Mitigating Risk in Impact Play
Impact Play is a scene involving one person striking another, with or without sexual activity.
Common Risks of Impact Play:
Wrapping (striking an area you don’t meant to)
Bone damage
Internal injury
Key Requirements of Impact Play:
Negotiation
Safe word or gesture
Things to Consider During Impact Play
Practice impact play on inanimate objects
If you’re interested in impact play as a Top, it’s always worth having a practice on a pillow. Try marking out areas on an old pillowcase, and aim with the crop, cane, paddle, whip. The more you practice your aim, the better.
Communicate high risk areas before engaging in impact play
During negotiation, bottoms need to let the Top know of any particularly high-risk areas, such as old injuries or surgery zones, along with any parts of the body that might be emotionally triggering for the bottom if they're hit. The last thing anyone wants in a scene is a serious injury that could have easily been avoided. Try using a body map of touch and impact zones to clearly highlight where is good, and where is off-limits.
Understand how the body reacts to pain
Abrasions can vary depending on the implement, how it’s used, and the part of the body that is struck. These can include scrapes, welts, bruises, and in some cases, bleeding. The effects of impact implements can range from ‘stingy’ to ‘thuddy’, and some implements can be both depending on how and where they’re used. Stingy implements tend to provoke sharp pain on the surface of the skin while thuddy implements provide a localized, deep tissue pain.
Focus on hitting fleshy areas
In impact play, fleshy and fatty areas like the buttocks, the thighs, and the calves are the safest zones to hit, assuming there are no underlying injuries. Avoid anywhere near bone or internal organs. Seriously, don’t use impact near the internal organs. You can easily damage the kidneys, the central nervous system, the intestines, and more.
Watch out for ‘wrapping’ when striking
Additional considerations are needed when striking with floggers and whips. The Top needs to avoid wrapping, which occurs when the implement makes contact with the intended target but the additional length wraps around the bottom’s body and impacts a non-targeted spot.
Stay hydrated during BDSM activities
Impact play is a strenuous activity for both the Top and the bottom. Cool water should be available for both, and the Top should periodically pause to allow the bottom to hydrate while checking on their well-being before continuing the scene.
Be patient and progress slowly with impact
If you’re completely new to impact play, on either side of the slash, start out with a hand. Spanking is a great introduction to the rhythm of impact, and from there, you can branch out into the ‘thuddy’ toys, or the ‘stingy’ toys, depending on your preference in play.
Be aware of subspace and bottomspace and how to deal with them
During the scene, the bottom may drop into subspace and become non-verbal or unresponsive.
A responsible Top should be cognizant if this happens and be prepared to end the scene should the bottom be unable to do so. Likewise, a Top should only engage with trusted partners, and should go in slow increments with new play partners or bottoms who are new to impact play.
A Top cannot fully know when a bottom might be pushing past their limits to impress the Top, or be reluctant to call the safeword. It’s important to remember that both the Top and bottom have the same right to end a scene for any reason.
Wounds should be cleaned and dressed to minimize infection
The bottom should carefully clean the affected areas each day, and avoid further impact play on the affected area until healing is complete. Wounds and contusions that become infected or won’t heal should be addressed by a medical professional.
Allow time to heal after impact play
Often after a scene, kinksters will be ready to chase the next high, but you need to be mindful of your body’s healing time. Sometimes, the recovery from impact can take longer than expected, and repeated impact can cause more serious damage without that healing time being observed. As much as we might want to get the next kinky hit, it’s important we look after the most important tool we have - ourselves!
These considerations are not designed to be advice in how to play safely - they are things to think about prior to engaging in dangerous forms of play.
No matter the precautions you take in this kind of activity, you cannot guarantee the safety of those involved. Approach this form of play with extreme caution.
