Frolicon: Learning About Impact

There’s still so much about Frolicon that I haven’t written about yet. I really wanted to talk about the classes we attended there, as that was half the reason we wanted to go in the first place. Most of the classes we were interested in centered around rope bondage and impact play, although we were also intrigued by some on humiliation and degradation. We didn’t get to nearly half of the presentations we wanted to see, so I think that means we are going back next year!

We felt that we were already beyond most of the 101 classes except for one that we were especially excited about, Single Tail Basics. Being that we knew absolutely nothing about single tail whips, it was a great intro class to teach us about the different types of whips, how to choose one, and some basic throwing techniques. The instructor was knowledgable, his deep southern drawl reminded me of a cowboy and his large handlebar mustache only added to that characterization. Being that it was a 101 class, we didn’t get to try any of the instructor’s whips out, but as soon as we left the class, we headed over to the vending area to look at what whips were being sold there. We quickly found out that most of the decent whips were beyond our budget, but it is something that we may consider in the future.

I think our favorite class was Advanced Flogging Techniques with an instructor named Oneknot. He works for a company named Unique Kink that makes the most amazing floggers I’ve ever laid my hands on. I seriously cannot say enough about the quality of these floggers. They have a quick release handles made from air tool fittings so you can change out the heads quickly during a scene to vary the feeling experienced by your bottom. It also allows you to add a wide variety of heads to your collection but still use the same handle. The materials range from cowhide to rubber to deer hide, textured or smooth, and even weighted braided leather that felt like it would tear you in two. These floggers are not cheap, and although we really wanted to have them, we would have easily spent over $300 to get what we wanted.

He began the class by explaining about the different materials and finishes and how they affect the feeling of the impact, and he passed around the flogger heads for all of us to feel. Then he got us out of our seats to try the floggers out and learn the three stroke and Florentine techniques. Sir found two turquoise deer leather heads with 3/4 inch falls that were trimmed to about 14 inches long. He quickly picked up on the techniques and was laying wonderfully rhythmic strikes on my back in no time. Because of his arthritis, he had trouble moving his wrists in the motion needed and was having some pain. We switched from the regular handles to the two finger handles, leather loops that fit around two of your fingers so you don’t have to grip. This style of handle was a game changer for him. After he got comfortable with his technique, he handed the floggers over to me to practice on a chair. Florentine flogging isn’t that hard to do, and since we’ve been home I’ve been practicing a little more with the two floggers we purchased in the vending area. We weren’t ready to commit to the really nice floggers yet, wanting to make sure that it was something we were going to stick with first. I really want to purchase something from Unique Kink in the future because their products are so beautiful.

Another really great class was Spanking 201 with Strict Dave. The class was originally scheduled in a tiny room and was so popular that we had to be relocated to a much larger room and there were still people standing in any spot they could find. We learned different techniques of hand spanking as well as tips on communication, energy, creativity, and spontaneity. I never realized how varied a hand spanking could be! Honestly, the class could have lasted two or three hours with all the information we learned.

My husband was already advanced past most of the rope classes offered, but we attended one on rope bottoming and one on Rope Handling Tips and Tricks. Since I’ve recently picked up tying, this class was especially good for me. We sat next to a couple that was very green, and he was able to help them while I tied myself, learning techniques new to me like how to keep the rope tight as I’m tying and untying. The best part about the rope classes was reconnecting with people we already knew and meeting other rope enthusiasts. We made a ton of connections that will hopefully lead to new friendships and learning opportunities in the future.

Some classes that we missed that I will be looking for next year include instruction on humiliation and degradation, a blow job class, tit torture, falling in forceplay, erotic photography, service as a submissive, and a class all about the pussy because who doesn’t want to know more about that! We knew going into it that we should expect to stray from our schedule. Being the obsessive planner that I am, I was surprised that we strayed so much from the original plan. I had our days mapped out perfectly, including breaks for meals, thinking that would help us get to everything we wanted to do. I was dead wrong on that, and that is absolutely okay. We will see how it goes next year, but I expect I will have to go with the flow once again.