A Complete Catalog to 23 Spanking Positions !

The Four Basic Spanking Positions

In modern times, most common spanking practices fall into one of the following four positions.

Over the knee

Bend over

Bend over object

leaning

OTK-Type Positions

Over-the-Knee: The Origin and the Pinnacle

This is the most iconic and fundamental position in the world of spanking. If someone says spanking, OTK is usually what they mean.

Interestingly, despite being called “over the knee,” the spankee is typically positioned across the thighs rather than the knees themselves. In Japanese, too, people usually say “on the knees” instead of “on the thighs,” even though it’s actually the thighs.

1.【Basic】Ovet The Knee

This is the classic OTK position. In this posture, the spanker holds the body with one hand and delivers firm spanks with the other. It’s a highly efficient position, perfectly aligned with human anatomy—some might even call it a gift from the gods.

Because this position involves a high level of physical contact between the spanker and the spankee, it often carries a strong sense of either

• Domestic Punishment
• sexual play

Also, due to limited reach, it’s not suitable for using high-impact implements like paddles or canes. As a result, OTK spankings tend to be relatively mild. Whether in a domestic or playful context, it is often seen as a form of loving discipline.

OTK might look simple, but it’s actually pretty deep. Whether the spanker is sitting on a chair, on a bed, or kneeling on the floor like in a Japanese-style room, the spankee’s hip position changes—and so does the tension in the glutes. These little differences can really affect how easy it is to spank.

2.【Advanced】Over One Knee

There are two main types. One is where the spanker places one foot up on a raised surface and lays the spankee across that leg. You often see this in 19th-century school illustrations. The other is when the spanker kneels on one knee and puts the spankee over the raised knee—this one’s common in manga, usually showing an impromptu outdoor spanking for a child.

Both positions require a noticeable size difference between the spanker and the spankee to work properly.

Sometimes, people also call it “Over One Knee” when, in a regular OTK position, the spanker uses one leg to pin down the spankee’s legs, or when only one knee is being used instead of both thighs. But to be honest, that feels like over-classification—so on this site, we just group those under standard OTK.

Standing-Type Positions

1.【Basic】Bend Over（Hands On Knees ）

This is a basic position for punishments using implements, where the person bends forward with hands on their knees and sticks their bottom out.

Compared to the “bend over an object” position, this one is simpler but less stable because there’s nothing to lean on. At the same time, to keep balance without support, the spankee has to push their butt out even more—making it feel more embarrassing and silly. That’s why it’s often used in comedy or punishment games, like in Japanese variety shows, rather than serious scenes in films or manga.

It also looks funny and visually striking from the front, back, or side—making it a great pose for comedy.

Sometimes a similar posture without hands on the knees is called “bend forward,” but in the end, it’s a light and casual position.

….Actually, most people wouldn’t even think to give something like “stick your butt out” a formal name.

2.【Advanced】Bend Over（Touching Toes/Grabbing Ankles）

This is a bent-over position where the spankee touches their fingertips to their toes. A common variation is grabbing the ankles instead. Since they are essentially the same, this site treats them as a single type.

It’s also the classic position used in the traditional British punishment known as “six of the best.”

4.【Basic】Standing

This is a standing position for spanking. When standing upright, if the arms are left loose or hanging, the person might instinctively cover their bottom or accidentally get their hands struck. So the hands are usually kept in a fixed position.

In many Asian dramas, especially in school punishment scenes, it’s common to see the spankee standing with their arms folded while being whipped.

In practice, this position isn’t ideal for strong strikes, as the body tends to pull back, which can be unsafe. As a result, it’s often used more as a symbolic or formal punishment rather than a physically intense one.

5.【Advanced】Bowing

This is a type of bend-over position, but with only a slight forward angle—about 15 degrees—similar to a respectful bow. It’s an extremely systematic and dignified spanking posture.

Pushing the buttocks out too far can look crude or even comical, while standing completely upright makes it harder to strike effectively, as the impact tends to dissipate forward. This posture is meant to “present” the bottom for spanking in a refined and controlled manner.

Because of its subtlety, it’s not easy to explain or improvise on the spot. Instead, it’s often used as part of an established custom or understood ritual. Its elegance and restraint make it truly stand apart from other positions.

6.【Basic】Leaning

In this position, the spankee leans forward with their hands placed on a wall, using it to support their weight. While easy to manage, the lack of a full bend means the body is less stable—especially when force is applied forward—and it can shift position side to side or front to back.

Actually, this posture strikes a balance between formality and practicality. It allows for a clearer target area while avoiding the vulnerability or awkwardness of deeper bending poses. It’s commonly seen in school or military-style punishments, or when some level of control and restraint is needed without full submission.

This posture seems especially useful in limited spaces, such as small rooms during light punishment games like “butt batting,” or in classrooms where several people are lined up and made to place their hands on the wall. It works well in situations where space is tight and multiple people need to be handled efficiently.

7. 【Advanced】Kneeling

A position where the spankee is on their knees. Depending on the variation, they might kneel upright, lean forward, or rest their upper body on a surface like a chair or bed.

Kneeling is an inherently submissive act—throughout history and across cultures, it has symbolized hierarchy and obedience.

In practice, spanking someone while they are kneeling is actually quite rare. However, even outside of BDSM, kneeling is sometimes used before a punishment—as a way to wait in position—or after, during “corner time,” to reflect on the discipline received.

8.【Variant】Spirit-Injection

This is a spread-eagle stance where the spankee pushes their hips back and stretches both arms and legs wide, forming a big “X” shape. It’s kind of a hybrid position—combining the simplicity of standing with the stability of a bent-over posture. And visually? It’s super dramatic.

That said, it’s basically like doing a wall-sit without the wall. If the spankee doesn’t have strong core muscles, they’ll probably end up collapsing—or even landing hard on their tailbone.

9.【Variant】Murga

Murga” means “rooster” in Hindi.

The Murga is a traditional punishment posture commonly used in South Asia, especially in India. In this position, the person squats down, loops their arms behind their knees, and holds their ears—usually with the opposite hands (right hand to left ear, left hand to right ear).

Thanks to its low barrier—no tools required—its awkwardly funny appearance despite the physical strain it causes, and the striking visual of multiple people walking in it (the so-called “Murga parade”), the Murga is one of the most iconic forms of punishment.

It’s not a spanking position in the usual sense—the act of holding the Murga pose itself is the punishment. If spanking is involved, it’s generally secondary, used to push the person forward or keep them moving during the parade.

All-Fours and Lying-Type Positions

1.【Basic】Prone position

This includes the classic American-style spanking at home—lying face down on a bed while getting the belt. But when we focus specifically on spanking, it often works better to raise the hips by placing something underneath, bringing the body into a kind of “jackknife” position.

In general, when someone is lying face down—whether their arms and legs are stretched out like an “I”, “T”, or “X”—the back is usually the target, not the buttocks. That’s especially true when the position is flat on a table or the ground.

Of course, if the punishment is specifically intended to target the buttocks, that’s a different story. In historical dramas from China and Korea you’ll often see corporal punishments like stick beatings (konjang) that clearly involve spanking.

Normally, prone spanking uses long-reach implements. But in the case of reverse riding—where the spanker straddles the spankee’s lower back, facing the butt—it’s possible to spank with the hand. That said, since no implements can be used and hand strength is limited in that position, it’s usually more for play—like pretending to drum on someone, not serious punishment.

3.【Basic】Under The Arm

This is a position where the spankee’s body is held under one arm, tucked in at the side. It’s great for on-the-spot spankings, where the punishment is given immediately and without preparation. Because it involves a lot of physical contact, it often has a domestic or parental feel.

When there’s a noticeable size difference between the spanker and the spankee, the spankee may be lifted slightly—ending up tucked under the spanker’s arm, facing backward. Technically, it’s not a standing position, but since the posture is similar, it’s grouped here.

In anime or movies, whenever this position appears (usually during a chase or when someone’s being dragged away) spankos instinctively think: “Spank ! Spank now!” No matter what’s actually happening in the plot.

2.【Basic】Lunge Position

In this posture, the spankee takes a lunge stance—one leg forward, one leg back, knees bent—with their upper body leaning forward. This position creates a stretched, low center of gravity, offering stability while also emphasizing the curve of the buttocks.

In the world of Korean dramas, it’s not uncommon to see all kinds of characters punished in this position: from schoolgirls in uniform to a younger brother’s female friend, aspiring athletes, and even, incredibly, women in lab coats playing doctors. The posture, with the butt lifted skyward, is a visual constant.

There are also many cases where characters are punished in a group—lined up in the lunge position as part of collective responsibility. The sight can be impressive… or borderline absurd. If it’s a row of tough-guy trainees à la Sakigake!! Otokojuku, it turns into something straight out of a punishment-themed hellscape.

3.【Basic】On all fours

The all-fours position gives the spankee a lot of physical freedom. Because of this, and the fact that the body tends to shift forward when struck—absorbing the impact—it’s not necessarily the most ideal posture for spanking, despite how submissive it may look.

That said, it does work well with lighter-weight but high-impact implements like crops and floggers. And of course, the classic “horseplay” scenario—where the spanker rides on the spankee’s back or makes them crawl—is always done in this position.

4.【Advanced】Knee-Chest Position

In this position, the spankee kneels down and lowers their upper body until the chest is resting against the surface—usually a bed or padded bench—while keeping the hips raised. The back forms a steep angle, bringing the buttocks into a highly exposed and elevated position.

As a practical punishment position, the knee-chest posture isn’t all that useful—it’s actually less effective than being on all fours. Instead, it tends to carry strong sexual overtones. That said, it’s visually striking—both sexy and a little ridiculous—which is why you often see it in manga or anime when someone’s getting whipped in an exaggerated way.

Still, there’s one clear spanking-related advantage: while the all-fours position makes the butt face straight back, in the knee-chest position, the butt actually tilts upward. This makes it way better for things like “butt drumming.” All in all, it’s a funny, memorable position with its own unique charm.

5.【Variant】Jackknife

The term “jackknife” is also used as a name for a body position in surgical procedures.

The name is a metaphor, like a folding knife (jackknife), describing a sharply bent-over position. The spankee’s hips are raised high, while the upper body leans downward, usually resting on a bed, cushion, or bench.

Compared to simply lying flat, the jackknife position has several advantages:

• The butt is raised higher, making it easier for the spanker to strike.
• The cheeks are stretched in opposite directions, increasing surface area and allowing for better control of each strike.
• It prevents the spankee from tensing their glute muscles, which can reduce the impact.

it’s usually achieved by placing a cushion under the hips. However, in depictions of futuristic spanking machines, you might see platforms that automatically position someone in this pose for spanking.

6.【Variant】Diaper Position

This position involves the spankee lying on their back with their legs raised and pulled toward the chest—similar to how a baby is positioned during a diaper change. The hips are often slightly lifted, and the buttocks are exposed and angled upward.

In reality, spanking a child young enough to wear a diaper doesn’t make much sense—they’re too young to understand. On the other hand, keeping an adult in this position takes a lot of effort, both physically and logistically. Most importantly, there’s a real risk of accidentally hitting sensitive areas.

The shape and firmness of the buttocks are also lost in this posture, so as a spanking position, it’s not particularly appealing in terms of visual or tactile feedback. Honestly, it’s more of a niche thing, mainly suited for people specifically into erotic training or age-play scenarios.

Personally, I think it’s a very inefficient position—but hey, some people really like it.

Supported-Type Positions

1.【Basic】Bend Over Object

The gold standard of spanking positions—especially in schools, where it’s the default setup.

Unlike the “bend over, hands on knees” posture, this one involves leaning your body onto some kind of object—like a desk or chair—for support.

There are tons of variations, but some of the most common include:

• resting just the hands or forearms on the surface,
• leaning the full upper body onto the object,
• keeping the feet together or stretching the legs straight.

Each version affects how easy it is to spank, and how the glute muscles are positioned.

The more of the body that’s supported by the object, the more stable the spankee becomes—and that means more powerful, longer-lasting punishments can be delivered.

On spankingart.org, which we used as a reference for this page, they list the position where the torso is fully resting on a table as “half-standing / half-lying” and treat it as a separate category.

But honestly, it doesn’t feel all that different from a regular bend-over-object position, so on this site, we’re grouping it under that category—including the fully belly-down version.

This “belly-flat” style usually shows up with younger kids, like elementary school age, partly because it’s hard for them to hold their upper body up in mid-air during a spanking. Also, it just takes less effort if there’s space to lie down. That said, you’ll definitely see this pose with adults too.

2.【Advenced】Horsed Position

this refers not to being the horse, but to riding one. The horsed position can generally be divided into two main types.

The first uses a physical object like a vaulting horse or padded bench designed to support the spankee lying face down across it.

Unlike a punishment device like the triangular wooden horse, which works by minimizing contact, this version emphasizes a raised, stable position where the butt is pushed up—making it easier to strike. Sometimes the arms and legs are restrained, but often the position is stable enough without restraints.

The second version involves a younger spankee being carried piggyback-style, with their arms pulled forward and held across the spanker’s chest—kind of like grabbing the shoulder straps of a backpack from behind. This posture is used when the child is too small for furniture-based setups, and is meant to keep them safely in place.

You can often see this type of position in older British literature, where strict corporal punishment was applied even to children. The site admin has come across several examples: a maid carrying a young master on her back while the housekeeper delivers the punishment, or a senior student carrying a younger one while the teacher applies the strap. At first, it might seem like the “carrier” is also being punished—but in fact, it’s a way to ensure the small spankee doesn’t get hurt by accident.

3.【Advanced】Over The Shoulder

It’s sometimes written as OTS (Over-The-Shoulder), and its silhouette is every bit as striking and beautiful as the classic OTK position.

If we think of it purely as a spanking position, it could be seen as a variation of the underarm carry.

But in reality, this position is usually not used for spanking—it’s more about something else: carrying the spankee from one place to another.

In those cases, any spanking that happens tends to be more of a playful slap or a light warning, rather than serious punishment.

Even on SpankingArt.org, this position is noted to have a dedicated fanbase—and interestingly, it tends to be especially popular among women.

It even makes an appearance in “Fifty Shades of Grey,” and shows up frequently in shoujo manga (comics for girlse) in Japan, often as a romantic or dramatic gesture.

Of course, when spanking does happen, it can be delivered naturally, almost like tapping a drum—playful and rhythmic.

4.【Variant】Frame Restraint

It’s the kind of position that really only shows up in judicial punishments—formal, harsh, and meant to be intimidating.

This is a strict punishment position where the spankee is fully restrained against an A-frame or Singapore-style trestle and whipped. It’s specifically designed for corporal punishment targeting the buttocks.

Because it’s meant for severe penalties, the body is tightly secured to prevent any unintended movement or reflex reactions that could lead to injury. The setup ensures maximum control and precision for delivering powerful strokes.

That said, this position is typically associated with intense punishment—often resulting in bleeding. So for those who aren’t into the harder side of spanking, be warned.

Kunbaku-Type Positions

Suspension play looks beautiful, but honestly, I have no idea how any of it actually works.

That said, when it comes to rope bondage techniques (Kinbaku), Japan has some seriously hardcore tradition behind it.

1.【Special】Kote-Shibari Suspension

This is a position where the person is suspended with their arms tied behind their back, and their torso lifted into the air. Ideally, the body is horizontal, with the hips bent and the legs hanging down freely—forming an L-shape. Personally, I think this is one of the most beautiful forms in kinbaku suspension.

The butt is nicely pushed out, so in theory it should be pretty spankable… but since the person is literally hanging in the air, I imagine it’s hard to deliver strong strikes safely.

That said, in kinbaku-style spanking, it seems like the feet often stay on the floor. That makes it way more stable and easier on the rope tension, which probably makes for better, more controlled spanking.

…I guess

I have no idea whatsoever!

2.【Special】Tejo-shibari Suspension

This position involves the wrists being tied together and the person being suspended from above. As for variations, the most common (and maybe only practical) one is where the body just hangs straight down like a capital “I.”

If the ankles are tied as well, you could technically do an upside-down suspension or something like a “Suruga-doi” , but honestly, those setups aren’t really suited for spanking.

And let’s be real—if you actually suspend someone like this in real life, it’s no longer punishment, it’s just torture. (Unless you’ve got arms like a spy movie hero, maybe.) That’s why, in most real-life or filmed scenes, the feet usually stay on the ground for support.

Suruga-doi
(literally “Suruga-style interrogation”) was a form of torture used in feudal Japan. The victim was suspended upside-down by the ankles, with their hands tied, and sometimes a fire or other torment was applied below. It was designed to cause extreme pain and fear, often to extract confessions.