Shibari Skills

Rope, yards and yards of it. Rope till you bleed because of the friction. And then, rope till you don’t know where your fingers end and where the rope begins. Rope has accompanied sailors for centuries; it’s one of their greatest allies. So, when I joined the Navy, I practiced for endless hours and days with rope. I learned all kinds of knots. I also learned to tie quickly. No kidding, I can handle long ropes, short ropes, soft ropes, harsh ropes; you get the point! I never thought they would be the basis for my Shibari skills.

I left the Navy eight months ago. Frankly, I miss it from time to time, but I think it was the best thing to do. It’s time for me to settle with my girlfriend and stay in one side of the globe. And yet, I had started my new life barely for a few weeks, when I started feeling pain in my fingers. When it expanded to the back of my hands, I went to see a doctor. He told me that I had gotten so used to handling rope, that I couldn’t quit just like that, and stop doing once and for all. He gave me two options, either I continued practicing with rope, gradually devoting less time to it, or I found something else where I could apply my knotting skills.

Now, my girlfriend is a little bit kink, so she was familiar with Shibari. She asked me to try it. After all, my knotting skills might be suitable for something that could be a lot more fun than drilling knots, as if I were still in the Navy, grounded. Not to mention that it is a lot sexier tying my girlfriend than being alone in the garage making knots for no purpose.

It was a great idea! I bought a manual, and it didn’t take long before I could do all the basic knots, and even some of the advanced ones. My girlfriend and I have some of the best time together, and my hands don’t hurt anymore. And that’s how I turned my navy skills into Shibari skills.

This is my Shibari story.