Health & Safety Guide

Latest Update: May 2024

Depth Play

Second Ring | Pubo-Rectalis | Pubo-Rectal Sling

It is generally considered that depth play is anything that goes beyond the Pubo-Rectalis, commonly referred to as the Second Ring.  It is virtually unheard for one to play deep and have pleasurable feelings at first. The Pubo-Rectalis plays a role along with the Third Ring at the entrance to the Sigmoid in controlling the overall process of elimination of feces.  The Second Ring is located anywhere from just inside the anus a few inches, up to 7” or 8” deep. On myself it’s about 7” inside and I can move it an inch or two depending on my position and any grunting or pulling I might exert on it.  The Second Ring generally divides the rectum with 2/3 before it and 1/3 past it and lies generally at the position where the rectum enters into the peritoneal space, all evidenced by the life experiences that most have ample room in the lower portion to explore plugs, toys and penetrative sex without ever involving it.

It’s important not to confuse the Second Ring with the valves of Houston, which can look a bit like the loop of the Pubo-Rectal Sling if looking inside a hole that is open and gaping.

Some people have to spend a lot of time desensitizing their Second Ring and learning to allow it to relax and straighten out the rectum, I sure did.  Some of my play buds had a much easier time of it, perhaps due in part to an anatomical difference that gave them an advantage.  I say this because depth progression must be taken at your own pace and without any judgement. It says nothing about your skill set so be kind to yourself and don’t let others tell you otherwise.  If it is your goal, eventually you will likely learn to allow it to relax and open at will.  Now that I’ve become accustomed to having the Second Ring played with it feels really good and adds an entirely new dimension to my play.

Third Ring | Rectal-Sigmoid Junction | RSJ

Beyond the Second Ring is another gateway located anywhere from 6 ½” to 12” from the anus. (Alazmani, 2016)  Recent studies into the landscape of the lower intestinal tract are revealing a wide range of lengths for the rectum and sigmoid among individuals.  Through toy play I have been able to determine that the gateway to my own sigmoid, the Third Ring, is about 11” deep, fairly average based on the large sample set I have gathered from many years of fisting.

In play, when I know I’m at or through it, I find it to be just to the right side of my navel (my right).  But at rest it lies about half way between my pubic bone and navel, still on my right side.  I know this because those times I’ve worked it hard it is sore the next day and I can actually feel it when just air passes through.

There have been new developments in the understanding of the Third Ring (Shafik, 1999) which corroborate much of the first-hand experience I’ve collected over the years.  Even though not all GI specialists yet agree on the exact make-up of the Third Ring, I strongly support the conclusion by Shafik and others that there is indeed an anatomical sphincter at the entrance to the Sigmoid from the Rectum as it corroborates everything the fisting community knows about it from tactile experience.  The uncertainty around it for us has always been what exactly this supposed ring was and if it was a ligament or attachment that was simulating a ring in feel only an thus could present a heightened potential for injury.  Shafik’s study puts to rest many of my own concerns by showing through anatomical dissection that it actually presents as a band about 1”- 1¼” in length, thicker in musculature and with increased enervation and vascularity than the adjacent areas of tissue on either side. It also appears that the Third Ring can form a small rosette of folds and project into the rectum slightly as a nipple surrounded by a fornix (pocket) of varying size on many individuals. The Third Ring is not fully formed at birth (Shafik, 1999) which could explain why there is variation in its structure among adults and thus varying levels of ability among depth players.

My use of the words “can” and “appears” throughout is intentional, for as with all the other research that has been occurring recently, (Alazmani, Lehman, Painter, Shafik), one common finding among them is that a far wider range in natural variation of the Large Intestine and Rectum exists among individuals than previously thought, so all of these characteristics will manifest to varying degrees.

How does this help us as extreme sports enthusiasts?  We finally have some medical research that shows it is a sphincter of sorts that can be coaxed open just like we once learned to do with the anus, and in similar fashion, the Second Ring. The research also revealed distention of the Third Ring triggers the reflex that manages the actions of a bowel movement (rectosigmoid-rectal reflex)  (Shafik, 1999)  which explains why playing with this gateway is so challenging, stirring up feelings that are a challenge to surmount.

I can recall the first times I was able to finally experience pure pleasure when penetrating the Third Ring, it was with my Leo 1X Long toy which is just under 7” around, the feelings of pleasure were so deep and intense. With repeated practice I was soon experiencing spontaneous full body orgasms often accompanied by the prostate/penile ones as well. Others over the years have reported to me the same deep body orgasms as well associated with this gateway.

The Sigmoid is the narrowest part of the large intestine, on average about 1” diameter (Alazmani, 2016) in a resting state, but can expand to volumes that accommodate large toys and hands over time. It’s important to keep this size reduction in mind when exploring the Sigmoid coming from the relatively expansive area of the rectum’s 1.4” resting diameter.

Deep fisting is all about getting this Third Ring adapted to the feeling of a hand manipulating it and perhaps going through it, not a small feat in the least. Most individuals in the community have worked 10 – 20 years to achieve this level of play injury free.  And some never get there despite their best efforts and desires to do so. One of the things in particular that the Alazmani research did was show there is a high degree of variation in the level of tortuosity and length of the Sigmoid.  So if you’re one of those individuals with a twisted and bunched up Sigmoid, your depth play may have to stop just beyond the Third Ring.

The importance of training on your own with toys cannot be understated, but equally important is having someone you know and trust to be able to explore the sensations with you.  Toy play on your own gets you prepared for the uncomfortable feelings playing with this area brings up, so that when you have someone with experience, you can maximize on that opportunity and work in tandem to understand your own anatomy and what parts are evoking what feelings, like having them explain where they are inside you when a wave of pressure or displeasure comes over you.  This knowledge of what’s going on inside will only help you stay safe in your solo play, so when you have those same feelings, you can begin to transmute them into something pleasurable.

Managing Risk | Play Fatigue

This is an extreme sport and should be approached with the same attention to risk reduction you would if skydiving, rock climbing, jet skiing and the like.  When I have heard of someone punching a hole in their colon, it has most always been from playing deep with a dildo or other inanimate object, and always when they were under the influence of something, so there’s that.  That is not to say you can never play deep with toys, just be lucid and listen to your gut when you do. The nerves in the intestinal walls are only designed to sense pressure, nothing else, so when you feel discomfort it is due to you pressing up against the inside walls, the other reason could be too rapidly stretching the colon from its resting state.  The colon is lined with layers of smooth muscle, so it’s pretty strong and flexible, think of something like your cheek but thinner. Just listen when you feel something and determine if it’s a “normal” sense of discomfort, or a situation where a new angle needs to be taken.

Nothing of course can replace the tactile ability of a human hand as you learn how your gut communicates, and can be an invaluable part of the growth process. Having the feedback that the intense feelings you are having isn’t due to imminent puncture because the person inside you can tell you exactly what they are feeling, goes a long way to helping you relax through those moments. Relaxation = a more receptive and open colon.

After playing deep, don’t be surprised if things are a bit different for a few days after. I can often feel a tightness inside my belly about half way between my navel and pubic bone where my Third Ring sits at rest, which I feel even more during a bowel movement. My Second Ring might also just clamp up for a day or two or my whole system will slow or stop entirely while it rests, the ache from this I can feel just behind my pubic bone.   I used to worry about my bowels stopping, but know I now to expect this if I play particularly long and deep. The doctors I’ve spoken to about this confirm the gut is smart and will stop moving things along if it has undergone some trauma.