Notes on Discipline

INTRODUCTION

This is where I share some of my experience with you and give you some insight into Annie Bee. If you engage in consensual discipline, I hope you find some interesting and useful information here.

Our neighbours have no idea what we do in the privacy of our home, and I'm quite sure we appear to them as an unremarkable couple. Perhaps we even live next door to you. Occasionally, when the opportunity presents itself, and I am in the mood, I reacquaint my partner, Robert, with my darker side. This is the catalyst that transforms Robert into a role of total obedience and fear. It excites us both, we share a passion. I become one of the cruel and sadistic ladies in one of my stories, and Robert becomes her terrified whipping boy. Sometimes it is Robert who initiates the transformation, sometimes his need to be thrashed is more pressing than my desire to oblige, but usually it is me who takes the first step. It could be just a look, or the mention of an historic building we visited some years ago that we both remember preceded a particularly memorable caning. We each recognise the signals from each other. We can pass these signals in the company of others, and they will be oblivious to the fact that they have witnessed the first move towards Robert submitting to me for another thrashing. This account details the side of us that our neighbours never see.

I won't attempt to explain why I so love to cane and tawse bare bottoms. I'm not aware that the administering of corporal punishment runs in my family and I can think of no event in my life that have might have made me this way. I just accept that I have a passion for it and I'm fortunate in being able to put that passion into practice with a consenting and enthusiastic partner. His bottom is constantly decorated with the marks of a recent caning or tawsing, and a fresh set of vivid weals are usually added before the previous set have faded. It would be nice to occasionally work on a 'blank canvas', but I'm too impatient and not usually able to wait that long. One has to compromise.

Robert is also unable to explain his addiction to being on the receiving end of my thrashings. When instructed, he always obediently gives up control and submits to some quite eye-watering punishments. “I must be mad to let you do that to me,” he once commented. I have to confess I agree with him – he is completely mad, and I'm very fortunate to have met him.

The first clues to my taste for administering corporal punishment might have been observed when I was just a young girl. While my friends enjoyed nursing and feeding their dolls, mine were always naughty and I spanked them regularly and enthusiastically. It's no real surprise that when I grew up, after a few unhappy years working in offices, mainly for men, that I should become a professional disciplinarian. I became one of those fortunate people who earned money doing what they love. I've spanked, caned, tawsed, paddled, slippered and whipped the bare bottoms of hundreds of whimpering gentlemen. Politicians, members of the judiciary and managing directors have all bared their bottoms and bent over to receive the kiss of my cane. How would you like to cane your bank manager? I've caned a few, perhaps one was yours.

When you find yourself in a busy city railway station and you're watching city gents on their way to their various offices and financial institutions, how many of them do you think are hiding cane striped bottoms under their pinstripes? Probably more than you imagine. A few years ago it might well have been me who put them there.

For me, there is nothing more pleasurable than the swish of a cane followed by sound of it biting deep into a bare bottom and the resultant shrieks of agony and gasping of the recipient. I love to have a grown man struggling helplessly while secured over a whipping bench, unable to cope with the agony of my canes and tawses.

My personal preference is to administer severe thrashings, and I'm fortunate that there are many gentlemen who crave them, my partner included. For me, punishment is supposed to hurt, so the more it hurts the better. I prefer to have my recipients securely restrained so there is no way out for them. They are totally at my mercy, and they receive none. The cane can be so much more painful than many people realise. Often, during my career as a disciplinarian I would accept a new client who wished to experience their first caning. They may have fantasised and read about being caned for years before taking the plunge. Now they wanted to experience the real thing but they would often not appreciate just how agonising it can be.

“I deserve six of the best, hard, on the bare, please Miss,” would be a typical request.

“Are you quite sure, Desmond? I think you may find it somewhat more painful than you imagine,” I would warn. “Oh yes, Miss. I have a high pain threshold,” he might reply.

“Very well, Desmond, six of the best across the bare bottom it will be. Trousers and pants down, then bend over the desk and grasp the far side.”

I didn't usually restrain a client until we had built up a degree of trust, and this was especially the case when dealing with a virgin of the cane, such as Desmond. I would keep him in suspense for a few minutes, with his bare, upturned bottom twitching in anticipation of its first ever stroke, while I selected a cane (in his case, a junior cane). Then, after taking my position to his side and tapping the cane lightly across his expectant bottom to get the measure of the implement, I might say:

“Desmond, prepare yourself for the caning you so richly deserve. I suggest you take a deep breath.”

After a few more taps, and a few swishes of the cane through the air (I love to watch buttocks clench in anticipation when I do this), I would administer a nice, crisp, stroke to Desmond's bare bottom. My word! What a shock it could be! They would often leap up, hands clutching their bare bottom, face contorted with agony and shock.

“Please, Miss. No more! I had no idea it would be so painful! I can't take any more.”

Occasionally, it was quite obvious that the client had made a serious mistake. Fantasy and reality were so far removed from one another that they would probably never elect to feel the reality of the cane again. In this case, sadly, the remainder of the caning would be cancelled. More often, however, I would reprimand them for moving out of position and threaten to add more strokes if they didn't bend back over immediately. I would then continue the caning, perhaps not putting quite so much venom into the strokes. It would still hurt and they would gasp and squeal, but they would take the full six. They would usually feel elated afterwards, proud that they had taken it, and would thank me for insisting they go through with it. Often they'd return at a later date, suggesting that I may have been a bit too lenient with them. I would, of course, be delighted to rectify this.

Why a person would want to have their bare bottom thrashed hard is as much a mystery to me as why I so love obliging. Some, especially those in senior managerial positions, may occasionally feel compelled to shed all their responsibilities and take a step back to their school days. Perhaps they need to occasionally have somebody control them. Perhaps a strict aunt or headmistress who will punish them for some of their guilty secrets. Some have no idea at all and after searching for a reason and failing to find one, they may just conclude that it's just in their genes. They can spend their life suppressing it or just accept it and get on and enjoy it.

A change in my circumstances put an end to my career as a professional disciplinarian. I cannot deny that I find the punishment of bare bottoms erotic and I am now loyal to my long suffering partner, Robert. It's his bottom only that now dances and writhes under the cut of my canes and the bite of my tawses. Of the hundreds of gentlemen who reported to me for a good thrashing, many came back for more, so I feel I'm justified in concluding that I'm a proficient disciplinarian. In this section I will share some of this experience with you, along with some of my ideas and thoughts on the subject.

Annie Bee is not the name I used when I was a professional disciplinarian. If you have ever reported to a professional disciplinarian for punishment, then who knows, it might have been me.


IMPLEMENTS:
THE KISS OF THE CANE
Justifiably dreaded by school boys of years ago, I adore the cane and it is my favourite implement of correction. The wonderful sound of a cane swishing through the air, followed by the sharp 'crack' that confirms it has bitten nicely into the offered bare bottom of the recipient at my mercy. I love the resultant gasping and howling as the white hot line of fire burns deep into his bottom cheeks. Then, as the cane is raised in preparation of the next stroke, I can observe the white tramlines left by the cane gradually fill with colour and mature into a vivid weal. A serious cane in the hands of somebody who knows how to use it can be excruciating.
I understand that the cane became popular in Victorian times when society began to regard baring of the bottom for punishment as inappropriate. Up until then the birch had been a popular implement for chastisement. However, the birch was apparently not particularly effective when used over clothes, whereas the cane was still capable of making itself felt through several layers. I usually cane on the bare anyway, so the maximum possible effect of the cane is always felt by the recipient and I am able to observe the resultant weals.
Many people, when they think of a cane, will picture it with a crook handle because that's how most school canes were made years ago. The reasons for the crook are not entirely clear to me, but I've read suggestions that in centuries gone by, a walking stick was often used to punish misdemeanours, so when the rattan cane was introduced the design was simply replicated. Other reasons could be that the crook stops the cane flying out of your hand when applying it with vigour, also the crook allows the cane to be hung easily on a hook in the classroom as a warning of what to expect for misbehaviour. Personally I prefer simple straight canes with a wound leather grip. I always ensure that the tip of the cane at the business end is rounded and smooth. Canes do dry out over time, so they lose weight and become more brittle. I've heard that placing a cane tip down in a glass of water will help revitalise it, provided it hasn't been varnished or oiled. I don't bother, I just replace canes when they break.
Most punishment canes are made of a variety of rattan; kooboo and dragon being the most popular. As they are a natural product, no two are the same, so I keep a large selection. Dragon canes tend to be a little denser than kooboo, so can be more severe. Heavier canes will bite in deeper and will cause more bruising, whereas lighter canes tend to be more flexible. If used with enthusiasm, canes can leave long lasting marks and can break the skin, and for many this will be undesirable. I buy most of my canes from a company called Quality-Control
You actually don't need an enormous amount of strength to administer a severe cane stroke, it's more to do with technique. I usually start by placing the cane lightly across the recipient's bottom, with the far tip a short distance closer to me than where I intend it to land (centrifugal force, when you swing the cane, will stretch your arm a little, so the cane will impact further away). Lift the cane gracefully, but sharply away from the target in a broad sweep over your shoulder, then bring it back down using wrist action to add acceleration to the cane. A good cane stroke will look graceful and will sound wonderful.
I usually warm up thoroughly before caning Robert to reduce the risk of pulling muscles. I drape several layers of towelling over his bottom, then, starting lightly, begin administering strokes, gradually increasing the force until I'm happy with both the severity and the accuracy. Six layers of towelling will usually be enough to ensure he feels almost nothing. Then I whip the towels away so the caning can proceed at maximum severity right from the first stroke on the bare. I do understand that many practitioners of corporal punishment recommend 'warming up' the recipients bottom with a lighter hand spanking, before moving on to the cane, but that's not the way I like to do things. I don't want to make things easy for Robert. I want that first sizzling stroke to be a real challenge and to take his breath away.
Robert's body language is a joy to behold when I cane him severely. He'll invariably be well secured over our whipping bench, so his movement is very restricted. This results in the most bizarre and frantic contortions of the few parts of his body he can still move as he tries to deal with the agony that rages through his bottom cheeks. His head sometimes shakes madly from side to side. His feet gyrate wildly and appear to try grasp at the air. He also strains to clench his buttocks and wrench them out of the path of the cane, but of course the restraints keep his bottom firmly in place. The thick leather restraining straps and the wooden joints do tend to creak a little as he exerts almost superhuman strength in his futile attempts to escape.
On one occasion, while I was administering a particularly savage caning with a nice, heavy dragon cane, Robert actually managed to get the whipping bench walking away from me by a few inches. He later told me that it had been so agonising that he would have climbed the walls with his finger nails to escape.
One negative aspect of severe canings is the likelihood of breaking the skin. When I was a professional I sometimes spoke to clients who boasted that they could take a hundred strokes of the cane, or even more. They couldn't take that many from me. The number of strokes you can realistically administer without causing unacceptable damage will depend on the toughness of the skin of the recipient's bottom, the weight, thickness and length of the cane, and the skill, severity and fitness of the person wielding the cane. When I cane Robert I like to have him fit for more punishment within two to three weeks, and I know from experience that he will be out of action for longer than that if I administer more than about thirty-six of the very best. I do occasionally get a little carried away, and exceed this figure, but Robert can become intolerably flippant in the weeks that follow because he is confident that I regard his healing bottom is a 'no cane zone'.
I always like to have my recipient in the well bent over position to receive the cane, so the skin will be taut and a larger area is available for me to explore. I generally consider that the target area extends from about an inch below the start of the bottom cleft, down to the top inch, or so, of the backs of the thighs. The natural crease at the point where the buttocks meet the tops of the thighs is a delightfully sensitive spot, and I adore watching the reaction of Robert when I place a few real stingers there.
I should stress that it is not necessary to be severe or to break skin for a caning to be successful. Severe canings are simply personal preference of mine (and, of course, Robert always agrees with me).

THE TAWSE – BURNS NIGHT?
While school boys in England feared the cane, their Scottish counterparts were more likely to live in dread of the tawse, a thick leather strap with the business end split into two or three tails. They were made in many different sizes and weights. Possibly the most famous tawses, the Lochgelly, were made by John Dick. The tawse was often applied to the miscreant’s hands, but my preference is to apply it to the bare bottom.
After the cane, the tawse is my favourite implement, and I have several. For me, the appeal of the tawse is its flexibility – it can mould to the contours of a bottom, allowing the painful tips to curl around and accelerate into areas that are inaccessible to the cane.
Robert always wears a padded thong to protect his 'bits' when I tawse him. The protection enables me to thrash him with unrestrained enthusiasm, aiming the tips of the tails into all those sensitive areas, such as his bottom cleft and inner thighs. He obviously needs to be well restrained over the whipping bench in a well bent over position and with his knees spread well apart to ensure that all those sensitive areas are accessible. It is essential that clenching his bottom cheeks together is made absolutely impossible because when the tawse tips find their way into his bottom cleft - my goodness, how hard he tries! It's delicious to watch.
Although I consider the cane to be generally more severe than the tawse, Robert is actually more in dread of me wielding a tawse. The cane is quite predictable, applied with vigour, it is simply excruciating. The tawse is also very painful, but every now and then, I manage that elusive perfect stroke - a stroke that wraps around the left buttock to whip the painful tips of the tails into the virgin flesh of a particularly sensitive spot with extra venom. Robert swears that when this happens it is even more unbearable than the cane. He never knows when I'm going to manage a perfect stroke, so he's kept in suspense. I am keen to improve my tawsing technique and I'm constantly trying to increase my percentage of perfect strokes.
It takes some practice to achieve a nice 'wrap around' stroke. To get the maximum venom into the tawse tips I like to stand close to Robert's head so I can swing the tawse horizontally around his left side with the aim of curling the tawse around his left buttock so the tips whip around into his bottom cleft. Of course, standing where I am, I am not able to see his bottom, so I sometimes place a large floor standing mirror behind him, so I can see where the tawse tips bite in. When you manage a perfect stroke it's unmistakable – all the energy in the tawse is absorbed by the bottom with a resounding 'crack'. At that instant, all the pull on your arm disappears as the tawse seems to grasp the buttock like a claw. The body language of your recipient provides more evidence – all self-control is lost as the excruciating agony explodes through pain thresholds. The bizarre and desperate struggle to escape the clutches of the whipping bench is a joy to behold. The symphony of shrieking is music to the ears.
I did have problems with tawses in the early days. If I administered a poor stroke and it glanced off the target instead of biting in, the tawse would sometimes hit the next thing in its path – often my own leg. This could be painful, and I found that the fear of it happening held me back from putting maximum ferocity into my strokes. Now, if I intend administering a sound tawsing, I make sure I'm protected. That's why Robert gets so nervous when he sees me wearing my long leather boots. I also wear long leather gloves, as the tawse can sometimes flip back over my wrist and catch my arm. With all my protective clothing in place and Robert securely strapped down over the whipping bench with his thong snugly in place, there is no reason to hold back. I can confidently apply the tawse with maximum venom, content in the knowledge that Robert's gaping bottom is the only target that will feel the white hot burn of the tawse tails.
With practice and skill, it is possible to administer a very severe tawsing, while leaving the right bottom cheek relatively unscathed. This is perfect as it means I can follow the tawsing with a good, hard caning, where the right bottom cheek will take the brunt of the cane. (This assumes the administrator is right handed).
The tawsings that Robert really dreads are those where I manage to find a really sensitive spot with the tips of the tails, then immediately manage to replicate it again and again. He tells me that the pain is beyond belief as the tawse bites into the same spot, overlaying agony with more agony. He can't really put the pain into words, but the amazing contortions of his body as he frantically tries to clench his bottom cheeks and wriggle free, and both the animal like shrieking and gurgling that pours out of his mouth give some idea of how painful it must be. I love it when I get the tawsing to this level – I just want to go on and on.
I've read that some of the more sadistic teachers in Scotland would sometimes have a coin stitched into each tail tip to give the business end more weight and more bite. I'm thinking of trying this with one of my tawses. I have tried soaking the tawse tips in water overnight to add weight – that had Robert blubbing!
A good quality tawse will have all the sharp edges rounded off and this will lessen the risk of breaking the skin at the business end. My favourite tawse is a heavy two tailed Lochgelly. It has just the right combination of weight and flexibility for me. Some of my better tawses were supplied by The London Tanners and MC Customs
I love to 'explore' with tawses of different lengths and weights, always searching for ever more sensitive spots to bury the tips, and am thrilled when I do.
 
THE BIRCH
I was occasionally requested to administer a birch in my professional years, and I was delighted to oblige. The birch would be made from fresh hazel switches, about 2-3 feet long, bound together at the thick end. I always applied the birch to the recipient’s bare bottom while he was secured over my whipping bench. I understand that, while the early strokes might be bearable, the build-up of pain as the birching progresses can be quite pronounced. A lot, of course, will depend on the weight and length of the switches.
One negative aspect is the mess a birching can make. Applied with enthusiasm, a birch may begin to disintegrate, sending fragments of birch twig flying around the room. Somebody has to clear it up, and you may be able to guess whose task this is (more about that later).
With the assistance of Robert, I've carried out some birch research. A birch can vary from a few light, whippy, birch twigs, suitable for stimulating the skin during a sauna, to a fearsome, far heavier implement suitable for judicial punishment. You do not need to use switches from a birch. In fact the famous Manx birch was often made from 4-5 fresh hazel rods.
Obviously, it is the more severe birches that hold most appeal for me, so as part of my research, I had Robert make one up from a mixture of quite thick, but flexible, hazel and apple switches, as I have access to both. The resultant implement was quite heavy and my regular gym workouts proved useful. I had Robert secured over the whipping bench, bare bottom up, and applied strokes as hard as I could. I like the sound as the birch whistles through the air, although the 'crack' as contact is made on bare flesh is not as distinct as the cane because not all switches land at exactly the same time and some get in the way of others. I quickly learnt to adjust my grip to orientate the birch to allow as many switches to make contact as possible.
Robert tells me it's like being thrashed with five canes at the same time, and with so many points of contact, the pain builds up rapidly as the switches begin to strike areas still burning from previous strokes. Yes, the birch is fun, and a serious one can make quite a mess of a bare bottom.
I've developed an entertaining method of cleaning up of the mess of birch fragments all over the floor. Obviously, it's Robert who has to clear it up. He does it, naked, on his elbows (not hands) and knees, and he's blindfolded. I direct him to each fragment and encourage him to put more enthusiasm into his duty with frequent strokes of the birch across his upturned bare bottom. He's not allowed to use his hands, instead, at my command, when his face is immediately above a fragment, I order him to locate and pick it up with his mouth. Dropping his face to the floor offers his bottom up in an even more exposed manner. With the fragment between his lips and his nose on the floor, he has to wait for a full force stroke of the birch down the length of his gaping bottom as the signal before he's permitted to lift the fragment and place it in my hand. The cleaning up can take ages, especially as more birch fragments litter the floor during the process.

HAND SPANKING
Grown men can be reduced to tears with a sound, over the knee, bare bottom spanking. It's a very popular pursuit as it perhaps takes the recipient back to his childhood, and it can be quite an intimate experience for both parties. During my professional disciplinarian period I spent a lot of time hand spanking, and in the early days my hand would become quite bruised, but with perseverance it toughened up and enabled me to set my clients bare bottom on fire with prolonged, brisk, hard, hand spankings without undue discomfort (to my hand).
A spanking can be anything from gentle and sensual to severe. I prefer sitting in an upright, high backed chair to spank. It is possible to keep a struggling recipient in place by grasping his wrists behind his back. I do sometimes place the recipient over just my left knee so I can hold his scissor his legs between my thighs as an additional measure to prevent escape.
The thing I find most delightful about over the knee spanking is that you are in close contact, so you can feel your recipients writhe and struggle and watch at close quarters his wriggling bare bottom change colour from white to bright red. And the sound! There is little to match the delicious sound of a hand spanking a bare bottom.
I have to confess that I have, on occasion, gotten carried away while spanking men's bare bottoms. The writhing, gasping and pleading, together with the SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! Of my hand on bare flesh has made it difficult to stop, so some of my spankings have been quite prolonged, and the more they protested, the harder I spanked. Wonderful!
It's not common to restrain a recipient for a spanking, but it can be useful when administering a particularly enthusiastic spanking, and particularly if the recipient is physically strong. A person can find enormous strength when desperate to escape a painful spanking. I do like to spank severely, so I have experimented with restraints. The most successful technique I have used was to fit my recipient with leather wrist cuffs. Then, once over my knee, I would rope the wrist cuffs together behind his knees. The result is no escape. No matter how painful, their bare bottom will remain presented for
punishment for as long as you choose. Perfect!

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THE HARSH HAIRBRUSH
The smooth, hard back of a sturdy hairbrush can be surprisingly painful. In reality, it is a small paddle, and it is most suitable for over the knee spankings. It is particularly painful when applied briskly. I've had many a recipient howling while over my knee, with their squirming bare bottom turning cherry red. As with over the knee spankings, there is a real intimacy in having the recipient over your knee, where you can feel them writhe and wriggle as you decorate their bare bottom. And of course with a nice, heavy, hairbrush, they are likely to wriggle a bit more – delicious!
I've reacquainted myself with use of the hairbrush recently, and I'm a born again fan. I've also acquired a smooth backed, heavy, oval, wooden clothes brush, and this is particularly effective. Robert absolutely hates it, so, of course, I absolutely love it.
Unlike a hand spanking, a brisk, hard, spanking with a hairbrush is quite painless – for the administrator.
Restraints, as previously described in HAND SPANKING can also be employed.
I have included use of the hairbrush in my short story Caned at the Mill
 
PASSION FOR THE PADDLE
I'm a huge fan of passion, and there is no doubt that many have a passion for the paddle. Evidence of this can be seen by the diversity of designs and large collections that are accumulated by devotees. Some of my friends on Facebook and Fetlife have been kind enough to post photographs of their collections.
The paddle is particularly popular in the USA, where I understand it is still occasionally used in some schools. It is intended for use across the bottom. It's possible that the paddle was developed to punish slaves in a way that would cause excruciating pain without rendering them unable to continue working.
Paddles are made of a variety of materials, most commonly wood, such as Maple, Oak and Hickory. The denser, heavier woods will obviously be more painful, and some have holes designed to make them more aero-dynamic. Typical dimensions are 152 – 22” long x 3” - 4” wide x up to 1/2” thick.
I don't have as much experience with the paddle as I would like because most of my clients sought me out for my proficiency with the cane and the tawse. I have administered a few paddlings and I was impressed by the impression they made on my recipients.
One interesting feature of the paddle is that, unlike the cane and tawse, it is rigid and flat. When a flat, rigid paddle makes contact with the curve of a bottom cheek, the result will be a circular area of contact. If the paddle is applied again, it will most likely make contact with the same circular area of the bottom, so the build-up of pain is likely to be intense. This is not so often the case with canes and tawses, as the point of contact can be quite random, and in the case of the tawse, the pain is concentrated around the edges and the tips of the implement.
From the limited experience I have, and judging by the reaction of recipients, I am quite sure that enthusiastic use of a heavy paddle is absolutely excruciating, and the subsequent bruising can be severe

OTHER NOTES:
BARE BOTTOM, OR NOT?
Others may enjoy playful spankings over clothing, but I have a very simple rule regarding this – ALWAYS ON THE BARE. I can see no point in putting all that effort into making punishment as painful as possible only for some of it to be absorbed by clothing. The clothing can't feel anything, so why punish it? The purpose of punishment is to hurt and it hurts more on the bare, so bare is better. I also love the sound of rattan and leather biting into bare flesh – that sharp 'CRACK' that confirms you have got it right.
Punishing on the bare also allows you to keep an eye on marks left by your implement. You can assess damage and see if there are any parts you have missed.
Finally, and just as important, is the humiliation the recipient feels when he is ordered to bare his bottom, then bend over to present it to you for punishment. Humiliation is an important ingredient of my punishments. For me, the case for ALWAYS ON THE BARE is overwhelming.
 
THE WHIPPING BENCH
Sooner or later, if progressing towards more severe punishments, it will probably be desirable to restrain the recipient. It is time consuming and frustrating to have them leaping up clutching their burning bottom each time a nice stroke of the cane bites in, and it can result in a miss hit. Even worse, it offers the possibility of escape. A whipping bench solves these problems at a stroke. A sturdy whipping bench will keep the recipient's bare bottom firmly in place and perfectly presented for punishment at all times, regardless of how difficult he finds it to deal with the pain.
A good whipping bench needs to be sturdy and should be fitted with stout straps to restrain legs and back. It should also have strong metal eyes fitted to enable wrist cuffs to be locked in place. Unless equipping a professional dungeon, it might be worth considering a whipping bench that is light enough for one person to move. The one I had was made of wood with a padded top and padded knee supports, spread to keep knees apart. It was quite large and heavy, but the top padded area lifted off, allowing the frame to be folded flat. It served me well, and although many tried, nobody ever escaped its embrace until they had received their punishment in full. See an example here: Very Alternative Furniture
Another popular whipping bench (made of steel) is made by Fetters
However for many, ourselves now included, it will not be appropriate to have a whipping bench kept in the house. We have solved that problem by buying a very sturdy wooden coffee table. Robert has drilled a few discreet holes and with the addition of two wooden beams, some bolts, a kneeling platform and some restraining straps, our coffee table can be transformed into a first class whipping bench in about ten minutes. His instructions were to make one strong enough to hold Hercules down for a thrashing (if I ever get my hands on Hercules, I'll give it a try). Duct tape can be substituted for the leather straps if they are not available. Robert tells me that the duct tape pulls out hair when it is removed, but he added that the pain is insignificant compared to the thrashing he has invariably just received. We place our bespoke whipping bench on blocks, higher at the bottom end, to elevate his bottom to the ideal height to cane.
If the whipping bench has very secure wrist and leg restraints, it may be possible to leave the restraining strap over the back unbuckled without offering the chance of escape. This can be quite exhilarating as it offers the opportunity to observe the recipient bottom buck, weave and clench while he is thrashed. The whipping bench must be stable, as the wild, desperate struggling of a strong gentleman being severely caned or tawsed can cause an unstable bench to topple over. As I mentioned earlier, Robert even managed to make ours walk – that was a delicious thrashing!
Once a recipient is securely strapped down over a good whipping bench, and a check has been made that the restraints are not so tight that they cause circulation problems, the administrator can relax. The recipient's not going anywhere. I sometimes have a cup of tea while I decide how many strokes I will administer. I've even had a neighbour in for tea and scones while Robert was secured over the whipping bench upstairs, waiting for a caning.
 
RESTRAINTS
The use of restraints must be consensual, but of course, once they are in place it must be understood that they remain so until punishment has been completed.
I favour sturdy leather straps to secure legs and torso plus leather wrist cuffs locked to sturdy eyes bolted to the whipping bench. Not only do the restraints prevent the recipient moving his bottom out of the path of cane and tawse strokes, it also ensures the other parts of the anatomy, for example hands, are not struck. Also, several layer of cling-film can be very effective in securing a limb to the leg of a table, or other item of furniture that might be used as a whipping bench. Do make sure that circulation is not restricted and try to ensure that edges of leather straps are rounded and smooth to avoid chaffing when the recipient begins to struggle.
Gags are useful if the recipient is prone to become vocal while being thrashed. I use a ball gag – a rubber ball about the size of a ping-pong ball, held in place with a head harness. It doesn't prevent noise, but it muffles it and makes any words incoherent. If there is no interest in listening to the begging and pleading that often accompanies sound punishment, then a gag can be useful.
 
PAIN THRESHOLDS
Every time I take an implement to Robert's bare bottom, I am intent on finding, then breaching his pain threshold. That, I suppose, confirms I am a sadist. Robert admits, when he's away from the whipping bench, that he both craves and dreads me taking him beyond his pain threshold. So I think this confirms him as a masochist. We were made for each other!
I always know when Robert has reached his pain threshold from his body language. His reaction to the punishment becomes irrational. The only parts of his body that are free to move will perform most bizarrely. His feet begin to gyrate and grasp at the air. His head will shake, and he will grip the whipping bench so hard that his knuckles show white. The strangest noises burst from his mouth, sometimes accompanied by a quantity of saliva. It is the point at which he loses control and the nerve endings in his bottom are telling his brain “WE CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE!!!!!!” But, or course, they do take more. They have no choice. That's why he's securely restrained. Robert's antics, as his pain threshold is breached, are a joy to behold, and the effect on me is to encourage me to thrash him harder still. I have to confess to getting quite excited while taking Robert way past his pain threshold.
It's never in the same place. One day I might find Robert's pain threshold after a dozen strokes of the cane, other days it might take several dozen strokes. It's a bit like climbing a hill in fog – you don't know where the top is until you get there. It depends on Robert's frame of mind, my frame of mind and the chemistry between us. Sometimes I can smell his fear. Other times I can sense his defiance. He can pick up on my mood too. He can sense when I'm really determined to make him squeal. All these factors add to the fun and variety, and it's why no two thrashings are the same.

GOLDEN RULES & PENALTIES
I keep a punishment book. Inside the rear cover I maintain a list of golden rules that Robert is expected to commit to memory and comply with during punishment sessions. The rules are modified from time to time, as I see fit, so he is expected to check the list regularly. I may ask him to recite the rules from memory at any time and he will receive a minimum penalty punishment of six of the best if he is not word perfect. Rules are rigidly enforced and failure to comply with any of the rules carries a mandatory punishment, which can range from a single hard penalty stroke of the cane or tawse for a very minor infringement, to a very severe thrashing with no upper limit of penalty strokes for more serious infringements. However, I rarely add just one penalty stroke, more likely it will be six of the best or the repeating of a punishment. Penalty strokes can be administered immediately or saved up to be administered at the end of a punishment session, as I see fit. It is not unusual for Robert to break several of my rules in the course of punishment, in which case there may be a list of penalty points to be dealt with. I will usually add all the penalties together then administer them all as a final penalty caning or tawsing. It is not unusual for Robert to incur further penalties during the administration of a final penalty caning, in which case I will normally add even more strokes at the end.
Sometimes, if Robert continues to make a fuss or misbehave while I am administering penalty strokes, I will set him a further challenge. I will tell him that I am not still not happy with the way he is taking his punishment, and that further punishment will be administered when I have had time to consider what he deserves. Then I leave him to reflect, still strapped over the whipping bench, while I take a tea break. On my return I might say something like:
“You are to receive an additional twelve strokes of the cane. They will be as hard as I can make them and there will be no pauses. You will take them in complete silence, if not I will repeat them, and I will continue to repeat them until you do take them in silence. Do you understand, Robert?”
That usually does the trick. He knows I don't make idle threats. He told me that he held his breath for the entire twelve strokes last time I did this, to stop himself crying out. I may apply the strokes a bit slower and perhaps increase the number next time – that should foil that devious little trick. The current list of golden rules is as follows:
1. Never disagree, question or argue with Mistress.
2. Always accept Mistress's decisions and punishment with enthusiasm and without the hint of complaint.
3. Remain silent while being punished and don't make a fuss.
4. Never speak unless asked a question, then answer without expanding on it.
5. Comply with any instruction immediately and without question.
6. Begging for mercy, asking for leniency or pauses is strictly forbidden in any form. This is regarded as a serious offence and will result in harsh penalties.
7. Mistress is ALWAYS right.
PUNISHMENT BOOKS
Keeping a punishment book is a lovely idea. Each time he does something I don't approve of I simply log an entry in the book. My headings for entries in the book as follows (I've added a sample entry to illustrate a typical punishment):
DATE: 1.1.12
OFFENCE: Failing to notice my new dress
SENTENCE: 24 strokes senior cane, hard
DATE ADMINISTERED: 8.1.12
COMMENTS: Made too much fuss so 6 additional strokes administered
I bought a punishment book for Robert as a Christmas present several years ago. It soon started to fill up with punishable offences. I leave it available for him to inspect so he can check on any entries. I make it a rule that punishments must be administered and signed off within a month of being entered. Furthermore, I make it his responsibility to remind me if a punishment risks becoming overdue – failure to do so will result in the punishment being doubled.
Obviously, all punishments entered in the punishment book must be carried out in full, on the bare bottom and with appropriate severity. Normal rules and penalties regarding fuss also apply.
This is a wonderful way of making sure he has a thrashing to anticipate. He should be made aware that once logged in the punishment book a punishment becomes 'set in stone' – it will be administered and there is no appeal. Robert usually swallows when I approach him with the punishment book and a cane under my arm. A punishment book helps to add something sombre and formal to a punishment, and is especially useful when administering judicial style punishments.
Also, it is nice to have a permanent written record of offences and punishments. It may help in spotting any patterns of repeat offences – a useful early indication that punishments have been too lenient.
I feature a punishment book in one of my stories: The Landlady's Punishment Book

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INJURIES & MARKS
I take health and safety very seriously and exercise rigorous procedures to ensure injury is avoided. For example, I always warm up thoroughly before administering a thrashing to avoid pulling muscles. I always insist that Robert positions the whipping bench prior to being strapped down over it to avoid back injury to myself, and I often wear protective clothing when using the tawse to prevent being caught by stray stroke. I'm pleased to report that I am injury free.
Things aren’t quite the same at Robert's end, however. Practising corporal punishment at our level doesn't risk injury, it guarantees it. Jesting aside, this is a very serious issue. Practising consensual corporal punishment with severity can cause injury. Robert and I accept that he will be badly marked when subjected to a severe thrashing and breaking of the skin happens. It does not need to be so severe, and many people enjoy their spanking at far less extreme levels. A moderate hand spanking will sting and may cause temporary reddening of the skin, but the marking will be probably be gone within an hour, or so. Use of serious cane at anything approaching severe will almost certainly leave marks that may last days, or even weeks. Vigorous use of the cane can cause the skin to break and may result in scarring and 'weak spots' that are prone to cut more often. I do not recommend that you practice severe corporal punishment. We choose to do so and we accept the consequences.
I am not in any way qualified to advise on medical matters, I rely on common sense. When using any implement I make sure I don't strike any vital organs, and I'm especially aware of where the kidneys are. Because bleeding is possible, I make sure that all equipment and implements are clean and sterilised. We never indulge while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and we don't indulge if we are unwell. After a serious thrashing, Robert will often hold a bag of frozen peas against his bottom for a few moments to help reduce the swelling and cool his burning bottom cheeks. We keep a bag of frozen peas in the bottom draw of the freezer specifically for this, labelled 'NOT FOR CONSUMPTION'.
The tawse needs a special mention. They are usually flexible and they can 'wrap around' the contours of a bottom cheek. This means the tips of the tawse can reach all sorts of places that are inaccessible to the cane (that's why I like it). However, it also means that the dangly bits of the male anatomy are especially at risk. Robert is never tawsed unless he is wearing a well-padded thong. He still needs his bits.
Another potential problem we have considered is what would happen to Robert if I secured him over the whipping bench, then became ill myself? The restraints are very secure and impossible to escape from by force. We have developed a method of securing his wrist cuffs to the whipping bench with padlocks attached to sturdy rope eyes. There is a knot in the rope that Robert can just reach with the fingers of his left hand, and although very fiddly, he is able to release his hand after several minutes, and then he can reach round to release the other restraining straps. He would never be able to release himself during punishment, and if he tried I would see it and put a stop to it, then add severe penalties, but we do have the peace of mind that he could eventually free himself if anything happened to me.
 
JUDICIAL STYLE CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
A judicial style punishment is generally accepted as one where the recipient is sentenced to a set number of very hard strokes. He, or she, is restrained and the punishment is carried out without any warm up. There is no mercy and all pleading by the recipient is ignored. Based on that I would suggest that most of my punishments are judicial in terms of severity. However, I often inject an element of fun into my thrashings, and it's nice to sometimes take things a little less seriously.
If Robert seriously annoys me I may administer a judicial punishment. In this case the fun element will be conspicuous by its absence, and the atmosphere that precedes punishment will be sombre. Robert will be secured to the whipping bench with ultra-secure restraints. His crimes will be listed and sentence pronounced. A typical sentence might be thirty-six strokes with the dragon cane.
I will generally allow Robert a few minutes for reflection before the punishment is administered. Strokes will then be applied as hard as possible and at a steady pace. All pleading for leniency is ignored. I will often employ a gag. Extra strokes will be added at the end if he has made too much fuss.
 
NOISE
Although I usually insist on silence when administering punishment, squealing, gasping and shrieking is inevitable if thrashings are severe. We are fortunate in living in a detached and well insulated house, so little sound escapes. However, if I am thrashing Robert during pleasant weather, when neighbours might be enjoying their garden, I might gag Robert for good measure. The best weather for serious punishment is wet and windy.
I once caned Robert into the New Year. The caning started as soon as Big Ben began its chime sequence and continued, hard and briskly, until the twelfth 'dong'. It takes ages, so Robert's caning was very severe. He made a terrible fuss, but his shrieks of agony where drowned out by fireworks – perfect.
Noise was a real concern for me when I was a professional disciplinarian. I put some thought into choosing the right premises and concluded that a purpose built top floor flat close to a busy station was the right choice, and so it proved to be. First, my immediate neighbours were generally out at work when I was busy with my cane. Also, clients could come and go through the busy communal entrance without being as conspicuous as they would if calling at a private house. If I anticipated any verbal protest or distress, I would gag them. In all the time I operated I didn't receive one complaint and I believe that nobody, other than my clients, had the slightest idea what was going on inside my flat.
 
SAFEWORDS
A safeword is a word that is agreed between the disciplinarian and the recipient before the punishment commences. If the punishment becomes too painful to bear, use of the word by the recipient will terminate the punishment immediately. A lot of professional disciplinarians offer the use of a safeword, and it is especially a good idea to have a safeword agreed when participants meet for the first time, and even more so if the recipient is to be restrained. The use of a gag, of course, is likely to render any safeword ineffective.
Obviously, if you do use a safeword, you need to pick something sensible. Don’t use words such as ‘stop’, or ‘ouch’ , or any word that is likely to be used as a matter of course during the session. It’s a good idea to choose a word that is distinctive and short, so there is no confusion. I’ve heard the word ‘red’ used, and that seems sensible.
Do I agree that safewords are a good idea? Yes
Do I offer a safeword to my partner? No
Once a disciplinarian and his, or her, recipient have built up experience and trust, then abandoning the use of a safeword can take the experience of consensual discipline to another, and far more exciting level. If you offer a safeword you are effectively handing control back to the recipient. You are saying to him, or her, “I’m the boss, but only until you change your mind”.
When I strap Robert down over our whipping bench, he is giving up all control of his destiny to me. I have absolute power over him, to do with as I please. When I cane or tawse his squirming bare bottom with so much venom that it gets too much for him, then good. That’s how it should be. Now is not the time to stop the punishment, for now the real punishment has only just begun. This is when the magic starts. This is when the desperate writhing and struggling, that I find so delicious to watch, escalates into a frenzy. It makes me want to thrash him harder still. These are truly exquisite highs, for both of us, and could never happen if a safeword was allowed to intrude.
I do have a sense of humour, however, so if Robert wants to make me laugh, he has the option to try using a safeword.
HAPPY SPANKING!
 
Thank you for reading my discipline notes. I hope you've enjoyed them and perhaps I've even given you some ideas.

'ALWAYS HARD. ALWAYS ON THE BARE. NEVER LESS THAN A DOZEN STROKES'