I love Shibari Study, it is definitely one of the best online resources, however their ranking of “beginner” to “expert” appears to be completely random. It doesn’t account for difficulty for the bottom nor does it break out why a tie is intermediate.
Some ties which Shibari study has listed as “intermediate” which I disagree with vehemently due to the difficulty for the bottom and the importance of tension management for the top are the Reverse Prayer and Stappado. They also list the M suspension as a expert tie, which while it is a suspension it’s arguably the easiest suspension for both the top and bottom.
I feel like part of the issue is people tend to rank a ties difficulty only by the number of frictions and not how much prerequisite knowledge is needed for the top or level of flexibility is needed for the bottom.
Tie difficulty rubric
Beginner ties: requires no more than 3 knots or frictions and no understanding of tension of anatomy. For bottoms these positions should be accessible to your grandma, nothing requiring major flexibility or strength.
Intermediate ties: These ties require either
- Advanced/unique knots or more than 3 types of knots or frictions
- The tie requires appropriate tension to maintain it’s form
- The tie requires correct anatomical placement to maintain it’s form
For bottoms these ties require some body awareness but not extreme flexibility or strength.
Advanced Ties:
- requires risk management (neck rope, suspension, placement near nerves)
- The tie requires appropriate tension to maintain it’s form
- The tie requires correct anatomical placement to maintain it’s form
For Bottoms these ties require positions which are outside the normal range of flexibility (arms behind the back), body awareness and strength.
Expert:
- Suspension in combination with all the aspects of advanced ties.
- For Bottoms these ties require positions which are outside the normal range of flexibility (arms behind the back), body awareness and strength.