spreaders for your submissive, you aren’t exactly going to be thrilled about setting bolt
are easy to see if I need them. They work well on everything that needs to be cut, not just cutters to them and having some very expensive but useless bits of metal left over (just a
rope—plastic, veterinarian wrap, rubber, etc. If you’re more of a heavy-metal kind of soul suggestion: fancy collars for your cats). If you expect to think twice about ruining a toy or
and you just love chains, locks, and cuffs, you might want to invest in a bolt cutter. If you a rope in an emergency situation, don’t buy it. Use more disposable ropes or materials.
are a handcuff type of person, keep one key on your regular keychain with your car keys as Nothing is more precious than the health of all those involved, and you’d be surprised what
an extra precaution. Avoid combination locks; it’s too easy to forget the code. mischief you can get up to with ten dollars’ worth of wooden pegs and elastic bands from
the convenience store on a Friday night.

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