caution

You are hereby cautioned that rope bondage in general and Hojojutsu and suspension bondage in particular, are calculated risk activities that contain inherent risks and dangers (including serious injury, disfigurement, death or dismemberment), that no amount of care, caution, instruction, or expertise can eliminate.  All due regard shall be taken for common safety.   Anyone participating has a responsibility for informed consent and must be aware of the scope, nature, and extent of the risks involved.  We have a saying in whip cracking that goes “Ouch is the sound of learning” but take precautions to limit damage to that which does not require professional repairs.

 
 

Note: If you have a Flash capable browser you can view this presentation here

Ropes have been used to maim and kill for almost as long as they have been around.  They still will.

 

"Safety Rules are Written in Blood."
- Ancient Kung Foole Saying

First things first. SSC does not make it with bondage. Particularly Hojojutsu or suspension bondage. It is not safe and will never be safe. See above where it says " calculated risk activities that contain inherent risks and dangers". The way we do it I am not real sure it is sane, one out of three is not too good. Let's say that it is Risk Aware Consensual or RACK. For the quick start guide I submit the following.

• Communicate, communicate, communicate. This is a multi-player sport.
• Plan for the unexpected – be ready to get your working load down quickly
• Quick releases will – don’t use them where they are critical**
• Stay alert
• Use knots you know - stick to what you know.
• Use familiar equipment
• Use clean ropes
• Use rope sized for the application. (Suspended load bearing - 8mm minimum)

** It was recommended that I be more verbose on this one. There are a lot of people who put quick releases for "safety" in their bondage. I have even heard that there are dungeons that require them. The problem I have found with that procedure is that a quick release may release when it is not wished that it do so. Jay Wiseman has a number of quick release horror stories that I am sure he will be happy to share. Where a quick release is needed, you can make a simple half hitch into a quick release and spare yourself the agony.


The Rigger is responsible for preventing errors.  Rigger error is the term used to describe the cause of a bondage accident where the Rigger is principally or partially responsible.  Rigger error can be defined as a mistake, oversight, lapse in judgement, or failure to exercise due diligence by the Rigger during the performance of his/her duties.  On the other hand, Rigger error can actually be a decision that just didn't result in the outcome that was expected.  We all occasionally make mistakes, and while most of those have happy endings, we often look back later to question why we made the wrong decision. Somehow our head was "up and locked" and we forgot known procedures or got overwhelmed with too many tasks or were distracted.  This outline is intended to reduce those instances where we overlook procedures.

 

Sometimes the magic works. Sometimes it doesn't.
- Ancient Kung Foole Proverb (from "Little Big Man")

What follows is an outline for further study.  It will not cover everything. Rigging is a practice. Recurrent training and review is expected from practioners both outside (The Rigger) and inside (The CLWL or Cute Lil' working Load) of the ropes. 

While beyond the scope of this page, these phrases should mean something to you.

Radial/Brachial Nerve Compression
Suspension Induced Shock
Harness Induced Pathology
Restraint Asphyxia
Excited Delirium
Positional Asphyxia
Abdominal Restraint
                       
Research is available at:

 

 

  If you climb, you may die or be seriously injured. This is true whether you are experienced or not, trained or not, equipped or not, though training and equipment may help. It's a fact, climbing is extremely dangerous. If you don't like it, stay at home.  
   

 

“Do you have your farm picked out?”


What causes Rigger induced errors?  Over confidence, lack of knowledge, lack of skill, lack of information, lack of communication, lapse in judgment, oversight, unfamiliar equipment, distractions, etc.  It all boils down to lack of situational awareness.  We may tend to minimize the risk involved and inflate the odds of our making it work.  You want to “bag that tie” but when people get hurt it is often because they ignored the process and the brushed aside warning signs.  They became goal oriented and “bought the farm”.  Remember that the Cute Lil Working Load (CLWL) has the same duty and responsibility to prevent errors as does the Rigger.

 

"People enjoy rope and they can get hurt. We do all we can to minimize the risk,
but some will still get hurt."

That is life...
Tatu

 

Simple rules

 

Keep rope away from the neck - hanging still works. 

No knots directly over the spine

There is no one true way

Keep rope away from pulse points

Look at your acupressure chart

Watch for blood flow restrictions

Watch for nerve compression

 

If they experience a sharp pain and you have not stabbed them, it is a warning sign.

 

Rope burns - know how fast your rope burns; drag knowledgeably.  Treat a rope burn the same as a road rash. Betadine and clean.  Bandage only if necessary.  Neosporin rocks, you should have that in your bag like you have a pair of scissors.

 

 

 

Something to cut it with (not a knife – why turn a problem into a disaster?)

EMT safety shears, rescue cutters, Sears 3-in-1 Accu-Cut, Gerber's Rescue Cutter, and my personal favorite the Benchmade Rescue Hook. To cut a rope you need access to something to cut it with and the Benchmade is small, light, and easy to carry on your belt or on a lanyard around your neck. It is so small and light I once walked right through airport security wearing it.

 

There is the old question of what to do if you are all tied up and the rigger falls over dead.  I should avoid saying that this can be as serious as a heart attack, but I wont.  First I say that is why we do cooperative bondage.  It doesn’t take much of an eel to get out of the majority of my bondage.  If, on the other hand, you are doing inescapable bondage, then it follows that you plan for the unexpected.  Having a means to escape is a necessary consideration for this type of play.  Again the answer is NOT A KNIFE.  In this case the only thing the working load may be able to reach is a rope next to, or imbedded into, the skin.  Don’t turn an emergency into a disaster.  I recommend the Benchmade Rescue Hook for an emergency tool.  It is small and unobtrusive enough to hang around a neck or wrist.

 

Before you cut it, remember that you probably shouldn’t at all

Calm

Consider

Complete

 

 

When you plan your bondage plan it twice more.  Once how to untie it to get your working load down quickly and a second time as to where to cut to get the working load down instantly.  Cutting in the wrong place may well cause injury.  Cutting a rope under tension, likewise, may well cause injury.

 

Again - you probably should not cut at all.

 

Cutting Dangers

drop your  working load

recoil

shifts in pressure

 

 

Don't make bondage too tight especially on joints - numbness leads to nerve damage quickly.  First aid for numbness is heating pad or warm towels.

 

Three rules

1.  Monitor your working load and never leave them alone.

2.  Never leave your working load in bondage alone.

3.  Don’t leave a person who is in bondage

 

How long is too long  – Some factors are:
•   working load always has the say
•   the rigger is responsible
•   overall comfort level.
•   the time spent in bondage
•   the position – the lower the head the shorter the time
•   circulation factors
•   nerve compression
•   subjects physique
•   subject psychological and physical condition
•   experience levels (top and bottom)
•   environment
•   the scene's intent
•   unexpected problems such as cramps