Consensual Lifestyles Association
of South Australia
Flogging Workshop

Definitions and descriptions (NOTE: The following definitions and ideas are those expressed by Huntress and although others may agree with them, they are not necessarily the only definition as each person has their own ideas of what different terms mean or relate to)
Flogging/ Flagellation	To flog or flagellate someone, in its most basic meaning, is to whip them. Flagellation has religious overtones, stemming back to medieval Europe. Often in bdsm terms however to flog or whip are terms used to describe more specific play according to the type of implement used. To flog someone is to use an implement with many 'tails', including such items as a 'cat' like those used in navel and convict history, while to whip them refers to the use of a 'single tail whip', such as a bull whip or signal whip.
Birching	Traditionally, striking with a bundle of twigs from the birch tree, especially after a sauna.
Corporal Punishment (CP)	Originally, punishment practised in some legal systems and military and educational institutions. In an SM context, usually refers to caning or whipping of some sort, and often involves an element of role-playing in which the 'bottom' (receiver, or one having things 'done' to them) is 'punished' for some real or imagined infraction.
Lashing	Striking with a stinging long tressed implement or lash. 'Lash' is also used to describe each stroke with such an implement, as when in corporal punishment an offender is sentenced to a certain number of lashes (usually from a cat or whip).
Percussion Play	Recently introduced term, not yet widely used, to group together all activities involving striking the body surface, including slapping, punching and pummelling, as well as activities like whipping and caning.
Scourging	Striking with a scourge , as once practised by religious flagellants. Loosely used, the term suggests whipping severely enough to draw blood, and has religious and medieval overtones.
Whipping	Striking with a whip , or any object that can be used as a whip. Although it's not likely to include the use of less flexible implements like canes and paddles, there are extensions of meaning, as in the expression 'pistol-whipping'.
Floggers	Implements with a number of flexible tails. Floggers come in an assortment of styles, sizes, lengths, weights and materials dependent on the result desired. The material used for the tails of the flogger determines its principal character, but leather with its tactile qualities combining strength with flexibility, still remains the material of primary choice. Other materials used include string, rope, rubber, horsehair, plastics, chain, and so on.
Cats	Similar to floggers, except that each tress is terminated in a knot (often the traditional Turk's head) or a metal weight, which may or may not have a cutting edge. These can easily cause harm and are not recommended for novices. Do remember that the cat is not a heavy whip in terms of weight. It is a perfect example of mechanical advantage. WARNING: In many states of Australia cats are an illegal weapon, and in all states any flogging implement that has pieces of metal in the tails are illegal. People in Australia have also been arrested for carrying standard floggers in public, but so far not charged.
Birches	Wooden rods or bundles of twigs taken from a tree, normally the birch, and used traditionally either in corporal punishment or, as bunches, for arousing the skin in a sauna. The twigs are prone to breaking during use, players may need some form of eye protection. A more sadistic twist on the traditional birch that some in the Eastern states of Australia use, is a bunch of stinging nettles, which is definitely not for the novices out there.
Riding Whips	These usually consist of a long rod of cane or fibreglass. They are covered in leather or fabric, thickening at one end for a handle, (perhaps with a loop of leather to help secure the grip) and terminating in a thin, flexible tress such as wound cord or a leather tongue. Only the thin end is intended to contact with the horse; the length is to allow enough leverage for it to be accelerated rapidly with a controlled flick of the wrist without causing the rider balancing problems. With consensual games on humans, the solid length can also be used in a similar way to a cane. Best of all, they are widely and cheaply available from sports and tack suppliers, so there's no need to pay an adult shop premium.
Whips	Single-tressed (single-tailed) implements usually made of whipcord or leather. Despite their popular associations with SM, real whips are rare in scenes because they are very difficult to use and very dangerous. They are made to do primarily one thing: take the energy of a swing and magnify it into the tip, so that the tip will exceed the sound barrier and crack. (Good ones are, anyway.) To compare, floggers probably reach around 100 km an hour, maybe 140 km an hour with a particularly hard swing. A single-tail, on the other hand, can reach 1000 km an hour without very much effort at all. The characteristic 'crack' of a whip is produced when the tip breaks the sound barrier and even a light object moving at such a velocity has the power to slice flesh to the bone. Whips can cut. When a whip cracks, that harmless-looking poofy little piece of material at the end is capable of cutting through anything up to and including soft tin. Being able to use one responsibly means a good deal of practise and generally they are best left as decorations.