For most disobedience, Mom usually corrected/trained my sisters and me by paddling our bare bottoms (OTK) with her hairbrush, and Dad usually corrected/trained us by either paddling our bare bottoms with his 18 inch carpenter's ruler (straight-edge) and/or whipping our bare bottoms with his leather strap/strop.
If however, there was was a significant degree of disrespectfulness and/or dishonesty that needed to be corrected, the naughty child/children were sent to fetch River Willow switches from the riverbank, just beyond our backyard.
We lived in a very rural agricultural/ranching community, with a very small population. Most childish disobedience (not finishing chores, not arriving home on time, getting into trouble at school, etc) was disciplined/punished with relatively leniency. It was expected that children would be disobedient sometimes (usually due to childish negligence -- not with imalicious intent). For such "normal" disobedience, a "normal" paddling or strapping (usually just a few swats, but more for repeated misbehaviors) effectively trained children to be obedient.
Intentionally disrespectful and/or dishonest misbehaviors were considered to be much more rebellious against authority. When disrespectful and/or dishonest children needed correction, we were all familiar with fetching the dreaded River Willow switches! In fact, in the spanking room at church, there was usually a handful of freshly-cut switches in a old umbrella stand, beneath the paddles and leather straps hanging on the wall. If not, the riverbank was only about 100 yards behind the church, so parents and Sunday school teachers would send naughty children to fetch their switches, if necessary.
The penalty for rebellious disrespect/dishonesty was always more severe than the penalty for normal disobedience. A normal spanking/tanning (with paddle or strap) would hurt, and leave a naughty child's buttocks red and sore for anywhere from a few hours to a few days (depending upon the severity of the misbehavior and the corresponding severity of the spanking). The River Willow switch, however, was a much more severe punishment (always on-the-bare). Even a relatively lenient appointment with a River Willow switch was VERY painful as the switch was doing its business (each stripe felt like your ass was being set on fire!). And, the stripes/welts definitely remained visible and painful for several days, up to a week! It was not uncommon for tween/teenaged boys and girls to see striped butts in the junior high and high school PE locker rooms!
The switch is a lot like the school cane used in many countries with British colonial histories, and a few other European countries. And, similar to the juvenile bamboo stick or rattan cane used in many Asian countries. It is a severe implement for correcting/disciplining a rebellious child who intentionally defies authority.