To Dearest Lizbeth
*
Experienced disciplinarians are familiar with the behavior known as clenching. The person being spanked, caned, or paddled seeks to press his or her buttocks close together in a vain attempt to avoid the pain that is inevitably coming. The dominant finds clenching annoying because it may affect the accuracy of the cane or brush stroke. What's more, the attempt to diminish the impact of the blow is a clear sign of resistance.
There are many ways to deal with this offenseβfor resistance of any kind must be dealt with firmly by any disciplinarian. The most traditional, and the one preferred especially by teachers and mothers with naughty girls and boysβof whatever ageβacross their laps is to adjust the number of strokes that will be given. Each time the buttocks are clenched, the naughty one is told that that stroke did not count.
Some prefer to stamp out the resistance by stronger penalties. "Every time you clench that naughty bottom," one woman says, "you will get two more strokes added to your punishment." If the sub who clenches is receiving a spanking, the proper response may be to warn him or her that further clenching will see the punishment stepped up to a caning, or if it is already a caning, then a larger and more severe cane will be used.