By Fledermaus (aka Tony DeBlase)

This is Part 1 of a two-part article on CBT by the late Tony DeBlase. Part 2 includes piercing, urethral invasion, electrotorture and scrotal inflation. You can find it HERE.

“As a sadist, I can say without equivocation, there is nothing in the world I find more beautiful than the look of pain on a man’s face as my hand is crushing his balls.”

The external genitalia are the most sensitive part of any man’s body; they are also among his most “private” parts. To manhandle another man’s cock and balls is to take possession of the essence of him, to threaten those parts with pain and torture is to threaten his core. The old saying, “when you have him by the short and curlies, his heart and mind will follow” has a great deal of truth.

As a college student in the early 60s, I read JFK’s favourite author, Ian Fleming, and found in Casino Royale one of the best descriptions of male genitorture ever, though in keeping with the mores of the day, no exact mention of the genitals is ever made. Naturally, Fleming could not let his hero’s “heart and mind” follow.

Instead James Bond stoically endures, until a third party kills his torturer and he is sequestered in a private clinic, where a doctor tells him, “Your own injuries are serious, but your life is not in danger… If all goes well, you will recover completely and none of the functions of your body will be impaired… But I fear that you will continue to be in pain for several days…”

ANATOMY

In external appearance, the male genitalia are composed of two main structures: the penis and the scrotum. As the anatomical structures relate to sensations of pain and to techniques of play, I divide them somewhat differently.

Skin covers all parts of the male genitals. Except for the cockhead, or glans, this skin is rather loosely attached to the underlying structure and is quite elastic. The more this skin is stretched, the more sensitive it becomes, as nerve endings are forced closer to the surface. Thus, the skin is more sensitive on an erect penis than on a flaccid one.

The skin of the scotal sac is thicker than that of the penis shaft, but it is also capable of great stretching, and also becomes even more sensitive when stretched.

The skin of the cockhead is very thin, tightly attached to the underlying tissues, and is extremely sensitive. For BDSM play, it should not even be thought of as skin, but as an integral part of the cockhead.

A double thickness of skin extends from just behind the corona to cover the glans. This foreskin, due to some rather incomprehensible religious tenets among Jews, Muslims, and some other cultures, and due to some idiotic notions of hygiene that probably have more to do with puritanical feelings regarding sex among some Christians, has been cut away from many males in a process termed circumcision.

As a sadist, I regret this loss as, with a cut victim, I no longer have a foreskin to torture. And the cockhead on an uncut man is infinitely more sensitive than that on a circumcised man. But I make do with what is provided. In most uncircumcised men, the foreskin retracts behind the corona when the cock is erect. In some, it is long enough to cover the cockhead even when erect.

For our purposes, the penis can be considered to consist of four components: first, the skin, as discussed above; second, a pair of spongy tissue reservoirs called the corpora cavernosa. These run the length of the penis, beginning under the pubic bone well inside the body contour, and extend to the base of the glans. These are the main hydraulic system of the penis. When these are empty, the penis is soft and flaccid. When filled with blood, this causes the cock to grow longer and more rigid.

Cocks come in a great range of shapes and sizes. One basic difference, which you rarely see discussed in any of our literature, is that between what are often called “blood cocks” and “meat cocks”. Blood cocks are quite small when flaccid and expand greatly as the corpora cavernosa fill with blood. Meat cocks remain relatively large even when flaccid and generally do not change length greatly when they become hard.

Naturally, there is a full range of variation between these two extremes. For an example of a meat cock, look at any model in Honcho, Advocate Men, or even Drummer. Those equipped with blood cocks rarely want them photographed, and most publishers wouldn’t be interested anyway. For a good example of a blood cock, look at Michelangelo’s David or nearly any other piece of Greek or Roman sculpture. I know of no studies done on this anatomical difference.

From my own limited research, I’d say that both types of cocks have the potential to be equally large when erect. But “meat” sure as hell has the advantage in basket making. Also, it is virtually impossible for someone with a blood cock to have a cockring, or any other form of cock and ball bondage, that will be compatible with both flaccid and erect stages. I think there is probably an ethnic basis to the type of cock, with bloods being predominant in the Mediterranean. This is a subject on which I would love to do research.

But I digress.

The third important component is the cockhead or penis glans. This is the tip of the penis, the portion covered, or which should be covered, by the foreskin. It consists primarily of spongy tissue, the corpus spongiosum, which is also erectile. However, the relative size change here is nowhere as radical as with the corpora in the penile shaft. The external surface of the glans is covered with a very thin, and a very sensitive skin, as was discussed above. The ridge at the base of the glans is the corona, and it is the most sensitive part of the cockhead in most men. At the base of the tip of the glans is the urinary meatus, the opening from the urethra.

The urethra is the fourth component of the penis. It is the duct that empties both urine and semen to the exterior. It runs along the underside of the shaft, surrounded by a tube of the same corpus spongiosum that makes up the body of the glans. The rest of the penis consists of blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue holding all of these parts together.

The main contents of the scrotal sac are the testicles. These are a pair of bean shaped capsules of glandular tissue. The outer covering of each teste is a very tough fibrous capsule. The interior is a soft glandular material in which sperm are produced. They are very well equipped with pressure sensing nerves, nerves which interpret pressure on the balls, any squeezing or pressing or striking, as extreme pain.

If you feel each testicle carefully, you will be able to detect a much softer, fleshy ridge along one side of each ball, extending up to form a lump on the top of each testicle. This is the epididymis and consists primarily of the tubules that drain sperm from the testicle. The epididymis is also somewhat sensitive to pressure, though not nearly as much as the testicle itself.

Each testicle hangs at the end of a spermatic cord. This attaches next to the epididymis at the top of each testicle and includes the vas deferens, a continuation of this duct, as well as blood vessels and nerves supplying the testes. The spermatic cord is largely dense, elastic connective tissue that draws the testes up close to the body as a response to cold or fear and suspends them well away from the body when warm. Normal human body temperature is high enough to kill developing sperm, which is why a system has evolved to keep these little production centers hanging a good distance from the body.

The vas deferens enters the body above the pubic bone and joins ducts draining the bladder of urine and those of other small glands that contribute components of the seminal fluid to form the urethra. This duct passes through the middle of the prostate and thence to the penis. The prostate is also higly susceptible to pressure and other stimulations, but these are, in most men, registered as very highly erotic sensations rather than as pain.

EMASCULATION

The “fate worse than death” for a man, supposedly, is to rob him of his masculinity. In Western culture the anatomical definition of a man is his set of genitals. Castration, the removal of the testicles – with or without the scrotum – and emasculation, the removal of both penis and scrotum, are the ultimate punishments.

Though safe, SANE, consensual BDSM does not allow for castration or emasculation in practice, this is a common fantasy. Threats of removal or permanent damage to the genitals can be important components of a BDSM scene. Shaving of the pubic hair, and of hair on the genitals themselves, is regarded by many as the first stage of this emasculation. Thus, many into Master/slave roles keep the slave shaved as a badge of his status as “less than a man”.

There is one castration technique that can be used over and over again, as long as you you DON’T go TOO far.

The Elastrator is a brand name for one of several commercial castration devices used on lambs, calves and other farm animals. This is a tool that stretches a tiny rubber donut so that it can be slipped over the animal’s scrotum. With the tool removed and the band in place at the base (top) of the scrotum, the band pinches both nerves and blood vessels. Without blood circulation, the scrotum and testicles die, blacken and eventually drop off. The pinched nerves keep this a relatively painless operation.

An Elastrator can be used on a human male as well, but this procedure must be closely supervised or done by an experienced Top who knows the dangers of this procedure. If the Elastrator is left on long enough, it would have the same result as it does with the other animals. How long is long enough? I don’t know. It takes several weeks for an animal’s scrotum to actually drop off.

However, the onset of tissue damage due to loss of blood flow is considerably faster. How long before tissue damage starts in a man? Again, I don’t know. I know of no cases where an Elastrator band has been left on long enough to cause damage. Ten to fifteen minutes is the longest I have ever left one on, but for safety’s sake, you should not leave the band on for more than 7 minutes.

In addition to the headtrip of having his balls in a real castration device, the Elastrator ring can cause interesting physical sensations. Cat-claw-scissors are the safest way to remove the rubber band when the time is up. As the ring is cut, blood begins to flow again and pressure on the nerves is released. Men I have clamped have described the first sensation as similar to what they would have imagined actual castration with a knife would feel like. There is a sudden sharp sensation of release, then a feeling of the blood gushing away from the body.

This is followed by a reawakening of the nerves. You have all had a foot “go to sleep” and are familiar with the “pins and needles” prickling sensation as it reawakens. That is precisely the feeling in the scrotum as it reawakens following removal of the Elastrator band.

Another technique that achieves similar results is the punishment horse. This is, typically, a sharp edged rail that the man being punished is forced to sit astride, with hands bound behind him so he cannot relieve the pressure of his body weight pressing against the thin edge running between his legs. The rail is always elevated sufficiently that his legs just dangle and, again, have nothing against which to relieve the pressure in his crotch. Sometimes sandbags or other weights are tied to his legs to increase the pressure.

In the late 18th century this was a common punishment, with a soldier sentenced to spend hours on the horse for some infraction. In addition to the basic discomfort of the bondage position, the sharp edge in the crotch again pinches nerves to the genitals. When removed from the horse, the victim experiences sensations similar to those described above. Since this technique does not restrict blood flow, it is not as potentially dangerous. However, if the pinched nerve should be damaged, regeneration is a very slow process.

GENITAL BONDAGE

A cock ring is basic genital bondage. From there, we can move on to a huge variety of cock and ball harnesses, sheaths, stretchers, separators, pouches, etc., available in leather toy shops. Many of these can also be created with rope, chain, thong, string, saran wrap, tape, elastic bandages, strips of cloth, etc. Whatever the bondage medium, or the precise design, the bondage serves one or more various objectives:

CONFINEMENT can be a primary objective of genital bondage. That is, to confine the genitals, either for sensation of enclosure, for the restriction of access, or for both. The restriction may be to prevent masturbation, prevent an erection, or in other ways serve as a chastity device.

Techniques for this range from the infibulation of Roman slaves, the literal pinning shut of the foreskin over the glans, to highly sophisicated padlocking leather and steel chastity garments from the Fetters catalogue. Or they could be other items designed for that purpose.

ATTACHMENT can be another reason for genital bondage. To attach the cock and/or balls to something else. This may be to a Master’s hand via a leash, to an immovable object, or to a torture device such as a weight.

A cockball stocks is a small, usually wooden, stock similar to that used by the Puritans for ankles or heads and hands. This one is sized to accept cock and balls, or balls alone, and usually comes equipped with numerous rings so that it may be tied in place.

A similar result may be achieved by putting a man facing a chain link fence or similar grating. Pass his cock and balls alone through the fence and then securely lock on a collar, tie with rope, or somehow make it impossible for the cock and balls to be withdrawn. With no further bondage, this provides wild sensations of being trapped (note: this procedure should only be done under the close supervision of an experienced Top). He can flail his arms, beat at the fence, kick it, move in every way possible EXCEPT pull his hips away from the fence.

Unfortunately, such bondage is quite dangerous. If he faints, or falls for other reasons, his genitals could be severely damaged. Any genital bondage that pits the body weight against genital ties must be either constantly and closely monitored by an experienced Top who knows what he’s doing, or must be planned so that other bindings will hold the body weight, and not transfer this totally to the bound genitals. Once again, this procedure should only be done under the supervision of an experienced Top.

TORMENT in and of itself, is the third possible objective of genital bondage. This is when the bondage is itself pain producing. Usually this is caused by stretching and/or squeezing various genital components, usually with the objective of putting painful pressure on the testicles.

Various cock and ball devices, or various techniques at cord bondage that achieve the same purposes, include:
• wrapping the cock ring area to pull both the cock and scrotum away from the body
• wrapping the neck of the scrotum to pull the testicles down or out and away from the cock and body
• wrapping the scrotum in such a way that the two testicles are pulled away from each other.

These individually, or in various combinations, put pressure on testicles, stretch the skin, increasing its sensitivity, and put a pulling sensation on the spermatic cord.

The variant that achieves similar results is, instead of wrapping in bondage to stretch and separate, wrapping to push together and crush. Thus, the cock and balls together, or the scrotum by itself, may be mummified in saran wrap and tape, or in elastic bandages. I have also read of an American Indian torture that involved soaking a piece of rawhide and then sewing it up tightly to encase a victim’s scrotum [this procedure should only be done by an experienced Top, or supervised by an experienced Top to avoid potential injury.] As it dries, it shrinks, increasing pressure. I’m going to have to try this some day. I’ve also wondered about wrapping the scrotum in something like a small blood pressure cuff, and then inflating, but have not tried this.

Release from bondage can also be painful, partially from the reawakening of pinched nerves, partially from the physical movements. One of my favourites is the windmill – I wrap a cock and/or scrotum with repeated wraps of a single strand, taking care to layer things on so that when I am done, I can pull on the free end and the cord will rapidly unwind, sending the bound member flying round and around as it does.

One final pain producer from bondage is that engendered by tiny teeth, blunt studs, or other objects trapped between the skin and the binding [Again, this procedure should be done under an experienced Top’s guidance.] These might be sharp, but very short, teeth embedded in the leather, or could be a handful of gravel added under the elastic bandages around a scrotum.

SURFACE SENSATIONS

Torturing the skin covering the genital organs is quite different from torturing the organs per se. Many of the usual types of genitorture are tortures of this skin: abrasion, light whipping, clothespins and other small clamps, ice, hot wax, Vicks/Ben Gay/Tiger Balm/etc., and most temporary piercings. This skin is highly vascular and rich in nerve endings.

Feathers, soft-bristled brushes or other similar devices can provide stimulation to these nerve endings without abrading the skin. To get a bit heavier, abrasion is a very useful technique on the extremely sensitive skin of the glans, and on other genital skin when it is stretched and held immobile by bondage. Use emery boards or other disposable abrasives so that body fluids are not transferred.

Chemicals such as Vick’s Vapor Rub, Ben Gay, Mentholatum, Icy Hot, Tiger Balm, and the like, can provide similar sensations, often lasting a lot longer. An oft cited frat hazing technique is to apply such ointment to the pledge’s genitals, pack them up in a jock strap, then send him off to his classes to suffer through the day.

Heat and cold can also provide fine torture for genital skin, particularly when applied in rapid succession. An article was written on alternatively dipping the scrotum and/or cockhead into glasses of ice water and hot, but not scalding, water. Alternation of an ice cube and a hot mouth can have a similar effect on a cockhead. Chemical heat and cold packs, available from well stocked drug stores can also be used.

For heat alone, hot candle wax is good. The greater the distance the wax is dripped from, the cooler it is on contact. There is also a great difference between small drips and a pour of accumulated melted wax from a votive candle. Coloured candles melt at a higher temperature than plain white ones, as do beeswax candles, which are a lot hotter.

Taking the heat up a notch, the genitals are always a prime target for torture with cigars and cigarettes. Activities can range from scorching pubic hair, through various threatening applications of the burning ember closer and closer to tender skin, to actually inflicting a first degree burn that raises a blister. [Should only be attempted under the strict supervision of an experienced Top guidance.]

Burns that do more than blister skin are not for sane, sane, consensual play – but for real torture and for ritual markings. This is a highly restricted procedure that should only be attempted by a highly experienced Top. Open flame, as from a match or lighter, can be used in the same way as a cigar or cigarette, but it is much harder to control.

Lastly, there is burning with a heated piece of metal. Again, this is a highly restricted procedure that should only be attempted by a highly experienced Top. The genitals do not seem to be an appropriate site for branding, the skin needs to be elastic and scar tissue is not. However, small light metal that does not hold too much heat, or cover much skin, such as a bent paper clip, could be used to temporarily brand genital skin, including the cockhead. And, I like to use an electric wood burning tool (usually connected to a rheostat to control temperature) to threaten a securely bound set of genitals the same way I would use a cigar.

Pinching the skin is a common torture, too often caused unintentionally by hurriedly applied bondage. Intentional pinching might come from the fingers or from clothespins or other clamps which grip a bit of the skin. Since the genital skin is so loosely attached, and so elastic, it is an ideal area for clothespin torture. The smaller and sharper the bite of the clamp, the greater the pain it will cause. The tiny plastic “genital tormentor” clips are particularly vicious. The application of the clamps can be painful, but leaving them on, particularly while frequently manipulating them, can cause agony. But the real torture with clamps comes upon their removal. Again, it is the sensation of pinched nerves waking up and regaining life.

Light whipping can also sting genital skin. My favourite cock whips are made of light leather thongs, horsehair (a fly whisk), soft rubber, and similar materials that will sting the surface but NOT transfer pressure to the interior of the organ. I also like to use a leather slapper for very precise strikes at a firmly held cockhead, and a soft rubber hose, of the sort sold for insulation of air conditioner lines, all over the genitals.

The foreskin, when present, is a rather special piece of skin because it so accessible on both sides. All of the above techniques can be used on it. It is particularly good for clamping. It is also uniquely available for stretching. This could be done by use of clamps and weights to hang from them, insertion of rings around the cockhead under the foreskin, or use of a duck-bill vaginal speculum, often sold in leather shops as an anal dilator.

Piercing has specialized requirements and techniques. It’s discussed separately in Part 2 of this series.

COCK TORTURE

The cock shaft can take a great deal of punishment when it is flaccid. However, the rigid cock is a rather delicate member. Stretch the flaccid cock out over a bondage table and flog away (obviously “meat” types provide the best target), or tie the balls back and out of the way and let it dangle down while you treat it like a pinata with your hand or a stick or whatever. Squeeze it with your hands, twist it, jerk on it, try to tie it in a knot. I like to use test tube clamps, the kind the wing nuts to tighten them, or other large clamps on the cock shaft. All these are possible with the flaccid cock, but should NEVER be used on a hard cock.

Think of a balloon. Empty or filled with air, it will take a lot of squeezing, stretching and hitting. Fill it with water and punch it, and it bursts. The same with a cock. Empty, it is tough; filled with blood, a corpus callosum can easily rupture. And a ruptured corpus callosum is a serious injury that is difficult to repair.

The corpus spongiosum which makes up the body of the glans is much tougher. It has a much denser structure with smaller openings to fill with blood, and it never becomes quite as firm as the copora callosa. Thus, the erect cockhead can take a great deal more punishment, more safely, than the cock shaft. However, it is small target and you must be quite precise. Clamps on the corona or other parts of the cockhead could be quite painful.

When clamping or beating the penis, either hard or soft, it is best to confine the blows or clamp fingers to the top and sides of the shaft, and avoid putting pressure on the underside of the cock. The urethra runs along this and its lining is tender and could be bruised by blows or a biting clamp. There is unlikely to be serious damage, but why cause any when it is so easily avoidable?

TESTICLE TORTURE

Aside from piercing and electricity, which be considered separately, virtually all forms of testicle torture are variations on the application of pressure. Pressure from striking, pressure from squeezing, pressure from stretching – the nervous systems ability to interpret pressure on the testicles as pure, unmitigated, stomach-churning pain, makes a man’s testicles his Achilles’ heel for torture.

A human hand is a marvellous testicle torture tool – just grab them and squeeze. However, what often happens is that one of the slippery little buggers jumps out of the squeezing grip, shrieking in special pain as it does. This is an “oops” and should not happen.

To prevent it, first situate the nuts at the bottom of the bag, then twist the bag around 180 degrees to a full 360. Then squeeze. Now the nuts are much less likely to escape the torturing hands. Even more efficient is to apply a ball stretcher or winding of cord to trap the balls in the base of the sac before beginning to squeeze.

The pressure can be applied in a continuous fashion, as with a spring clamp; in jolts, as from a fist or truncheon; or in combination. Testicle beating can range from a fist, knee or kick to the crotch [restricted to those very experienced Tops who know how to prevent a serious injury], to the maddening tapping of tightly bound testicles with a pencil. One heavy blow can provide gut wrenching agony that lasts a long time. Repeated light blows can provide a constant level of pain, and the anticipation of increase.

The testicles are somewhat plastic and will respond to pressure from one direction by bulging out in another direction. Thus, for instance, if a clamp is applied, the initial intense pain will gradually lessen as the testicle accommodates to the pressure by expanding elsewhere. There are several ways to minimize this accommodation and keep the pain level intense. One is to frequently increase the pressure. I particularly like clamps with screw or other infinitely adjustable pressure plates. These can be tightened at frequent intervals to keep the pressure on both the balls, and the mind, of the victim. Spring loaded clamps, including those using heavy elastic bands, also keep the pressure on continuously. Moving the clamp around, tapping it with a stick, or jerking on it will also help wake up sleeping nerves.

If the pressure is coming from stretching, usually from dangling weights, the pressure can be varied by swinging the weights, by tapping them with a stick, or otherwise making them vibrate, or by bouncing them.

One of my favourite new toys is an auto body shop dent pulling hammer. This is a rod with a sliding circular weight. Hang it from the balls, raise the weight and let it fall the length of the rod, thudding to a stop at the bottom [NOTE: this procedure should be done by an experienced Top or with the guidance of an experienced Top only!]. When he recovers, do it again. They come in a variety of sizes and weights.

Naturally there are limits to the amount of weight that can be supported by the scrotum. What are those limits? I don’t know, again because I do not know of anyone who has exceeded them. I am certain that a man’s body weight would be too much, particularly if applied with a jerk, as with a fall. However, I do know a man who used to tie a rope around his chest under the arms, pass it up through a ring in the ceiling and then down to his scrotum. He would support himself above the floor, face up by arms and legs, then slowly lift his arms and legs until he hung just by his shoulders and his balls. Once again, this procedure should be done by an experienced Top or with the guidance of an experienced Top only!

This is much more weight than I think most could stand, but he did it. We used to have a ball weight lift contest at Inferno. One year there was a three-way tie for first place with all three finalists lifting 83 pounds. (The only weight we had left was 5 pounds and none of the three could lift 88 pounds.) That was the last year we had the contest because we were afraid that someone would do serious injury trying to lift more. The injury here is probably not to the testicles themselves, but to the spermatic cord and its component parts.

There are probably as many designs for ball crushers as there are mousetraps. According to legend, Nazi interrogators had many variations. The main problems with most designs are keeping the balls correctly positioned between the crusher plates, providing uniform pressure, and positioning the contraption on the body. Various designslike the “Quick Grip” bar clamp do work, but require constant adjustments.

While I love the feel of a man’s scrotum in my hands, I have come to the realization that I can more effectively torture a man’s balls if I wrap them in an elastic bandage. Start by wrapping the neck of the scrotum to form something of a ball stretcher, then wrap the balls themselves. Stretch the bandage as you wrap and its inherent elasticity applies pressure to the balls. This pressure is coming evenly from all sides, so there is no accommodation. It is relenting. The major advantage is that the balls are stabilized inside the scrotum. They can no longer slide over each other or slip away from pressure points. Thus wrapped, I can squeeze with my hands, punch with a fist, beat with a stick or other tool, or clamp with any variety of ball crushers. The bandage keeps everything in a neat and compact package ideal for torture.

The fibrous capsule encasing the testicles is very tough, but it can be ruptured. This is a very serious injury, immensely painful, and generally resulting in the loss of the testicle. The only cases of ruptured testicle I know of were caused by sharp blows which trapped the striking force against a hard surface. The usual cause has been a knee to the crotch catching the testicle between the punishing knee and the owner’s pubic bone. But it could just as well by caused by laying them out on a bondage board and hitting them with a truncheon, or by tightening a crusher too tightly. In the latter case, it is likely the victim would pass out before the ball ruptures.

Tortured testicular tissues can and do swell. A bottom into ball torture should have a good idea of how his balls react to various amounts of punishment and, if there are potential problems here, should communicate these to the Top in advance of a scene. Some heavy bottoms love the feeling of swollen balls for days after a scene, but I would caution them that this should not happen too frequently or there might be permanent damage. And too severe a swelling inside the testicular capsule can cause just as much pain as pressure from the outside, and could even cause rupture.

MORE ON COCK AND BALL TORTURE IN PART 2!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tony DeBlase (1942-2000) was a longtime leather activist, co-founder of the Leather Archives and Museum, publisher of Drummer magazine and designer of the Leather Pride Flag. He was also a world expert on bats (hence his literary nom de plume Fledermaus). He was inducted into the Leather Hall of Fame in 2010, as “perhaps the most transformational figure in the history of the leather community”.

Drummer Magazine was an influential gay leather journal, published in the US from 1975 to 1999. Some of the issues have been scanned and uploaded in full and are available on Scribd and the Leather Archives and Museum has a full set of 241 covers on Pinterest.

This article first appeared in S/M Perspectives (Vol 2, Issue 1), independently published in Vancouver by Rainfall Press.