Flogging

For those who do not know, flogging involves a multitude of items being applied to a persons back. Imagine the beating of sailors in the British Royal Navy; that is a form of flogging. It is a form of S&M that can be enjoyed by novices to extreme players. The basics are easily learned by even the newest Top or Master.
The least painful and most thuddy (yes I made that word up) floggers are deerskin. The more strands; the more thud. You must realize that thud does not mean absence of pain but just a different type of pain. An example of this would be a heavy razor strap. By shear weight it will be thuddy, but the intensity with which it is swung can cause it to be a searing hot and painful thud.
The more tightly wound the strands of the flogger are; the sharper is the pain from its bite. And extreme for of this type of flogger is the cat of 9, 11, 13, or 15 tails. The official name is cat-o-nine tails or cat for short. These implements have a feel for the bottom/submissive of the skin being ripped from the back. When swung hard, it feels like the body is sliced through. Historically, the cats had pieces of glass or metal tied into the knots in the ends of the strands. This caused gashes in the skin and great amounts of blood. Because of the location on the back, the wounds were very hard to heal. Some people do still play at this level but it is for the very very experienced Top and bottom. Because of health issues, once blood has been brought with a leather or cloth flogger, it should be only used on that person to minimize health risks. A different version of the cat-o-nine is the barbed wire cat-o-nine. The strands are very small chain links that end with a barb from a strand of barbed wire. This cat has the bonus of being easily cleaned. It is guaranteed to bring blood from the beginning. I have been flogged with this device by a brother at a Discipline Corps play party. It did not cause the gashes as the glass or metal bits do, but was some of the sharpest pain I have ever felt in my life.
A next step up in pain is the single-tail whip. These are commonly called bull whips or horse whips. The marks by most whips are a cross between a very distinct bruise and a scratch or welt. The ability of the bottom/submissive is not as important as the skill of the Top or Master. The submissive/bottom must be able to endure the intense pain, but the skill and understanding of the the Master/Top is paramount. If you are a Master/Top that is interested in single tails, find a mentor or join the few whip enthusiasts groups and learn the craft before you purchase a whip. When I pack and unpack Master's play bags, I am very cognizant of each item in the bag. When taking the six single tail whips out or placing them inside the bag, I do it on my knees respectfully, caress each one individually. I do this not because Master has demanded it but because as a slave boy I am in awe of the Master's ability with them and their ability to reduce me to the core of my obedience and submission. I honor Master and each single tail whip for those abilities.
Flogging is a enjoyable (did I say that) and multifaceted experience. It can bring feelings of sailing ships, the Inquisition, or slavery to those participating or those observing. I can guarantee that it will get anyone's attention.