Impact Play: Sting Vs Thud

Figuring out where to start with the S&M activity of impact play can be a daunting task. How do you know what kinky toys to use if you don’t know how they feel?

In late March of 2021, we compiled a survey for the purposes of creating an accessible and easy-to-understand guide on the various sensations that impact toys can produce.

We ran the call for respondents using our social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Discord, and FetLife) as well as posting in our newsletter and on this website. We were happy to receive a total of 44 respondents (22 bottoms, 7 Tops, and 14 switches). 

Along with asking what roles these respondents identified with, we asked the Tops and switches if they had tested their toys on themselves. 

Of our 7 Tops, 6 responded that they had tried some or all of their toys on themselves. All respondents in our switch sample had (unsurprisingly) tested some or all of their implements on themselves.

We opted to presented the survey to respondents in four segments. Our “General Survey” provided 15 examples of common impact play toys and required the participants to rate them on their level of sting and/or thud. We then branched into three additional optional surveys to assess a variety of paddles, canes, and floggers. We provide our findings in the sections below.

What does ‘sting’ feel like in impact play?

Sting is a skin-deep sensation akin to a piercing or grazing of your skin. It can also have an added element of searing or tingling heat, depending on the implement being used.

A toy with a lot of sting usually strikes a small and targeted spot on your body, which can intensify the feeling. Stingy implements most commonly leave marks such as raised welts, red lines across the skin, or light splotches of color akin to a rash.

What does ‘thud’ feel like in impact play?

Thud comes from impact toys that provide a heavy blow, felt at the muscle and tissue level. Unlike sting, there’s no sense of heat or piercing.

Toys that are thuddy tend to strike larger areas of your body than sting, but that doesn’t mean they don’t pack a wallop. Instead of welts or stripes, thuddy implements most often leave bruises that range in colour depending on the bottom’s anatomy, the severity of the strike, the implement being used, and the Top who is doing the hitting.

Safety Considerations for Impact Play

When engaging in impact play, consent, safety, and negotiation are paramount. Pain tolerances vary immensely person to person, and it’s important to keep this in mind as you explore. Those who play on the left side of the slash should be aware of the technical skills needed for some of these implements, and if you’re on the right, you should have a clear understanding of the risks associated with impact play. We encourage you to read our risk mitigation guide on impact play, as well as our additional article on human anatomy considerations when engaging in this activity.

Remember: It’s not a competition.

Whilst you may see bruises or other marks displayed proudly by bottoms online or in person, it’s important to remember that not every body bruises easily, and some may not even bruise or mark at all. Human bodies are deeply complex and each one responds to these things differently. Sometimes your desires don’t match the realities of your anatomy.

If your body won’t retain your ‘marks’, seeing others use theirs as indicators of their degree of kinkiness can feel isolating at best. No safe and good Top will criticize you for being unable to keep welts or bruises on your body, and no decent kinkster will shame you for it. If they do, they are not a safe play partner.

The degree to which your body is able to retain marks in impact play is absolutely no indicator of your validity as a play partner.

Regardless of how you begin your journey with impact play, we hope that these results give you a good place to start.