A fun and ropey afternoon was had by all at the inaugural Bedford Peer Rope group in May, where, after a safety talk were we learned things we never knew, the participants were divided into beginners and intermediate groups for more concentrated sessions.
The beginners were taken through the ropes (so to speak) by Trojan Princess (the organiser) and Christian Red (Rope Academy), while MRK and Xinran, also from Rope Academy, demonstrated the sensual side of rope before a detailed workshop on a leg harness that could then be added to a chest harness.
As sponsors of the event, it was also our very first public event. The first of many! It was fantastic to introduce what we are doing to everyone and be able to answer their questions first hand. The Figure of 8 paracord cuffs we donated as part of the raffle prize were examined and tried on by several attendees and it was great to hear that people loved that the cuffs were in purple and not just the standard black of so many toys. Although we do have black as well - it’s on Pixies favourite colour list!
So following on from the event, we thought we’d write up a little about it, and give you an idea of what to expect and how to make the most out of a peer rope day.
1 Safety
At the start of the event, there was an excellent talk about safety from Trojan Princess, assisted by the extremely knowledgeable MRK and Xinran, and although they went over a lot of basic things to look for and do, all of it was important and worthwhile, even for the most experienced attendees. It’s very easy to gloss over this, but people don’t always think about what to do when rope goes wrong, or what to look for when you are tying someone.
Firstly, have a pair of safety shears with you ALL THE TIME.
I don’t think I can stress this one enough. A knife or normal scissors will not do as it’s far too easy to hurt the person rather than help them. Safety shears are easy to get and cheap, so get a couple of pairs and have them to hand. They can stop you making a silly mistake, and make cutting through rope and clothing easy while keeping your rope bunny safe.
But also, do you know where you should and should not tie? Do you know the signs of nerve damage? Do you know how to treat nerve damage? How well do you know the person you are playing with? Are they competent? Do they know their limits? Do they know your limits? These are all important things to understand for both the person doing the tying and the one being tied. One of the advantages of going to a peer rope event is that there will always be someone there to help you with this kind of information.
2 Learning
If you want to go to one of the peer rope events simply to play then you are probably missing out on one of the most important aspects of the event; learning from the other people you are there with.
Again we got lucky at this event that the instructors are well known and really know their stuff. I learnt a hell of a lot just from watching how they interacted with people and how they handled the rope.
But you don’t have to have amazing instructors to learn new things. You’re all there because you have a passion for rope and want to learn how to be better. Talk to everyone else and see what they are doing. If you’re not sure how to do something or want to know more about how someone has done something, then just ask. It’s about the learning and sharing of knowledge.
3 Watch
Stepping back and watching can show you some do’s and don’ts as well. We were helping out a little at the event so I got to see what the intermediates and the beginners were doing. Even that showed me a few new ideas. You don’t have to be in the thick of the action to be able to take something away from an event like this. Step back and see the bigger picture. Maybe you will see something someone else is doing and think “Hmm, I never thought of that before.”
4 Try
For all the stepping back and watching, don’t be afraid to just jump in. If you don’t have someone to tie or to tie you, then ask around. Chances are someone will step up and offer to help (Obviously be aware of safety with this as well, but at an open event you should be fine). Rope is one of those things were knowing how to do it and actually doing it are two different things. There is a lot of theory to tying someone but nothing beats getting in there and just doing it.
Try not to feel intimidated by all the other people who are ‘better’ than you. Everyone has to start somewhere.
5 Have fun
The most important thing at an event like this is to have fun. These things can be scary but on the whole people are lovely, especially the ones who like to learn new things. You are there because you have an interest and want to do something with it, and that’s why everyone else is there, too, so don’t be shy!
No one is going to force you to do something you don’t want to do, but if you want to try this or learn more about it, you need to take the first step and actually give it a go.