Introduction to Fisting – 1  First, a loose definition (Taken from 'The Art of Fisting' by Jack Morin, Ph.D)

Fisting is the process of inserting a hand or hands into the anus or vagina. I have no experience with vaginal fisting, and since this is a predominantly gay site, all information should be taken to refer to male/male anal fisting only, however this shouldn't lead you to assume that heterosexual fisting doesn't occur. Fisting has a long history. The earliest reference I've come across, was from circa 200BC in India, where a test of relaxation during meditation was for a priest to insert his hand in the anus of his charges. The likelihood is that fisting has gone on for most of man's history, but only now has it become a subject which has gained a degree of general awareness. It is still a subject which provokes extreme negative reactions among those who don't practice it.

A fister, could be said to have two things to come out about. First, about being gay and second, about being into fisting. Many friends will be judgmental about this choice, but these judgments are often based of assumptions which are false to fact, and based on common misconceptions, some of which are listed and answered below. A guy who gets fisted, will end up with a sloppy hole, which isn't worth screwing. It's true that when learning to be fisted, a guy will learn to accept more into his hole than others, and that he will learn to relax and open his hole. But this doesn't mean that when he chooses to, he can't tighten his hole as much as he wants to. I recently heard of a fisting bottom who while being screwed by a guy, was told that he was surprisingly tight given his love of being fisted. The fistee clenched his hole to demonstrate how tight he could be, and did so so tightly, that it caused the guy screwing him, significant pain.

If you get fisted, you'll be unable to control your bowel movements later in life!
This is simply untrue. Learning to take a fist, is more than anything else, about learning conscious control over what your hole is doing. I've known of guys in their seventies, who have been fisted literally for decades, who still have total control over their bowel movements, while those around them of the same age are beginning to experience difficulties, without ever even having been fucked. If you get fisted, you're bound to do some damage inside that's going to cause long term health problems. When fisting is done properly, the risk of injury is much lower than for many other everyday activities like the playing of sports. It is important that both parties should have good communication between them, and that the top listens both to the bottoms verbal and non-verbal language. If this happens, injury is extremely unlikely.

It's important that at least one of the pair is experienced!
That way he can guide the less experienced player in the right way to make things work, and can teach techniches both for increased safety, and for increased pleasure. One of the most dangerous scenarios in fisting, is when two fisting virgins decide to 'have a go' without any idea of how to go about it. This seldom works, and often puts both guys off for life. In extreme circumstances, it can cause injury to the bottom. If you're into fisting, you must be kinky about shit. While it's obviously true that the butt is used for shitting, if you're healthy and regular, the rectum is usually empty and surprisingly clean, except immediately before it's ready to be emptied. Part of learning about taking a fist, is learning about the natural rhythms of your body, and how to use them to help ensure cleanliness. The vast majority of guys 'clean out' before fisting, and it's not very often that any unexpected material shows up. When it does, it's easily taken care of and really presents no major problems.

If you take a fist, it's REALLY got to hurt?
When it's done right, the sensation is PURE pleasure. I'm a exclusively a top, and I'm often struck that the pleasure they receive is way beyond anything experienced in other forms of sex. They quite literally often end up in another state of consciousness where all they experience is ecstasy. Of course, if it's done wrongly, fisting can be painful, but so can any form of sex. Pain is usually the result of either lack of good technique, or taking things too quickly. Except with very experienced bottoms, one of the keys is to go slowly and take lots of time.

You've got to take drugs to take a fist?
Simply not true. Fisting scenes can be entirely successful without drugs. Of course many choose to use drugs while fisting, but this again is the case with all forms of sex. Fisting and drugs are not necessarily connected. If drugs are involved, it is important that both the top and the bottom remain clear headed enough to exercise good judgment. If judgment is impaired, problems in the form of injuries can occur, especially if the bottom has taken a substance which depresses the perception of pain. A purely personal view, and one which is not shared by all experienced fisters, is that the best fisting sessions take place where no chemical enhancements are used. The play in a drug free session can be just as wide, deep and extreme as in one where drugs are used. It simply requires that good technique should be used and plenty of time taken.

Fisting is not an activity which suits everyone, but this doesn't mean that it should be stigmatized. As gay or bisexual men, we should recognize that diversity is a positive thing, and that acceptance of the preferences of others, is a sign of maturity and common sense. It's a pity that some people have chosen to adopt fisting as an activity which they can use to make themselves feel morally superior to those who practice it.

Taken from 'The Art of Fisting' by Jack Morin, Ph.D.