A lot of different sex games in BDSM dating involve a certain amount of pain, typically inflicted with an object on a specific body part. There are countless ways to cause pain during sexual interaction, but one of the most common and fun techniques that even beginners can safely try is called bastinado.
This kink is relatively harmless but can cause intense pleasure for both participants, and it doesn’t require any rare or expensive items. In the bastinado, the dominant partner punishes the submissive by striking the soles of the feet with a cane, whip, or another object.
While the practice can be painful and cause a feeling of helplessness that many submissives strongly desire, it doesn’t lead to permanent injuries if done correctly and can be a very safe way to explore pain tolerance boundaries and have kinky fun.
What is bastinado?
Originally, bastinado was a legitimate punishment and even a form of foot torture, used in many societies worldwide for centuries.
The word is Spanish in origin and roughly means ‘spanking’ or ’caning.’ In modern BDSM usage, it is generally considered a medium-class kink and should be practiced with a safe word. It has many variations, but most commonly, the feet of the submissive person is tied, with the socks removed and the soles clearly exposed.
The dominant partner will strike at specific areas of the soles, using any instrument that’s convenient at the moment, perhaps a thin stick, a wooden cane, or a soft leather whip. Soles of the feet are highly innervated and thus very sensitive, so even mild blows will cause a stinging sensation that can be extremely arousing.
Bastinado can be used as a form of foreplay to get the passions flowing or can be integrated into a more serious domination session and combined with bondage and whipping. That’s why this kink is quite common on the BDSM scene, and beginners usually don’t take long to try it out for the first time.
How to inflict enjoyable pain?
In order for bastinado to be pleasurable to both partners, it’s very important to keep the pain at exactly the right level and avoid pushing the submissive person too far. The type of striking instrument and the point of impact are crucial, so you need to start very gently and gradually increase the intensity until you get a good feel for the impact of each blow.
The secret of bastinado is that even mild strikes can be quite stringing if they are masterfully directed and delivered, so finesse and precision are more important than force in this case. Learning how to inflict enjoyable pain that causes sexual arousal rather than pure agony is a long process, and only the most experienced BDSM practitioners can say that they truly know everything about bastinado.
Of course, the pain tolerance threshold differs from one person to another, and it’s necessary to adjust your actions to your current partner rather than use the same blueprint for this type of kinky sex every time.
Safety tips for practicing bastinado with your partner
As with all other forms of BDSM play, the safety of both partners is a key concern that must never be forgotten. Since bastinado is not very extreme, it can be realized very safely if certain precautions are taken.
The most important cautionary measure is adopting a safe word that immediately stops the play, as is standard for all potentially dangerous forms of BDSM. This way, the person inflicting pain can make a distinction between playful calls for mercy and an honest need for immediate physical or psychological relief.
If bastinado is combined for some form of bondage (i.e., using rope to tie the feet in place), it’s very important to ensure that the tied person is comfortable during the session and to watch for rope burns or other possible injuries.
The same goes for the area of the foot enduring the strikes, and it needs to be properly nursed after sex ends. Finally, it’s a very good idea to discuss the details with your partners after you complete a bastinado – nobody can give you better tips on how to spank feet than the person that enjoys foot spanking.