Rope and shibari classes: what a beginner class is like

Why a class, not a video

Rope is one of the few areas of kink where the risk is physical and immediate. Nerve damage from a badly placed wrap can take months to settle, and a video can't see what you are doing.

An in-person teacher will correct your hand position in the first ten minutes and save you a year of bad habits. Most cities have a beginner class every month or two.

What a first class looks like

Two to three hours, usually on a weeknight or a weekend afternoon. Ten to thirty people. The teacher demonstrates, then everyone practises in pairs while the teacher walks the room.

You will learn one or two ties, not ten. A single column tie and something like a chest harness is a normal first evening. Clothes stay on.

Going without a partner

Most beginner classes welcome solo attendees and will pair you up or let you tie on your own leg. Say so when you book, so the teacher can plan the numbers.

If a class insists on couples only, that is worth knowing before you arrive.

What to bring

• Rope, if the class doesn't provide it. Two or three lengths of 8 metres is a normal start.
• Safety shears, the blunt-nosed kind that cut rope but not skin. Non-negotiable.
• Clothes you can move in that cover what you want covered.
• Water, and a notebook if you are the sort of person who takes notes.

Buying your first rope

Jute and hemp are what most Japanese-style teachers use, and they hold a tie well. They cost more and need conditioning. Cotton and nylon are cheaper, softer and easier to wash, and are perfectly good to learn on.

Ask what the teacher uses before you spend money. Buying the wrong rope first is the standard beginner expense.

Safety, briefly

Learn where the nerves run in the arm before you tie arms. Keep shears within reach of the person tying, every single time. Nothing around the neck. No suspension until you have been taught by someone in person, for much longer than one class.