Rope tying: Where/How did you learn it, and did it take long?

Was it difficult? What did you practice on?

I really don't know. I was on my Dads sail boat at age three and for as long as I remember I was tying knots. He taught me.

Later in life I found they had other uses.

Dina: Go down to your local hardware store and buy four pieces of cotton sash cord; each six feet long. Next, go to a bookstore and find a book that is clear and easy for you to follow. Go home and start practicing. I think you will be surprised at how fast you can pick it up. Good luck.

I was about 11 years old.

I used to tie up my friends with my jump ropes. A few times I was questioned by my parents when they saw my jump ropes coiled around a kitchen chair I had taken into the family room to tie up a friend. Boys, girls, it didn't matter to me as long as I could tie someone up.

When I became a teenager and wanted more rope, I went to the hardware store and got a 100 foot package of "sash cord" and cut it to lengths I liked. At first my rope bondage was sloppy, but effective. As I got more experienced, I figured out how to make it more elegant. When I was in college, I got a couple of books on it and got really good at it. I really like rope harnesses that typically use 50 to 75 feet of rope. I liked being tied up too.

For the last twenty years, I have been getting my rope at West Marine. It's more expensive than hardware store rope, but it is MUCH better quality, handles better, and is available in many different colors degrees of softness, flexibility and braid patterns. I also like to tease the salesmen who try to be helpful by asking what I am going to use it for on the boat. Usually I tell them it's to tie up my husband, which is the truth, but they generally laugh it off until they say, really, what are you going to do with it and I assure them it's to restrain my husband.

I always use waxed cord to whip the rope ends and then seal it with liquid whipping or heat it with a low temperature (yellow flame) "blazer torch" to prevent any fraying of the ends. It also makes the ends oh, so pretty! We have at least 500 feet of rope in the house in different lengths, colors and diameters.

I started in knot tying as a Boy Scout. I read a story about pirates torturing victims by suspending them by the balls. I tried it on myself--I could only put a few pounds of pull but was fascinated. I started tying myself up with my scouting skills. With the internet more interesting ways could me found. I found a tutorial from "Men In Pain" on how to tie up the sub. They specialized in photos of men bound in 100 feet of rope. Alas for me, many of the ties can not be done on oneself.

My girlfriend can hogtie me, I've not got a clue where she learnt it, it was pretty scary first time round but she knows what she is doing.

It's definitely a favourite position of ours, and the fun is endless!

Enjoy!

Princess Abi! X

I really learned about bondage from an older partner when I was in my early 20's. Also going to play parties helped a lot and them I took a few classes when I was a little older at the annual Black Rose events in Maryland.

Dina, thank you for asking this question. While I do pretty well with wrist/ankle cuff using chain, I would love to perfect some great rope bondage.

My interest in rope started after the 1st play party I attended. I think the books and videos by Two Knotty Boys are quite good and simple to follow but give you nice patterns.

My interest began with Cub Scouts headed by a Scoutmaster as understanding rope configurations & why they were used for various situations was considered an important art (as was knowing how to use a field compass). Starting with the basics of fig8,reef & slip...with each child handed books to illustrate...whereupon each meeting one would be called forward to demonstrate a particular style...those were the days when badges were issued representing a level of competency by being tested both in class & out in the field...After all it is a discipline designed to aid a person in both skills of self reliance & capability as distinct from simple tethering.

I've been doing rope bondage for over five years now, since I first joined my local kink community. It doesn't necessarily take long to start tying; I often teach beginner courses and have new riggers doing basic ties in the span of an hour or two. But getting *good* at tying usually takes a lot of practice and dedication. As with many things, the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it.

Try the Men in Pain bondage tutorials. searching on 'men in pain' or 'men in pain bondage' will show creative rope bondage of suspended men.

I can't help you with any information but from what I understand the rope tying is an art form all in itself. It isn't my thing, but I do know for those who are into it it is a real skill and can be considered very beautiful when it's done right.

Mashie

Whilst this is a semi old thread, it seems valid to reply.

From my perspective, as a kinkster, I started to tie rope in a peer environment. I was a member of fetlife (still am) and locally someone was hosting an event at their home. I had an invite to attend, did so, and began my rope journey.

Was it difficult to learn? For me no, others seem to struggle to a greater or lesser degree. I practiced on myself, on chairs, anything that I could use, people too are handy to tie up also ?. The key is to get good education in the subject, it has potential to be life ending if things go wrong (worst case). The style in which you tie can also influence how easy it is to learn, Western rope (a two Knotty Boys) tends to be pretty knots whereas Asian (Japanese) is harsher and more bondage orientated imho.

So in summary, like most things in life, put in the effort to learn, then practice, and then reap the rewards in the end.

I'm very good with rope. Boy Scouts and sailing with my dad both taught me a lot.

As a young girl I would watch my mother wrap up parcels and tie them with string, a good way to learn about tying a secure knot. Then watching a butcher tie up a roll of meat, but the interesting part was seeing how a turkey was trussed up. Really two shoe laces will secure thumbs and big toes and keep that victim from running, so to speak.

I got an early start with rope. When I was in elementary school around nine or ten years old I started playing with lanyards and macrame, and tying up my friends with my jump ropes shortly after. I liked the LONG ropes girls would jump with three to five girls jumping the rope together while singing jump-roping songs. I would tie them up to the kitchen chairs that I would bring into the den. Other times I would just hog-tie them like they did in the cowboy and western movies. My father used to love watching westerns on TV and I liked spending the time with him so I got educated.

As kids, all our clothes stayed. Occasionally, my parents would come home and see my jump ropes on the floor around a kitchen chair and would enquire what I had been doing. I'm sure they knew, but were really interested in whether the clothes stayed on. When I was young, they did. In high school, I learned about sash cords in the hardware store and then my rope bondage repertoire expanded and clothes started to come off.

Now I get my ropes at West Marine. There's nothing like marine line--so many diameters, colors and they are so pretty!

Susie, what a wonderful childhood you had! Tying up your friends is always fun...and being tied up too.

At age 10 or so, two of my neighborhood friends and I had fun for a while tying each other up tightly to a tree in my back yard. There is a sexual thrill even at that innocent age from making others helpless, and being made helpless yourself. My early bondage fun may have been the first time I noticed that peculiar new feeling in my crotch and that mysterious clear, sticky fluid I found later in my underpants.

Interestingly enough I learned my rope tying skills through sailing school as a kid. I still use them when camping in the backcountry. However I did have to learn new ties and knots for bondage. As long as you pay attention it's not too difficult. I absolutely love putting my rope skills to work.

Being more visual, I learned my rope bondage skills by attending a weekly bondage group. I primarily use handmade jute or hemp rope, or “silk” rope if my partner is sensitive to natural fiber.

There are a lot of good instruction videos on the web, too.