Beginners Guide to Whips and Single tails
In this guide we’ll explore some of the terminology, types and possible uses for specifically single tail whips, there is a lot of
varying opinion, conflicting definitions and many grey area’s particularly with some less traditional/more experimental
designs, so whilst this guide will try to over some explanation for these – it certainly won’t be conclusive and will be my own
interpretation of these wonderful objects!
Before we get started, a very brief introduction, I was drawn to whips very early on in my journey out into the scene and have
been playing with, making and cracking them for the last 10 years or so, on and o! I’m FAR from an expert either using or
making these, but have a keen interest and hope to share some helpful information to perhaps intrigue you enough to look for
further information, and get started with these lovely implements!
So, let’s get cracking!
Parts of a whip
We’ll start with exploring the names and brief descriptions of the different parts which CAN make up a whip.
Handle
There are two common types of handles for a whip, either plaited or solid, a plaited handle consists of a solid centre, often
made with a firm piece of metal, which is then covered with layers of plaited cord or strand, the stiffness of this centre core
can affect the handling of the whip, some prefer a very rigid handle while others prefer a slight springiness, sometimes offered
by a spring steel core.
A solid handle is slightly less common amongst us kinksters, but these can be made of wood, metals or sometimes even
materials like shed antler are used.
Thong
This is the flexible body of a whip, typically made from plaited strands of leather or artificial paracord, but have been made of
other materials such as rope, chain, braided Kevlar etc. often for specific purposes, lets focus on the common plaited
structure for now!
A plaited thong is typically between 3ft and 12ft but can be made functional a little shorter, and certainly much longer
(Currently listed by Guinness World Records a whip thong measuring 329ft has been cracked!)
The thong tapers as it travels towards the end of whip, focussing the energy imparted by the user (or Whip cracker, Thrower,
Evil git etc.) along the length of the thong, the smoother this taper, the more easily the whip will crack – a good whip’s thong will
taper in a number of ways: size/diameter starting large and tapering down to a narrow point; stiffness, starting quite stiff and
becoming gradually more flexible helps to really funnel the energy down the length of the thong – a completely floppy thong
will struggle to accurately pass the energy along it’s length; weight similarly to the stiffness, a thong which gradually becomes
lighter along it’s length will more readily accelerate as the energy moves down through the body.
This taper is often made by starting a whip’s outer plaiting with a larger number of strands, 8,12 or 16 are common, although
there are many variations. This plait-count will then taper away as strands are cut short – many thong’s will terminate with 4 or
6 strands at the tip. An alternative or combination to this is to taper the individual strands, possible with leather strands this
can give an even more consistent taper when crafted by a skilled artisan!
Fall
The fall, attached to the thong with a fall-hitch is present on many whips, these are a flexible length of cord or leather which
further accelerate the loop of energy travelling along the body of the whip, these can also be tapered to further help “focus”
this energy into the cracker.
Cracker
A cracker, or sometimes called a popper is the thin, often fuzzy, end to a whip – these are easily replaced and as their name
suggests are where the crack comes from, as they “whip” around, breaking the sound barrier and dissipating the energy into a
sonic boom. Strangely – you don’t NEED a cracker to make a whip crack, I’m sure you’re familiar with the crack of a tea towel or
perhaps a dragon tail (we may pick these up again later!) however the use of a cracker both protects the tip of the fall, without
one we’ll get exploding bits from the very tip of the fall, and allows us to tune the sensation, sound and effect of the whip, by
using a variety of materials!
Some other terminology
Butt/Pummel Knot – The knot at the “handle” end of a whip, often added for both appearance and grip
Keeper – Specific to mostly Stock Whips, this is a flexible section between Handle and Thong
Transition – The transition is a general term for the join between a handle and the thong; these often extend further along the
thong than you may expect!
Transition Knot – This is a mostly aesthetic knot than can be placed at the thong-end of a handle
Core – Most thongs are constructed with a single long strand running the full length, this is the core, these can include a
handle core as a single construction.
Belly – This is a layer of plaited strands that make up the bulk of a thong, these are covered by an overlay which is the visible
outer section of the thong
Bolster – Similar in function to a Belly, these aren’t present in all thongs but are a tapered layer of flat material, often leather
wrapped around a Belly to help form a taper.
Types of whips
Let’s get a bit more interesting and look at some common types of whips
Bullwhips – What better place to start than the most commonly known style of whip, the term bullwhip is often used to
describe any whip that resembles the Indiana Jones movie whips, but can sometimes slightly inaccurately be used to describe
nearly any whip – these do have a specific configuration to really make them a bullwhip. They have a plaited solid handle which
through a (often reinforced) transition continues directly into a long thong, a fall then a cracker. These are mostly measured by
their thong length (transition to fall hitch), and can include both a Butt/Pummel knot and transition knot, sometimes including
a wrist strap or hanging loop attached to the butt knot which helps when storing and using the whip. The smooth and firm
transition between handle and thong make these very accurate whips to throw, and are a very good starting point when
learning to crack a whip or even begin to strike targets and learn some fancy cracks or tricks/routines, their relatively
predictable behaviour makes them some of the easiest to begin with. The additional length of a handle and fall do however
make these require a good amount of room to use – even a 3ft bullwhip will need around 6ft in all directions to comfortably use
without fearing hitting something unintentionally.
Snake whips – What happens when you cut the handle of a bullwhip? (Other than unravelling and turning into a spaghetti
looking mess?!) Well you get a snake whip, a handle less whip, which will comprise of a Butt Knot, directly on the thong to a fall
hitch and fall, finished with a cracker. The lack of handle makes these require a little less room (for a given thong length!)
however can make them “faster” as without the handle to provide some extra mechanical advantage, you will be required to
move more quickly to crack them, and they can take a little getting used to for accurate striking as they initially feel a little less
“pointy” without a handle for reference. Excellent when space is limited, and can look very impressive when dual-wielded as
they (like many whips!) really can become an extension of a skilled crackers arm!
Stockwhips – A little different in appearance and feel, a stock whip features a long handle, often made from either exposed
cane or a long plaited section, typically 18” or more – these transition to the thong through a Keeper – a pair of flexible leather
loops which lock the thong to the handle however allow it to move more freely, as such they are quite different to use. They are
very crack-happy in the right hands, the extra flexibility and leverage cause them to act a little like a snake whip (if you had 4ft
long flexible forearms!) These are very good at being used for rhythmic/pattern cracking, volleying (1 crack forwards, 1 crack
backwards) and are one of the easier whips to self-wrap, where as part of a pattern of cracks you deliberately wrap the thong
around your own body before uncurling into the next crack! To begin with however, the extra flexibility will come with more
inaccuracy, whilst they can be used for target striking, this extra inconsistency makes them a poor choice as an initial whip
with impact play in mind. These are typically also measured by thong length.
Cow whips – A slightly more niche subsection of whips very similar to bullwhips, a term that doesn’t come up as much,
however a Cow whip is effectively a bullwhip with a solid handle, such as lathe-turned wood, metal or antler, the thong is then
secured into the end of the handle either by tying/binding some deliberately exposed strands to the handle, or gluing in (not my
favourite method!) These handle as a hybrid between a bullwhip and a stock whip, the lack of consistent transition makes
them a little more flexible than a well-reinforced bullwhip, but their straight connection and quite secure attachment makes
the transition less mobile than a true stockwhip.
Signal Whips – These are essentially a snake whip, with no fall. Making them the shortest possible whip, ideal for indoor play,
they often will be constructed to include the cracker as part of the thong itself, with a taper that terminates as the cracker –
making them difficult (or impossible) to change the cracker, more recently versions with either a knot or loop to attach
replaceable crackers have became popular, allowing for more options and making them safer to play with multiple partners
each with their own or new cracker each time.
Hybrid Signal Whips – A phrase that I don’t see used too much, and it’s origins I’m not familiar with, however these are my
preferred play whip, they incorporate a bullwhip style handle (often a little shorter than normal) into a Signal whip, making
them compact but adding the extra “pointy” accurate nature of a bullwhip to create a very compact little package.
Bullock Whips – Getting quite niche now, a bullock whip is very similar to a stock whip but with a much longer handle, these
can have handles that exceed 5ft plus a long thong (7ft+) to balance such a big handle, I believe these were developed by
Australian Stockmen for herding cattle – unlikely to have many play applications due to the space required and the somewhat
unwieldy nature of such a long handle – but if you want a big bang very easily – these can do that!
Performance Hybrid – Very similar to a cow whip, but with a long (stock whip length) handle, this handle is mostly
constructed out of PVC piping to allow the thong to be attached by lashing excess strands to the handle itself – a very good
beginner whip for pattern/fancy cracking as they handle similarly to a stockwhip without quite so much flexibility in the
transition
Fire whips – Can be made in a variety of the above styles, however often are constructed similarly to a Performance Hybrid or
Cow Whip, with a metal handle and a Kevlar thong – this thong can then be soaked in fuel and ignited – when cracked these
emit large fire balls and can be used for very dramatic fire whip play – however be aware they can shoot out unburnt fuel which
may then ignite on your target – as with any whip play, it is strongly recommended to practice and become familiar with how
your particular whip acts before using live targets!
Crackers – How to make them?
Thankfully for my fingers – many years ago I wrote a writing on Fet explaining a few methods I use to make crackers, this can be
read here: https://fetlife.com/-Shynee-/posts/4526005
The material you use to make your cracker can dramatically affect the feel of a whip, a larger/thicker cotton cracker will feel
“softer” than a freshly made Dyneema or Dacron cracker, I have also experimented with smooth chamois leather crackers
which are cut and shaped rather than span like the more conventional crackers – these produce a delightfully soft whip-kiss,
but will explode if cracked hard, best to make a selection and experiment with different crackers for different uses!
TLDR
As with most of my writings, I always love to include a too long, didn’t read, so here goes – whips in a few words:
Get one – Probably a 5-6ft bullwhip, or a 3ft Hybrid Signal if you want to play indoors. Practise with it (includes hitting yourself
in head – maybe wear a hat!) Get more whips. Try making a whip (It’s fun, your first one will be a wet noodle – your next ones
WILL get better!) Get hooked and 10 years later, be writing about them at 1am with work in the morning!
If you’ve got this far, well bloody done! Hope you enjoyed reading, the team at Twisted Boudoir will be able to advise on
safe/appropriate use of whips in the club, and my inbox is always open to whip chat or questions!
-Shynee-
Guide to whips and single tails – opens PDF.
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