Suspension Bondage Is Dangerous

We love suspension bondage and we’re excited to share it with you. We want to be very clear, however, about the risks involved.

1. Suspension bondage involves unavoidable risk. Like rock climbing, suspension is a risky activity. Good preparation and training can reduce your risk, but even if you do everything right there is still a chance that you may be injured or killed, or that you may injure or kill another person.

2. We don’t have all the answers. Unlike rock climbing, suspension bondage has no professional standards bodies and no expert consensus about best practices. This book is based on years of study, practice, and consultation with outside experts. Nonetheless, you should be aware that suspension is still a developing field, and our understanding of the best way to do things is still evolving.

3. You can’t learn suspension from a book. The only safe way to learn suspension is to work with a qualified instructor or mentor. This book is a valuable adjunct to expert instruction, but not a substitute for it. Without a skilled teacher to guide and evaluate you, you cannot learn suspension without placing your partner in tremendous danger.

4. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Suspension is fun and exciting, and you will likely be tempted to rush ahead and try activities that you aren’t yet ready for. We can’t stress enough the importance of proceeding slowly and methodically, and always working within your skill level.

5. Always use good judgment. Your best defense against mishap is your own common sense and good judgment. Always be mindful of what you’re doing, and err on the side of caution.

Your partner is placing tremendous faith in your competence and judgment. If you are careless or overly ambitious, they are likely to pay a heavy price for your foolishness. Make sure that you are worthy of their trust.

Suspended Animation accepts no responsibility for any injury or death which may occur as a result of the activities described in this book. By reading this book, you agree to take full responsibility for your actions and their consequences.

Knots

Wrap and Tuck

The wrap and tuck is a specialized knot for securing vertical lines. Although it’s a little slow to tie, it is highly secure and will not jam even when subjected to heavy load and repeated shocks.

Use this knot for:

Securing vertical lines. This is the only knot you should use for critical vertical lines.
Securing and cleaning up any line that connects to an object (for example, the line that connects the ankles to the chest in a hogtie).

Do not use this knot for:

This is an outstanding knot, but it has limited application beyond its intended uses.

Tying the wrap and tuck

1

You can secure the line either at the very top of the vertical line or at the very bottom, depending on where you happen to run out of rope.

After coming over the ring for the last time, begin to wrap the working end around the line.

Notice that in this photo the working end crosses over the ring going from back to front, and begins wrapping counter-clockwise around the vertical line. Because it wraps counter-clockwise, it is wedged in place in the corner between the ring and the vertical lines. If it wrapped clockwise, it would be free to jump over the vertical lines on top of the ring and jam.

If the working end crossed over the ring from front to back, we would wrap it clockwise around the vertical lines.

2

Wrap the working end of the line several times around the vertical line, making sure that the first wrap is snug against the ring. These wraps will absorb whatever strain is on the line and prevent the knot from jamming.

3

Pass the working end through the vertical passes of the line and separate the two ends.

Note that there are two groups of lines: the lines going up on one side of the ring, and the lines going down on the other side. Make sure to pass the working end through the middle of both groups, rather than in between the groups (i.e., the line should travel perpendicular to the ring rather than in parallel with it). When the lines are under tension, they will squeeze together and hold the working end in place.

4

Tie off the ends of the line with a square knot.

With a half hitch

Instead of a square knot, you can finish the wrap and tuck with a half hitch, which is slightly less secure and slightly faster. After tucking the line, secure it with a simple half hitch. Note that tucking the line through (step 3) is critical: the wrap (but no tuck) with a half hitch is referred to as a “helicopter,” for its elegant and catastrophic failure mode.

With a slippery half hitch

This is identical to the wrap and tuck with a half hitch, except that the half hitch is slippery for ease of untying.

Plain wrap and tuck

It’s possible to omit the square knot when tying a wrap and tuck. Especially when using hemp, this variant is more secure than you might think, although it’s not suitable for a critical line.

Note that this variant can only be used at the bottom of the vertical line. Especially with a dynamic load, gravity will pull out the tuck if it’s tied at the top of the line.

Slippery wrap and tuck

The slippery variant is even more convenient than the plain version, and even less secure. Instead of tucking the entire end through in step 3, just tuck a bight. When you’re ready to release the knot, just pull on the end of the rope.