Cross over the knee
Over the knee, but at an angle and with the legs pinned. A small change of geometry that produces a much bigger change in how the whole thing feels, which is why people who like it tend to like it a great deal.
Consenting adults only. Everything on this page is about adults over 18 who have freely agreed to it.
In short
- Cross over the knee, or XOTK, puts the receiver diagonally across both thighs with the legs trapped.
- The top hooks one leg over the backs of the knees, raising the hips and preventing kicking.
- It presents the target better than ordinary OTK and suits a hairbrush or a slipper.
- It is physically demanding for both people. Ten to fifteen minutes is a sensible maximum.
Everything here concerns consenting adults over 18.
What it means
In ordinary over the knee, the receiver lies more or less along the seated top's thighs, hips over one leg, everything else hanging down. In cross over the knee they go across both thighs at an angle, head and shoulders dropping over one side, legs over the other. The top then lifts their outside leg and hooks it over the back of the receiver's legs, just above the knees.
That single movement does three things. It raises the hips, so the target area is presented rather than flat. It pins the legs, so kicking stops. And it lowers the upper body further, which tips the whole balance of the position away from the person receiving. The abbreviation XOTK turns up in British ads and forums.
In practice
I use it when a hand has stopped being enough and a hairbrush or slipper is coming out. Ordinary OTK is a warm, close position that is technically quite limited, and once somebody starts moving it becomes difficult to place strokes accurately. The cross variant solves that without any hardware.
Getting into it is easier if you talk it through rather than steering someone silently. Sit with your knees apart, have them lie across at an angle, get the hips over your left thigh if you are right-handed, then bring your right leg up and over. Their trapped arm should come out in front rather than being squashed underneath, and a cushion under the chest is worth having.
Psychologically it is a considerable step up from ordinary OTK, and the reason is simply that leaving is no longer available. People who have been over a knee dozens of times are frequently surprised by how different this feels the first time, so say so in advance rather than discovering it mid-scene.
What people assume
Treating it as the same position with a small adjustment. It is not, in effect, and I would not spring it on someone. It also takes real effort from the top: holding another adult in place with one leg while spanking with the opposite arm is more tiring than it looks, and a tired arm is an inaccurate arm.
The physical limits are the same as OTK and rather stricter. The head is below the heart, an arm may be trapped and the ribs are pressed against a thigh, so people get dizzy, get pins and needles, and will not mention either because they do not want to break the mood. Ten to fifteen minutes, then let them up slowly. See positions for the rest.
With the legs held and one arm possibly trapped, the usual physical safe signals may not be available. Agree what to use before you start: a specific word, taps with the free hand, or an object held in it and dropped. Test it once.
Common questions
What is cross over the knee?
Cross over the knee, sometimes written XOTK, is a variant of the over the knee position in which the person receiving lies diagonally across both thighs of the person spanking them rather than along one, and has their legs pinned by one leg hooked over the backs of their knees. It lifts the hips and removes almost all ability to move.
Why use cross over the knee instead of ordinary OTK?
It presents the target area better, it stops kicking, and it feels considerably more restraining than an ordinary over the knee position. Tops use it when a hand alone is not enough and a hairbrush or slipper is coming out, and when the point of the scene is that getting up is not an option.