The first not so well known secret about a good paddling is that it envolves "warming up." Any kind of corporal play should be enjoyed by both the person with the implement and the bottom receiving it. Most people who love getting a good paddling want to be taken on a ride. This requires going through gears, one at a time. The first few paddles are like a slap of cold water on a drowsy person. With steady persistence, eventually the partner with the up-turned bottom literally warms up. S/he also builds up a tolerance. That's when the partner with the paddle can push him or her a little further; more tolerance, another push. Meanwhile there can be more going on than the whacks. You're talking, enacting a fantasy ("You've been bad today, haven't you?") or you're physically stroking, playing, fondling (as her reddened bottom absorbs the heat of your last stroke you reach between the spread of her legs and tease her wet pussy with your finger). This way you mix up the sensations, give the person with the willing bottom a good full erotic, naughty ride. What if you're not all that interested in kinky play -- does spanking improve the sex in any way? Some people who enjoy a paddling enjoy the warming sensation -- it makes them generally more sensative in the genital area. Others enjoy the loosening up of their pelvic region. Spanking is often recommended as an aid to anal sex for this reason; the anal area becomes more open and relaxed.

Others have discovered the endorphin rush that occurs with a strong, prolonged spanking session. They've come to enjoy a kind of high and seek it out. Typically, it takes about twenty minutes for this endorphin reaction to kick in, so the object of the game is to hit hard or fast, but to get the spankee through a long duration without maxing out and making it too painful to continue. Those in search of the endorphin rush don't want to max out or burn out before reaching the good feelings. But once you can get your spank muffin to that point, any paddle strokes that follow come with an added endorphin bonus.

One other tip for paddling (or spanking, or caning or anything else you might strike against a juicy ass cheek) has to do with safety: keep to the sweet spot. The ass is one of the best places to deliver spanks, especially for beginners because it allows wide room for error. Because a paddle is wide enough to cover several kinds of body terrain at once, begininers should make sure they restrict their paddle use to ass only. The ass offers you a large zone of cushiony fat, free of vulnerable organs, arteries, muscles, bones. Even so, watch out for tail bone and hip bones -- especially if you're a bad shot. The best way to stay in safe territory is to aim for the sweet spot, the bottom of each cheek, just before it folds under to create that seductive heart shape. Think of the butt flesh that just calls out to be pinched -- the place where social pinchers often land their pinches. Aiming for this spot with your paddle will keep any stray strokes away from the tailbone. Now you can make that bottom red, raw, and hot indeed without fear of serious damage.

In terms of equipment: a paddle with holes or without holes, can be an intriguing question. So let's do an experiment: Let's use a flat paddle without holes on a firm bottom to warm it up. One... She's wiggling with delight. Two... She's squirming nicely. Three... There. Her fleshy, round bottom is a little red and warm. That was the paddle without holes. Now follow those strokes with a few from a paddle with holes. Suddenly our bottom gives a wrench and her firm butt cheeks clench tightly. She hisses, I think, or gasps, and after the second and third paddle, what escapes from her lips are unmistakably a bigger and bigger "ouch." OK, some "hard asses" won't react so extremely, but you'll definitely notice a difference between holy and unholy.

This is because, as the paddle without holes streams through the air towards your goal, it develops a rather sizeable air cushion. And as the air compresses and scuttles out from under the paddle, the cushion softens the blow. Now take your paddle with holes. Air is streaming through the holes as the paddle sails through the air, dissipating the cushion and speeding the stroke. All science aside, let's say the paddle with holes has a whole lot more bite.

Should you get the paddle with holes or the paddle without, then? The answer: get either paddle or get both. If you've got a hard ass on your hands, both would be nice, one for warm-up and one for busting ass so to speak. If you have other means of warming up, skip the unholy paddle. (Although an unholy paddle is just a good all-round tool to have around. On the other hand, if you're not planning on long sessions, if you want the paddle mostly for effect, if your spankee is new or doesn't enjoy much pain -- maybe s/he's into the warm feelings or prefers some easy sexual arousal -- the unholy paddle might stir up just enough sensation for smooth sailing -- er paddling -- and a good lot of fun for both of you.

(You'll find the pictured paddle in our shop. Click shop, go to "Extreme Restraints" then click "floggers and whips.")