I get to feel the sub’s energy after a good beating

Interview on Impact Play with AlphaSadist. Interviewed by Pup Brock.

Pup Brock: Hi AlphaSadist. You have experience with impact play in various forms. Why do you like to do impact play, and what do you think the participants get out of it?

AlphaSadist: Initially to begin with I liked impact play simply because I liked to beat subs during a session and inflict some degree of pain. I would often take a flogger or a paddle and give the sub some beating on the ass before I fuck them or move on to something else. Over time as I gained more experience it became more than that, I began to get off on the way they respond to it, their moans and movements whilst being struck became an increasing turn on. These days I like impact play as I see it as a journey between top and bottom, the top is taking them through a journey of their own sensations, endorphins and adrenaline. In many cases it also causes emotional responses as well.

In my experience I get to see and feel the sub’s energy after a good beating. When I am beating someone these days I see it as a way of connecting with their body and more importantly, their mind and I get off on that. Quite a lot of the time the beating does not make them hard or horny, however what I often see them get is that lovely light headed feeling of their endorphins. That said, I do occasionally see sometimes the sub getting majorly aroused by the harsh beating and that really turns me on.

Pup Brock: Impact play can involve pain ranging from the mild to the very heavy. Are there skills or techniques for the bottom to process this pain? What can the bottom do during play to get the most out of his experience?

AlphaSadist: The thing I always say to newcomers who want to give it a try to be flogged or whipped is to relax the body and the mind, breathe deeply and know they are in a safe place. It can spoil the experience if they are too tense or are not relaxing. Another tip is to avoid “fighting it” and tensing up the muscles and areas being struck, that only means the impact will hurt more than it is supposed to. It also raises the chance (albeit slim) of the skin breaking somewhat and that is often not the goal.

Pup Brock: How important is aftercare in a scene involving impact play? What are some useful or important ways to conduct aftercare following a particularly intense or heavy scene?

AlphaSadist: Aftercare is critical, simple as that. For shorter scenes meant to introduce a sub to something it is not always a major requirement. However for heavy and longer scenes it is absolutely critical. You are going to put them through quite a physical and often mental ordeal which they will need to recover from. Their adrenaline and endorphins will be running wild and even those alone can take over an hour to settle down. The points of impact themselves (often the back and ass) will be worn and will therefore need time to heal and recover. For heavy scenes where skin has broken, those will need to be cleaned so they can heal properly and then be kept clean.

Typically after a heavy scene I will sit the sub down somewhere clean where they can relax and give them a drink of water while they start to settle. Talk to them, don’t just sit there not saying anything. Get feedback, get them to tell you how they felt and what they thought of the experience. Give the impact zones time to recover in the open air before covering them up with any kind of clothing and reassure them they are safe to put them (or keep them) at ease.

Pup Brock: Some men find pain intolerable. Is it necessary for impact play to involve a lot of pain? Can it be done meaningfully or enjoyably with little pain? If so, how might this be achieved?

AlphaSadist: It does not have to involve much pain at all. You could always tie them down to a board lying down, take a flogger and spin it around at the handle over their chest and tickle them with the tails, or you could stand them (or tie them standing) in the middle of an open area, take a large soft flogger and gently wrap it around their chest or under their open legs right under the ass. These wont hurt much or at all.

This also as a surprise to quite a few, can be achieved with long whips in open spaces too, which will inflict more fear than it would inflict pain. By standing the sub in the middle of the space, then taking the whip and throwing the lash around their chest to crack it behind their back just after it passes their chest, it will then wrap around the chest with the little energy that remains, giving them a mild slap with the fall (if done properly). Note however that that particular move requires a LOT of practice but is one method that can be used. The pain delivered can be almost entirely eliminated by wearing a leather vest or waistcoat of some kind.

Pup Brock: What skills does a good top need? Are there technical or safety considerations the top needs to be skilled in, or aware of, in order to play well? What makes a really great impact play top?

AlphaSadist: Firstly with any piece of equipment you need to be able to strike properly and accuratel , with every tool you use. You need to be sure they you wont miss and hit critical points such as the face or the spine. Practice with it on an object like a pillow or a leather target sheet so you can see how and where you are hitting before using new items on people. If you play in public in clubs you may need to be able to play effectively in low light.

You need to be able to keep your sub at ease and relaxed and preferably have a good connection with your boy. Be aware of any medical conditions they have that can affect them during the session, are they diabetic or to they suffer from asthma and therefore need to take more breaks to rest for example.

Know how to keep your equipment clean and safe to use. Be aware of skin borne infections that can pass to floggers, whips, paddles, and canes, and know how to eliminate them. Carry a Medical kit with you that contains the required things to deal with open skin wounds (such as sterile wipes, cotton pads, dressings, and others). If you use whips then change the crackers of the whips when they have been used and carry spares. NEVER use the same cracker on more than 1 person as it runs a risk of transmitting an infection.

I would say a great impact play top would be someone able to really read their boy/s reactions well and gauge how they feel at any particular point so they know when to raise and lower the intensity. It is a really special moment when you can connect with your boy’s mind by taking him on the journey of his own sensations, being able to read that and see it in him is a really special thing indeed. Know how to look after your boy safely, and establish stop words or signals so you know when they have had enough.

Pup Brock: There is a wide range of equipment that can be used to impact upon a man’s body. Which is your preferred or favorite tool, and why do you like it?

AlphaSadist: I would say my poi floggers and my whips both together. I use the floggers as a warm up tool for the whips (and of course on their own); the two different tools complement each other. The whips I typically use are a matched pair of 3 ft Bullwhips and another matched pair of 2.5 ft Snake whips, in addition to a single 4 ft Signal whip which I often carry around my waist with my belt. The whips were all custom made to my specific specification to suit my preferred technique and the signal whip suits confined spaces where a full swing of the other whips isn’t possible. I like whips for multiple reasons. They deliver a unique sensation not possible with other tools, they are loud and therefore can be used for edge play and mind fucks and quite often the case is, each whip can easily be appreciated as a beautiful work of art and craftsmanship.

Pup Brock: For bottoms who want to increase their ability to receive and enjoy heavier impact play, or who want to push their limits towards heavy impact and beyond, do you have any advice or recommendations?

AlphaSadist: I would say if you can find a top who is experienced and willing to help you grow that you trust, then practice with them, the more you do impact play the heavier you can go over time. Your body will slowly adapt to the sensations and you will get used to processing them. The impact zones will slowly become tougher and be able to receive a harder beating. Above all, there needs to be plenty of trust between you and your top since you will be playing toward the upper end of your limits.

Pup Brock: If you had to give just one piece of important advice to an inexperienced man who is keen to explore impact play, either as a top or as a bottom, what piece of advice would you give?

AlphaSadist: I’ll aim this at both tops and bottoms since it fits both. Be sure to continuously seek out new understanding about the subject of impact play (and indeed others as well across all aspects of BDSM). Learn from friends and those who are experienced in their role. Many tops have specialties which they are often happy to share with others less experienced. There are many articles on the subject that detail all the things such as safety all the way through to makers of some really amazing kit. There is no point where anybody reaches where they no longer can learn more on a specific subject. Seek out the information continuously and learn all of the time. Always continue to grow. That is my advice.