Hand-spanking

A hand-spanking is a spanking on the spankee's bottom given with the spanker's palm of the hand, as opposed to using a spanking implement. In British English, this is called a "smacking".

Traditionally hand-spankings are given to small children who are too sensitive for a spanking with an implement. However since the 20th century when spankings became milder, hand-spankings have also become fashionable for older children.

Do not confuse the term "hand-spanking" with slapping a child's hand or hitting the hand for punishment with a cane, strap, tawse, or ruler (striking the hand).

Erotic hand-spanking
Hand-spankings are also very popular in adult erotic spanking since they don't hurt too much, provide a more intimate feeling, invite gentle rubbing and bottom-caressing in between the spanks, and come with practically no danger of bruising or other lasting marks even after a long spanking.

Hand-spanking offers a greater range of variation than any implement, from the gentlest pats to the most stinging slaps. You can spank with your fingers only, or with your palm. You can keep your wrist rigid (like a paddle) or flexible (like a strap). You can hold your hand flat or cupped. You can smack right on the buttocks or strike them in a glancing sideways motion. You can even spank with both hands, like bongo drumming. The variations are endless (see the section hand-spanking techniques below for more).

Hand-spankings are the preferred technique for warm-up spanking. They also offer the advantage of giving the spanker a much better feedback of how the spanks feel to the spankee, since the spanks are directly echoed into the spanker's hand.

The latter, however, can also be a disadvantage as a hand-spanking can soon come to a point that literally "hurts the spanker more than the spankee". If the spanking isn't considered enough by that point, it can simply be continued with an implement. Or the spanker can wear a (preferrably, close-fitting) glove to reduce the sting to his or her hand, such as a latex, vinyl, or leather glove. The glove can also be fingerless.

Hand-spanking techniques
The following are a few popular hand-spanking techniques. Creative spankers will no doubt come up with many more variants.
 * The resting slap. The hand spanks and remains on the buttock for a while, waiting for the vibrations to fade and for the spank to 'sink in'. This works best if you 'make' your hand big and heavy, and go for thud rather than sting.
 * The flicking slap. The hand is pulled away from the buttock in a wavy motion and with the right timing so that only the spanker's fingers make a very brief and flicking contact. This technique is good for giving stingy slaps in a quick series.
 * The off-the-wrist slap. Almost identical to the "flicking slap", this method incorporates the flicking slap, but is more "meaty", as the entire hand makes contact with the posterior, yet the slap is not heavy handed, nor does it loose any of desired quality sought in the flicking slap. The off-the-wrist slap comes from a flexible wrist and minimal forearm movement, the "english" on the slap is slightly upward as the hand makes momentary contact with the lower curves of the posterior.
 * The petting slap. Like the resting slap, but the hand is not lifted up for the next spank, but pulled sideways over the surface of the buttock with a little pressure, all the way until it loses contact, as if the buttock was magnetic (or as if to rub the spank in).
 * The glancing slap. The hand makes only a glancing contact with the buttock, with a great sideways speed component, reflecting like a skipping pebble. Try alternating upward and downward spanks, or do a series of upward spanks only.
 * Cadence is an important factor in spanking. In hand-spanking it can add another component in slapping technique. Generally speaking, "control" is the basis of a good spanking, so cadence is an extension of the control of the spanker. If the spankee realizes that the cadence of the spanking is certian, regardless if it is a slap and then lecture, then slap again, or just a steady unbroken cadence, ranging from a trot to a gallop, he is out of control. It will add to the excitement of both top and bottom.

Pauses
Things to do in the breaks between series of hand-spanks for a good erotic spanking:
 * caress/pet the buttocks
 * knead the buttocks (can hurt some more, but also ease the pain)
 * go lightly over the skin with your fingernails (can "awake" it from numbness and cause a nice shiver reaction)
 * correct/alter the spankee's position, make sure it is comfortable for both
 * check how he/she is doing
 * massage/caress the spankee's back and/or back of legs, draw the line of his/her spine, etc.; to make him/her feel comfortable and to increase his/her body and position/nakedness awareness
 * hold/massage the spankee's back of the neck, hair, etc.
 * play with water, ice cubes, oil, lotion, ...
 * play with genitals