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GrizzlyBear -> RE: Breathplay (12/22/2006 8:50:14 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: PossiblyMaybe
In wrestling there are submission moves with choking someone out etcetera... there must be some way to do it safely or it wouldn't be part of such a publicized sport... right?
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The choke holds you see on TV in Pro Wrestling are just as fake as the rest of the sport. Amateur wrestling does not use chokes. However, Judo does incorporate choke holds. When I was learning them years ago, every student got choked out by the instructor. (You had to be studying for an advanced belt to learn these, and hold an advanced belt to use them in competition). Usually you have time to tap out (a surrender signal) before unconsciousness, but not always. Judo chokes all involve pressure against the carotid arteries, not against the windpipe.
No one has ever been killed by use of a choke hold in organized Judo competiton, according to records kept by the international association, in 50 some years since it was founded. However, not many judoka are overweight, middle aged, with arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure, either.
Statistically, as popular as breathplay is, there would be dozens of deaths per year if it were as dangerous as Jay Wiseman makes it sound. You probably have a bigger chance of choking to death on the food at the play party, than dying of a bit of breath play with a partner. Certainly you have a far higher chance of dying in a traffic accident on the way to the party. Certainly the risk of being struck by lightning is higher.
So - there is a risk. It is small, but it is there. The various mechanisms that Jay Wiseman talks about whereby death can result do exist. They are very unlikely, but they do exist. The potential consequences are severe enough to make the chance an important consideration.
Solo play is entirely another matter. Autoerotic asphyxiation kills an estimated 200 or more every year in the US.
Choking to unconsciousness also carries the risk of brain damage. When brain cells are deprived of oxygen, even briefly, some of them will die. We also lose brain cells through aging, alcohol, sleep apnea, etc.. If too many die, you start to lose brain function. How many is too many, and how long does it take? Who knows? An extreme example is a stroke, or the type of cumulative brain injuries that boxers get.
Much of what we do is risky, at least as risky as breath play. We all must consider our risks, and make our play decisions accordingly. For example, I fasten my seat belt. I wear condoms for sex. I use gloves for blood contact. I am vaccinated against HepB. I do suspension bondage because I have learned how to minimize the inherent risks. I do needles, but I follow sterile procedures for handling them, and thoroughly sanitize the skin first. These are ways that I manage my and my partner's risks.
In my younger days I was less cautious. I climbed mountains, I skiied, I jumped out of airplanes, I raced bicycles. Now I am more cautious and intend to make the most of what I have left, both time and body parts.
I have decided that, with consent, I am willing to put a hand over nose and mouth for a few seconds, but not to the point of loss of consciousness. I am willing to squeeze a neck, but not to the point of unconsciousness, nor to use the judo holds I know that can instantly cut off blood to the brain. I am not willing to choke somebody with a noose, or put a bag over their head. I am not willing to take the breath control past the few seconds needed to demonstrate the fact of control, and perhaps inspire a little struggling and a hint of panic. I consider this to be breath play, not asphyxiation play.
The reasons I don't do more than I do has to do with the fact that should there be a lightning strike, I am the one who risks prison time and a lifetime of guilt, all for their momentary pleasure. Not a good risk/reward ratio in my opinion. But then, I am one of those people who never buys lottery tickets either.
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