Fisting

Fisting, handballing, fist-fucking, brachiovaginal, or brachioproctic insertion is a sexual activity that involves inserting a hand into the vagina or rectum. Once insertion is complete, the fingers are either clenched into a fist or kept straight. Fisting may be performed without a partner, but it is most often a partnered activity.

Fisting’s emergence as a popular sexual practice is commonly attributed to gay male culture, with the additional sentiment that it may not have existed until the twentieth century. Robert Morgan Lawrence, a sex educator, however, believes the practice dates back thousands of years.

Start with one or two fingers and work your way up to three and then four. Most recipients need some time to further relax the muscles of their vagina or rectum, and some may require several “stretching” sessions, over weeks or even months, before they can actually get a whole hand in.

As more fingers are added to the insertion, they are squeezed together so the index and pinkie fingers are under the middle and ring fingers. When this configuration is pushed further inside, the thumb is inserted under the fingers. (Imagine you’re making shadow puppets and trying to do a duck.) This makes the hand into a wedge shape that allows gradual stretching of the orifice as study, but slow, pressure is applied.

Fisting can cause laceration or perforation of the vagina, perineum, rectum, and/or colon, resulting in serious injury and even death. In addition, sexual activities that cause air to enter the vagina can lead to a fatal air embolism, and the risk is probably even higher during pregnancy.

Anal fisting carries risks of colorectal perforation; participants are advised to use latex gloves and lubricant, and designate a safeword, the utterance of which will call an immediate halt to the activity. The practice, along with the insertion of hard objects into the anus, has been significantly related to the traumatization of the rectal mucosa in increasing the likelihood of infection, including Hepatitis B.