The paddle

 

Some kind of paddle, a flat and mostly rigid instrument for hitting people, especially on the buttocks, have probably been utilized as early as somebody discovered that a spanking, if hard and long, hurts the hands of the spanker. Replacing the hand with an instrument was an obvious step.

 

If I could guess, I should say that sandals or the like were the first objects used as a paddles as most people had one, they are flat and stiff, with almost the perfect shape for the task, and are always at hand (or should I say at foot?). In support of my theory I will state the fact that the slipper (used mostly by women, even when men also use it) is a favorite all over the world, in all cultures.

 

Anyway, there are very few references to specialized instruments until a couple of centuries back.

 

The paddle itself is like the ones used in several sports, a wooden instrument with a handle and a flat head, its size varying between 1 1/2 foot in the ones used for over the knee spanking to the more than 3 feet of the ones used for slave punishment.

 

Several shapes where used for the head, round, oval, oblong and rectangular being the most common. Some specialized heads are the one with two oval sections, supposedly to hit both buttocks simultaneously, and, nowadays, some with a hand shape or even looking like a heart, made as novelties for erotic spankings.

 

There are also some paddles made of stiff rubber or leather. The ones made of leather are usually made of several layers to make them stiffer and modernly reinforced with a sheet of steel or plastic between the layers.

 

The head could have holes, to avoid the cushioning produced by the air trapped between the head and the skin. Some say that this feature was invented in the ‘30s by a teacher called Harold Spencer, that developed the so-called “Spencer paddle” to use on his pupils, but there are older drawings (see below) showing holed paddles being used for punishing slaves.

 

The first historic reference we've found about the use of some form of the paddle is from 1816. Then, in conflicts between Catholics and Protestants in France, in the city of Nimes, protestant women were beaten in the bare buttocks with “battoirs”, (a flat heavy implement for beating the clothes while washing), with the added detail of a fleur-de-lis pictured by the protruding points of nails driven thru the wood. The instrument (without the fleur-de-lis) had been commonly used for domestic punishments.

 

 

From about the same time is the paddle for punishing slaves. We all relate slavery with the single tailed whip, and it was the preferred implement for punishments. But after the slave import ban by the British and the USA in 1808, the price of slaves raised (as also the price of tobacco, sugar and cotton). As the scars left by the whip tended to drive down the price of a now more valuable slave, it was not wise whipping them as before. Slave owners take advantage of the fact that they could beat a slave into unconsciousness without leaving any scares by using a large paddle instead of the bullwhip, and its use became much more common.

 

 

Nowadays the paddle as an instrument for punishing children is related mainly to the USA, where it is the traditional spanking implement.

 

In the area of domestic punishments, the paddle itself was less common that other paddle-like objects, because unless the man of the house (or a gentle uncle, or other generous relative) had the woodworking ability for doing one (not very much required, anyway), they had to be bought, and that expenditure was not necessary, having at hand other common implements.

 

The actually favorite paddling instrument at home in the USA was (is?) the hairbrush. Any hairbrush with a flat wooden back can be used, and all women had one. The ones with a short handle are ideal for over the knee spankings, while a longer handle makes them useful for hitting with the child bent over the edge of the bed, a table, or the kitchen counter.

 

Other of the mothers' choices was the wooden spoon, preferably a large and heavy old one made with hardwood. The spoon can be severe, because most of the weight is on the head, that goes faster when hitting, and its convex back tends to concentrate the force of the impact in a small surface, almost a single point. It is used with the children on the knees, or bent over the kitchen counter.

 

In English and American schools the canvas topped and rubber soled shoe used for gym, you can call it sneakers, gymshoe or plimsoll or even slipper (no matter whether it was an actual slipper or not) was used for punishing pupils on the buttocks. It is the favorite of physical education teachers.

 

Also other common kitchen implements were used, like wooden spatulas, breadboards or cutting boards, flyswatters, another favorite, the 12 inch ruler, and more recently, the ping pong paddle.

 

The wicker carpet beater was used mostly in Southern  Europe (“battipani” in Italy “pala de sacudir alfombras” in Spain and “tapi-tapis in France). As it is fairly long, was used with the child bending over furniture or holding their ankles.

 

 

Today, when in most countries the physical chastisement of children at school is banned, 23 southern States of the US maintain it and the paddle is the preferred instrument. From a couple of swats with a short paddle at the classroom, to a formal punishment of five with the long paddle at the Dean’s office, pupils of both sexes and in all school grades are punished.

 

The most used paddle is about 2 feet long, 3 inches wide and ½ inch thick paddle nicknamed the Dean’s paddle.

 

 

In this environment, the swats are usually delivered with the children bending, resting on a desk.

 

The state were most paddlings are given is Texas. Sometimes parental acceptance is required (and most parents do accept), and in some the children are given the option between suspension and paddling (one swat for each day). Many children chose a paddling as punishment.

 

In 2001 there was even a judicial paddling in Texas. A judge made a father give 3 swats with a paddle on the buttocks to his son for truancy. It was afterwards decided that the judge had not the authority to impose such a punishment, and it was considered illegal.

 

The paddle was so common a punishment that the tourist's souvenir shops sold paddles with inscriptions as "The board of Education", "Heat for the seat", "Applied psychology" and the like.

 

 

As a curiosity, a guy named Joel Salvati, from New Kensington, Pennsylvania, USA, received in mid 2002 a “call”, and his mission on this Earth is giving off paddles for punishing children. Visit http://www.spare-rods.com/. He has instructions on how children should be punished, and you can order a paddle (with the inscription “Love, Joey”) just for the shipping cost. (I don’t know if he ships internationally).

 

Published: 11/28/03