In the interest of not repeating myself, and saving some technique posts written on another site, I thought I'd post some of them here because I totally dig on new conversations about techniques and opinions...and I can only read so many submission and blow job posts :-) It is technique though so it is long, and with fetlife formatting will look even longer.
(Originally written April, 2004)
So I think Technique goes both ways, and since there is a topic currently underway on Singletails, I thought I'd post about bottoming to them. I love these beasts, but I also respect them, and I think that bottoming to them requires a little more than just respect or admiration or lust for the top.
I also happen to think that all this Top mystique of knowing all the techniques, and bottoms sort of left to show up and figure it out sucks. Singletails, unlike any other toy I've come across, appear to have a life of their own. Its like bringing a 3rd into your dynamic. They breathe, act, react, and will get as crazy as you're willing to get with them. They are seductive, and hands down, my favorite.
(Insert all disclaimers, my opinion only, your mileage may vary, etc. etc. etc.)
For me, there is a huge difference between a whip owner and a whip artist. There are a LOT of whip owners out there. Anybody with the cash can instantly enter that mysterious realm. There are not a lot of whip artists.
Its pretty hard to be really dangerous with a suede flogger while you're learning, but that's an entirely different story with a singletail. I have watched Sir, and other talented whip artists, clean up the mess of people with 5-10 hours in. Sometimes said top has seriously harmed, scarred a bottom. Sometimes, they may not have seriously damaged a bottom physically, but they certainly ruined the singletail experience for them, and many bottoms swear off of them entirely because of having such experiences. Singletails, get the same bad rap as canes, about being savage. They can be, but they don't have to be.
Since, the number of amazingly skilled singletail tops is not huge, the likelihood of standing in front of a newer user is pretty high. You can help the situation dramatically by being aware of what you're getting in to.
So helpful hints,tricks, etc. (In no particular order, Feel free to add)
Try and stay emotionally present when they are learning because they are very focused on the tool and may not be as acutely aware of you as they normally are. Attention spans can only be divided in so many directions at once before something suffers.
If you can't stay present, your head drops fast and hard, perhaps trying it out at another time, out of scene space would be a better bet for you.
If they are someone that you can't see work on someone else, they don't do public play, or multiple partners etc. then encourage whip games to see what they can do. Playing cards, toilet tissue, etc. Any of these should be able to be lightly brushed, or shredded, or delicately marked, or holepunched. At the whim of the user. Just hitting it doesn't count for much at all.
Watch how fluid they are with their whip. Do you NOTICE where their body ends and the whip begins, or does it all flow together. Tense people don't throw as well. Newer users are VERY worried about getting the target right, not causing undue damage, whether the bottom is having a good time, whether they're going to take their own eye out, etc. It can combine into a very disjointed sensation when you watch them working.
Don't get lost in the flashy throws and cracks in mid-air and showboating and I think ALL whip users do it, its part of the mystique of singletails. Its cool looking, but how they throw at a body is what matters. Anyone can crack a whip. Takes 5-10 minutes to do it, sounds cool, looks neat. Every time you hear that neat crack, take a moment to savor the shivers and then repeat to yourself, "That thing is moving at over 700 mph" (no typo. 700 mph). Very yummy thought, but very sobering. There aren't too many 700 mph things I want to be around with someone that hasn't put the time in to know how to manage or thinks they have control of after less time than they've spent on their golf stroke or whatever hobby they have.
If you can stand to do it, and have never been in front of a singletail before or that particular user, I HIGHLY recommend facing it. Don't watch the whip, watch their eyes. Save that eyes-lowered sweetness for some other time, its beautiful, but its not always appropriate. That will help focus you, and you'll spot fear, uncertainty, bravado, etc. I also recommend doing it unrestrained, so you can simply walk out of range if it appears to be more (or less) than what you bargained for. Yes, this is very 'unsubmissive'. Yes, you might be called a fake or wannabe. Informed consumers are dangerous to fragile egos. Don't worry about it. So what, you'll be a fake or wannabe with still intact skin. 700 mph remember?
Singletail strokes, once past the kissy brushy level, feel like fire. That's it. Quick flash of fire. Before you panic, breathe. Wait 10 seconds. See how you feel then. That's enough time to analyze where the strike was, if it was a bad throw (unintentional wrap, unintentional placement, just plain bad, etc), or if you moved wrong, or if it was a great one that just lit you up for a moment.
LOOK AT THEIR WHIPS. Yeh, its ok to be elitist about this. Just say no to the ebay imports that look all dry, rough, rotted, and have the cheapo handles. It doesn't have to be THE most expensive thing out there, there are VERY reasonably priced singletails -- but it shouldn't be the cheapest either.
Learn whip construction. A lot of singletails have crackers that are braided into the whip. Now if they know how to unbraid a whip and replace that, fabulous! You'll need to decide for yourself how much you trust that a cracker can be "cleaned" and how much you trust that top's sense of ethics and responsibility. I don't trust the ability for them to be cleaned entirely so I choose not to stand in front of whips with that particular construction, unless they're Sir's and I know where they've been. Its one reason Sir and I use Patterson whips primarily, crackers can be changed out in an instant so one need never re-use a cracker. If you want a whip with a braided in cracker, buy your own, and let tops that work on you use it. So it never touches another body. That's a good way of helping ensure your safety. Hell, learn how to use it, you'll be even better at spotting people that you're willing to have work on you.
Pay attention to what the cracker is made of, they can cause a huge range of sensation. Machine braided nylon, horsehair, twisted, hand braided, silk, kevlar. We mostly use hand braided waxed nylon. (Doms looking for a tedious punishment, there you go, hand braiding crackers) Kevlar is mean. It can cut on the lightest of throws.
SOURCE: https://fetlife.com/groups/148/group_posts/7718