Bastinado

"(It's) A wooden rod used to slap the soles of the feet in Turkish prisons, but, if made with the correct wood, makes an awesome Billy club. ~ Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Okay, history lesson time, no falling asleep at the back.

Bastinado was originally a Spanish word for the act of caning, in the literal sense of beating with a stick or similar implement. It is specifically used to refer to a form of torture or corporal punishment which consists of beating the soles of the offender's bare feet with a hard object, like a cane or rod. It was also used in China as well as the Middle East and was especially associated with the Ottoman Empire. It was often used as the equivalent of caning in British schools. Isn't that fascinating?

So why spank someone's feet rather than their bum? Well for starters the feet are very sensitive places, there are lots of nerve endings in the feet and they are the place that most people find ticklish, so are lots of fun to play with. Basically anything that you could use to spank someone's bottom with can be used on their feet, with the consideration that feet are smaller and also it would probably be nice for the sub if he could walk home afterwards, so don't over do it.

As with bottom spanking the key for a longer and more fun session is to warm up gradually, don't just rip their shoes off and start swinging with the cane, start slow with tickle torture and some light spanks. In terms of restraining the sub this would a be a good time to use a spreader bar, or even a basic hog tie will put the feet on display and stop the sub from squirming away.

To stay true to Bastinado's origins the best tools to spank with are a cane or a wooden paddle. A cheaper option is a hard hairbrush or a belt. If you want to be more advanced a knotted rope is very popular - it is however much more painful and should only be used with a more experienced sub.