Cock Rings 101

So after I wrote this piece of (NSFW) whimsy the other night, a couple of people got in touch with more serious questions about cock rings. Questions like “hey, I don’t really understand cock rings – what exactly do they do?” And “ouch, that looks painful – is it painful??” I would never pretend to be a sex toy expert, but as this is one area where I have a reasonable amount of experience, I thought I’d answer their questions (and hopefully a few more) in a blog post.

First, the basics. A cock ring, as the name suggests, is literally a ring that goes around (the base of) the penis – and usually the testicles too. Typically made from leather, rubber, silicone or metal, it either stretches to fit over your genitals, or can be adjusted and tightened once it’s in place. Guys with especially large (or small) dicks may find they have to go for one of the adjustable options, and these do tend to be a little pricier, but for most men the stretchy rings will work just fine. I own one of each at the moment, both of which I’d happily recommend. You can see photos of them in use here and here (both links super-NSFW, obviously); if you want to know more about the specific models and where to buy them, just hit me up via email or Twitter.

Cock rings work by constricting blood flow out of the penis. This means that blood stays in the erect penile tissue for longer, keeping everything nice and firm and ready for action. Unsurprisingly then, they’re great for guys who have trouble maintaining erections – or who just want to stay hard for a really long time.

There is also evidence to suggest that they can help prevent premature ejaculation, though solid research on this is hard to come by. When worn over the testicles, the ring puts pressure on the ducts that carry semen to the penis, potentially restricting the ability to orgasm; on the other hand, the increase in sensitivity and sheer, horny stimulation can easily have the opposite effect (trust me on this…), so I’m more cautious about endorsing that particular theory.

Either way, for all their practical value, the real joy of using a cock ring definitely lies more in all the fun, filthy ways you can incorporate them into your play, whether on your own or with a partner. Here are just a few of the reasons why I’m a fan…

1. They do just make everything look – and feel – bigger. My dick, my balls, the whole lot. When I’m wearing a cock ring, my erection is almost painful in its intensity, as if the skin and veins are being stretched to bursting point. If huge, visibly throbbing erections are your thing, cock rings are the happy shortcut to getting them. When my dick is that hard, I can sometimes see the excitement on my partner’s face as she wraps her hand around it, or takes the extra girth inside her, and that obviously gets me even hornier too.
2. All that trapped blood definitely does make my whole cock more sensitive to the touch. It doesn’t matter whether I’m stroking my hand firmly over the head, or just brushing a finger along the shaft, I notice the difference immediately; when someone else is touching me, it becomes even more achingly apparent.
3. The contrast between that heightened sensitivity and the slight restriction on my ability to come, makes cock rings perfect for edge play and orgasm denial. I frequently use one of mine when I want to have a long, teasing solo session, sometimes coupled with a butt plug for a bit of additional prostate stimulation. Between the two, it doesn’t generally take long before I’m a squirming, sticky mess – my cock smeared with lube and pre-cum, and almost ribbed in texture, so prominent are the veins. It’s sometimes more than I can bear; the pressure gets more intense each time I coax myself closer to the edge, and eventually my whole body tingles with the need to let it all come flooding out.
4. Of course, that kind of set-up is even sexier when it’s someone else calling the shots, whether in person or via phone/Skype. In a long-distance relationship, adding a cock ring to cyber sessions gives my partner an extra bit of visual stimulation, but it also enhances the dynamic whenever we decide to play around with that kind of voice control. The impact it has on my desire to come is very difficult to hide; even when she can’t watch my face screw up and my hands ball into fists, I know that the tension in my voice is enough to betray how riled-up and desperate I am.
5. If my partner is in the room, more options open up. It’s a huge turn-on watching someone fit the ring around my cock and balls, for example, especially if she tells me while she’s doing it that I’m not allowed to come until she gives me permission to do so. That command might be followed by a long, teasing blow job, with every smooth swirl of her tongue its own little act of torture. Or maybe she’ll straddle my thighs and reach down to hold my cock perpendicular to my body, so she can just rub her cunt and clit over the tip for as long as it takes to make herself come, while I silently beg her to sink all the way down onto it.
6. Then there’s the orgasms themselves, which as well as being more intense, also somehow literally feel hotter when I’m wearing a cock ring. It’s as if all that blood has raised the core temperature of my dick, so when cum pumps up through the shaft it reaches the surface charged with that extra warmth and energy. Again, that has a further, visceral impact on how my orgasms look. I shoot further and harder with a cock ring – spunk that might normally land on my stomach ends up on my chest or neck, if I’m coming on a partner’s face or body there’s apparently a greater ferocity to the way it spurts out over her.
7. Finally, rather than softening shortly after orgasm, my cock will stay hard for a long time with the ring still tight around the base. As a result, if we’re fucking and she’s not ready to stop, leaving it there also gives us the option to carry on until she’s finished.

As for whether they’re painful? That’s an easy one – no, they’re not…if you know what you’re doing. Like all sex toys, cock rings need to be used in a safe, responsible way, and that means reading up on some of the dos and don’ts before you jump right into playing with one. I’m not going to list those, but there is plenty of guidance out there on how to choose and fit a cock ring, so please do check it out if you’re curious – Google is your friend on this one.

So there you have it: Cock Rings 101! If you have a question I haven’t answered, or there’s something you’d like to add that other people might find useful/interesting, please do leave a comment under this post – I’ll then edit and build on it accordingly.