Partial SuspensionKink

Partial suspension is a rope bondage configuration in which one or more points of a person's body remain in contact with the ground or a support surface while rope bears some of their weight. It occupies a middle position between ground ties – in which the bound person remains fully supported by a surface – and full suspension, in which the entire body is lifted clear of it. For many riggers and rope bottoms, partial suspension functions as a meaningful step between those two forms of practice, offering something of the sensation and aesthetic of suspension while maintaining a somewhat lower overall risk profile.

The experience for the person being tied is characterized by a combination of restraint and floating – weight partially shifted into the rope, the body angled or held in ways that ground ties cannot produce, but with the psychological and physical safety of remaining partially grounded. Common configurations include single-leg lifts, hip suspensions with feet still on the floor, and backbends supported from above, each producing a distinct physical and visual effect with its own particular demands on the person being tied.

The lower risk profile of partial suspension relative to full suspension is real, but should not be overstated. The nerve compression and circulation risks associated with weight-bearing rope work are present here just as they are in full lifts. Rope bearing load must be rigged with the same care, the same attention to knot placement, and the same avoidance of vulnerable areas – particularly around the brachial plexus, radial nerve, and common peroneal nerve – as any suspension work. Partial grounding does not prevent these risks; it reduces some of the consequences of an uncontrolled descent.

Continuous monitoring, regular check-ins on sensation and circulation, and the maintained ability to bring the person down quickly remain essential throughout.