Monday, October 25, 2010

Face Slaps & Punished Hands

Slapping someone in the face is most likely a bad idea. There are so many dangers in slapping the face that it should simply be avoided, but it would be remiss not to mention it as part of the disciplinary process. A single slap to the face is often a wake up call to the recipient and a reflexive action on the part of the disciplinarian brought about by an extreme situation. Perhaps the recipient was ranting, yelling, being obscene or rude, and then comes the slap.
It echoes inside the skull of the recipient, the struck cheek grows warm and rosy red, showing the color of embarrassment that ought have been present even without the slap. Given like that, in the heat of a moment, a slap can be an effective tool for changing the recipient’s demeanor and setting the tone for additional, better thought out, discipline. Additional face slapping should not be required and would be inappropriate under most circumstances.
Likewise, I can’t advocate hand punishments either. Although they are quite common in the disciplinary arena, they are also a very dangerous punishment. Without even trying, the disciplinarian administering a hand punishment might fracture or even dislocate a finger or fingers on the recipient’s hands. Furthermore, the hands have little protection for their nerves which can lead to the more serious situations such as possible nerve damage.
Proponents of this type of discipline may feel I am overstating the dangers and I respect their feelings on the matter, but my perspective is formed from first hand (forgive the pun) experience. My own experience was most definitely on the extreme end and I’m certain not everyone will have such an experience.
Hand punishments have a somewhat wide range of possibilities. In some cases, the hands are slapped by the hands of the disciplinarian. The result is a stinging sensation not unlike the sting caused by a spanking. The disciplinarian using this method can choose whether to slap the back of the hand or the palms, although I believe the more common choice here is the back of the hand.
Using an implement for hand punishments is a bit more common. There are two which rise above others in frequency of use; The ruler and the strap. A ruler smacking the hands conjures up images of nuns and priests running around in black and white garb, terrorizing their pupils for messy handwriting. This is something of a stereotype and not altogether accurate, but it does bring up one of the best arguments for hand punishments; Their close association to the behavioral activity resulting in the punishment.
In typical fashion, hand punishments are given for offenses that relate to activities with the hands. It could be a gesture, poor handwriting, or something as embarrassing as masturbation. Regardless, the hand punishment is directly correlated in the recipient’s mind with the naughty activity.
The ruler, can be anything from the standard desk ruler to a yardstick. For safety reasons, it is almost always applied to the palms. The recipient is normally required to hold their hands stretched out in front of them, palms pointed up. In the case of long sleeves, the recipient may be asked to roll them out of the way. Other adjustments to the state of dress are atypical and probably only present when other disciplinary measures are being taken in addition to the hand punishment.
A proper stroke with the ruler can be best achieved by holding the ruler firmly in the hand and flicking the wrist so as to cause the ruler to strike against the recipient’s palms. Using the rotation of the disciplinarian’s shoulder or elbow to inflict a stronger blow is unnecessary and dangerous.
The strap is used in much the same manner as the ruler with one significant exception; It can be used on the back of the hand as well as the palm. Still, most would recommend only striking the recipient’s palm as this is a padded area of the hand, somewhat protected from unintended damage. The choice between using the strap or ruler is mostly a personal one. Effectively speaking, both do their job well and leave a violent stinging in the hands.
Other implements are sometimes used for reasons of convenience or preference. Anything from the cane to a wooden paddle has been used. Larger, bulkier implements are significantly more dangerous than smaller, more flexible ones. Done properly and with caution, hand punishments can be relatively safe though and it is hard to argue with their effectiveness.
Another form of hand punishment not quite as common as smacking, but infinitely safer, is requiring the recipient to hold objects of heft in their out stretched hands. Typically the objects are thick, hard bound books such as dictionaries or encyclopedias, but any balanced object of weight will do.
In this punishment, the recipient is required to hold their arms at a level height with the weights in their hands for a pre-determined length of time. The disciplinarian needs to keep the length within a reasonable period in order to maintain effectiveness and every recipient will have a different level endurance with this type of hand punishment. Most recommend starting with a period of two minutes and adjusting upward a minute at a time as necessary.
Think this is easy? Try holding two heavy objects for five minutes without moving your arms or dropping them. I guarantee you’ll find it harder than it sounds. This type of hand punishment is not quite as instantly effective as the smacking, but it remains memorable and that in itself adds to its long term effectiveness.

5 comments:

AL said...

Ash,
Thanks for the story article it was very informative...This one is not one that is a favorite even in the context of a story. Looking forward to the next one to come
AL :)

Karl Friedrich Gauss said...

Well, it's obvious, Ashley, that there's a good reason for the preponderance of bottom spankings in your stories, since you certainly wouldn't want to promote any of these potentially damaging practices such as face slapping or hand rulering.

♠ace of spades said...

I'm not really a fan of face slapping. Sure if the cheek is hit without too much force it shouldn't cause any real damage, but there are danger zones all around that could be struck. A black eye, split lip, or even a damaged eardrum could all happen as a result of sudden slap to the face. Punishing hands seems less dangerous to me, but there is always the chance that the fingers could be hit by accident due to bad aim or because the girl being punished made a sudden movement to protect her palm.

The reasons listed here about why a girl might deserve punishment on her hands are all valid, but I think one of the more obvious ones is that she has misbehaved in a general way and the person punishing her doesn't want to give her an actual spanking. Maybe this is because he wants to preserve her modesty, it would take too long, or he feels her actions don't call for a full punishment. Despite this, I think it would be better to spank in place of punishing hands, even if it means she will be spanked more often as a result.

As far as bad handwriting goes, it would probably be counterproductive to slap palms assuming she was in the middle of writing something. Masturbation is a serious concern for many people, but there are other ways to handle it. Taking a bedroom door off its hinges, securing her hands in mittens that cannot be removed on her own, or of course spanking the area in question directly, thus rendering it too sore to touch.

The holding objects up punishment is a good one. A few decades ago in Japan this was a really common in schools, but it has since been abolished. Students would have to fill one or two buckets with water and then hold them up standing out in the hall. Since students were (and still are) responsible for cleaning their classrooms, each room had buckets readily available.

Paul said...

Ash, thanks for an interesting article.
In my school, for less serious offences the ruler or cane was used on the hands, the headmaster always caned the bottom.
A slap on the face, in my book, isn't discipline, except for hysteria, when it can be an effective first aid measure.
Bad news about your hand punishments.
In the home where I lived punishments were either chores or administered to the bare bottom.
Love and warm hugs,
Paul.

Ashley J said...

Al, I think we agree on this completely.

Karl, I do like variety, but there are some things which just don't sit well with me. Of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I don't doubt some people enjoy a good face slap or hand rulering.

Ace, As always, some interesting thoughts here.

Paul, I think a number of schools used to use hand punishments, not that company made it any less miserable. It's probably for the best that most school have abandoned the practice. As far as face slapping goes, I think in most instances it is a reflex action that would never have occurred if someone had taken a second to think first, with exception of course for the "Snap out of it!". LOL

Hugs,
Ash