The number of session models and or models in general that tell me how terrible some folks are at tickling is interesting.
Whether it’s scratching the same area of the foot until it goes raw or jabbing the ribs repeatedly. Perhaps thinking a feather is going to tickle anyone “who is truly ticklish”.
Yeah, I've heard some interesting stories. I've personally received positive feedback, but I think that's less to do with me being so great at it in some way, and more to do with where the bar has been set or something.
Have some of you concluded that you had no idea what you were doing rather than just painting the person you were attempting to tickle as “not ticklish”.
I make an effort to approach each session with a bit of humility and try not to make assumptions. Of course, if someone says they're not very ticklish, I'm more inclined to be skeptical and wonder how much they are trying to mess with me, as certain lees are prone to do. But if they say they're ticklish and I'm not getting much or any reaction out of them, I'm perfectly fine exploring a variety of techniques, spots, etc. I usually find what I'm looking for in exploration. Though I have been surprised a handful of times where someone was fairly ticklish, but needed a very different technique than I was used to. In those cases, I took some time to learn how to tickle them (for example, by having their partner demonstrate).
I'm not someone who claims mastery status over something so dynamic and individualized, so I'm definitely willing to admit that there are situations where I could use more guidance or experience. I think in the wider scope of power dynamics in kink, both the dominant and submissive sides come with potential pitfalls. On the submissive side, there is a tendency towards low self esteem or poor confidence, and on the dominant side there's a tendency towards ego and over confidence. I think a lot of ticklers, especially if less experienced, have to grapple with the kind of energy that comes with the role, and if they lean in too much, ego gets in the way. For some, it can be difficult to admit you're not good at something you enjoy immensely. Videos can also make things look so much easier than it is (What's so hard about golf, anyway? Just hit the ball into the hole).
Another pattern that I've picked up over time, again, usually from less experienced lers, is many have formed an idea of what they want tickling to be, rather than how it actually is in practice. Ideas and fantasies are formed over years, but experience might be limited to several short tickles. I've chatted with several who would say things like, "I like that video a lot, but if it were me, I'd tickle her so much more intensely and just stay on that spot for hours." 😶 Wait, that's your master plan?...
But I do want to acknowledge that there are a lot of great ler out there, as well as people who I'd say are legitimately not ticklish. I think (hope) it's not as common as it appears, and is rather just a case of the few overconfident ones willing to make themselves more known or inject themselves into more situations than the more humble, but typically more skilled majority.
