The History Of Flogging:

Floggers and flogging began in England in the 1500s as a punishment for those accused of or found guilty of certain crimes. This was taken to the extreme, people were whipped until bleeding or in some cases flogged to death. Typically using a very harsh type of flogger called a Cat o’nine tails, this was braided leather with knots tied and sometimes with metal tied to it also.

The Anatomy Of The Flogger

Here is a labelled picture of a flogger. This is a general look at one and some might look slightly different. Lets go over the different labels.

1. The Handle – The handle is obviously where you hold on to the flogger. The handle has a head, shaft and butt. The head will have the falls coming out of them either on a swivel, D link, O ring or straight from the handle. The shaft is the main part of the handle and will mainly be made of wood or wrapped/braided in leather. The Butt of the handle is the end. Most butts of a flogger will have a hoop, loop or link, this is so when not in use, it can be hung and stored easily and correctly.
2. The Swivel – On this flogger there is a swivel attached, this is used so that its easy to swing the flogger and not get the falls knotted up. Depending on how you are using the flogger this might be a good choice for you. Other floggers might not have a swivel, these are used with more of a wrist rolling action, a technique commonly called florentine flogging,
3. The Falls or tails – The falls are the parts of the flogger that hit the bottom. They are generally made from different types of leather, fur, or rubber. When the falls are made thin they sting more. When they a are thicker they are thuddier. When made from a soft fur or sueded leather they are softer than a stiffer rubber for instance.

Where Can I Hit With a Flogger

What parts of the body are safe?

Floggers can be used as the whole play scene or they can be used as a starting point to warm somebody's skin up ready for more play.

You can use a flogger on lots of areas of the body, I have made a quick Green (Yes) Red (No) picture for basics. There are finer details once you get more experienced but for now these are the areas.

What you are aiming for are areas with big muscle surfaces. What we aren’t looking for are areas with major organs. Yes, you are hitting outside the body, but, if you hit hard enough on areas with major organs you can cause a lot of issues especially down the road after years of it happening. When ever you are playing safety is paramount, protect your bottom by aiming for the green areas.

You will see I also have the neck in red, this is because of a very common issue called “wrap around” this is where the fall from the flogger wraps around the body and hits on the other side. This is an issue because when it whips around the person the tips of the flogger can hit a lot harder than was originally intended.

How To Store Your Floggers

Floggers like to be hung. There is normally a hoop, loop or link at the butt of floggers for this exact reason. They get hung up and the falls just flow down nicely. If you need to hang them out of sight, I suggest a lockable suitcase with some hooks at the top or put some hooks at the back of your wardrobe.

How To Clean Your Floggers

Floggers like to be dry, especially if they are leather based. If you have gotten some body fluids on them like sweat for instance, lay them out in the sun for a few hours and let them dry. The UV from the sun will also help to sterilise them. Floggers generally don’t need leather treatment creams or oils, some people use them on the handles but the falls should be fine for a good length of time. If your falls get damaged at the ends or start to fray you can trim them, but, this is not regular maintenance.

Floggers are one of my all time favourite toys as they are so varied and versatile. I hope you enjoy them too.