Which Level Fits Me? Our Shibari Guide

This guide is here to help you figure out which level you're currently on — and which workshops will feel right for you at the moment.

The letters define the broad framework, the level you're on. The numbers show how confident and trained you are within that framework — in a sense, your experience and self-assuredness.

To move up a letter, you should master certain skills and an understanding of the technique, so you can then learn new ones on the next level.

To progress through the numbers, you mainly need practice and repetition, variety and variation. The focus here is less on technical details or a particular order, and much more on quantity and variety. In a way, these numbers also reflect your feelings within the ropes — namely the moment you start to concentrate less on the technique and more on the person.

The path may look linear, but it's deliberately not meant to be seen that way. It's more of a recommendation, so that you can feel safe. You don't have to complete all the numbers to advance through the letters. But you should feel secure enough on your current level to take the next step.

The more experienced you are on a level, the more your focus will shift away from pure technique toward your partners and the play itself. So you can rise technically quite fast and still, in terms of quality, concentrate more on the technique than on the actual play.

The principles that carry the whole system

• Skill, not time. Where you stand is decided by your feeling — not your "years of service". Someone who has practiced intensively for three months can be further along than someone who has only occasionally picked up rope for years.
  

• Safety & consent are always present. On every level. They never disappear — they just become more second-nature.
  

• When in doubt, go lower. Shibari is not a race. Better to start a level lower and enjoy yourself than to feel overwhelmed. You can also repeat levels as often as you like.
  

• Live it, don't just learn it. To move up a level, certain skills must not only be learned, but truly internalized.
  

The Level Overview at a Glance

Level	Name	Prerequisites	What it stands for	Typical ties
A	Newcomers	NO prior knowledge required.	Your very first contact with rope — no prior knowledge needed	Single Column Tie, anatomy, safety, rope knowledge, body contact
B	Beginner	Only basic prior knowledge, such as the Single Column Tie (SCT) and safety.	Solidify the basics, first free play on the floor, seated and standing	Double Column Tie, armbinder, Karada, Futomomo, Takate Kote, free tying, etc.
C	Advanced	Confident handling of simple ties such as SCT, DCT, Futomomo, etc. Understanding of what you can do to reach a desired goal.	Thinking in goals, complexity, predicament, first simple suspension with support	Hog tie & stress positions, quick-release ties, complex bindings, first predicament ties, semi-suspension
D	Experienced	Combination and variation are familiar. Understanding of the "why" and the effects exists.	Create independently, dynamic suspension, intense scenes	Suspensions, floor ties, transitions between positions, designing your own positions
E	Experts	Details and risks are known, and conscious decisions can be made.	Deepening and specialization in many directions	Develop your own style; concepts that go beyond rope itself
S	Special	Suitable for all levels; often convey queer knowledge. Everyone benefits differently.	Not linearly built-up knowledge, but skills that help all levels	Often nothings with ropes
X	Ex-change	Sharing knowledge and developing or learning new things together. No presenter, but rather a moderator.	Exchange and peer learning. Experiments and experiences are often at the center.	Varies

The Levels in Detail

A — Newcomers

Prerequisite: none.

This is where it all begins. These courses are for people picking up rope for the very first time. You don't need to bring anything but curiosity — no rope of your own, no prior experience, no preparation. You'll get to know the absolute fundamentals: the Single Column Tie, a first understanding of anatomy, safety and rope knowledge, as well as a feel for body contact and tension. We accompany you closely and, from the very start, place value on communication and consent.

B — Beginner

You've taken your first steps and are now solidifying your foundation. Here you significantly expand your technical repertoire: Double Column Tie, armbinder, Karada, Futomomo, the Takate Kote, free tying and further approaches — on the floor, in bed, seated, lying down or standing. The point is that you can tie safely and confidently without thinking about the essential fundamentals, while building a portfolio of simple techniques you can draw from later.

• B.1 — Your first moves click. You still feel unsure but dare to try. Your attention is firmly on the rope, you have to think through every step — that's completely normal.

• B.2 — You become smoother and more relaxed. First small flow moments arrive, and your gaze lifts from the rope to your partner for the first time.

• B.3 — You combine freely on the floor. You connect several elements, create first small scenes and feel increasingly independent within the beginner framework.

• B.4 — You can execute basic ties confidently, even under tougher conditions. You can focus on your partner and the dynamics of the play without thinking too much about the knots.

• B.5 — You convey purpose and feeling through your tying. You can apply not just technique but also a style as you tie.

C — Advanced

The richest phase of your journey. You handle the simple ties confidently and understand what you can do to reach a desired goal. Now it gets more complex: hog tie and stress positions, quick-release ties, complex bindings, first predicament ties and semi-suspension. Two big things happen here — you grow more complex and take your first, sheltered step toward the air. This follows the proven path of "floor first, then partial suspension as a gentle intermediate step".

• C.1 — You think in goals, not in knots. The basics are second-nature. Your attention moves away from the rope, toward the effect you want to achieve.

• C.2 — You take on more complex things. You sense when something isn't right and consciously work on the impact and the reactions of your partner.

• C.3 — You play consciously with tension and dynamics, fully aware of the risks. Predicament, stress positions, intensity, complex ties with fine details such as fingers, hair or toes. You deliberately create an experience, safely on the floor.

• C.4 — You handle transitions confidently and can therefore not only tie positions but also change between them.

• C.5 — You take your first step upward. You learn the fundamentals and theory of suspension, as well as your first semi- and self-suspensions. Your attention is on safety and understanding, on feeling, and possibly on your own self-experience.

D — Experienced

Now the focus shifts from the what to the why — and from "I can do it with help" to "I can do it alone". You know combination and variation and understand why you do something the way you do, how you can change it, and how that plays out. Your playing field: advanced suspensions, complex floor ties, transitions between positions and designing your own positions. The decisive difference from C is your independence.

• D.1 — You combine and vary freely. You understand the why behind it, you're fully with the person, and the rope almost runs by itself.

• D.2 — You react flexibly and in real time. Your focus is on dialogue, flow and connection; you make conscious decisions.

• D.3 — You create whole scenes with confidence. Floor and air alike, self-responsibly — you co-create the overall experience.

• D.4 — You move fluidly in the air. Transitions and shifts come to you calmly; your focus is on movement, rhythm and holding the tension.

• D.5 — You play consciously with intensity, hold and surrender. Intense scenes on the floor as well as in the air, carried by conscious risk management and deep connection.

E — Experts

"Expert" is not a single peak but a fan of directions to deepen into. You're well versed in complex, challenging ties and have plenty of detailed knowledge and "nerdy stuff". Now it's about developing your own style and exploring concepts that go beyond rope itself. No one moves through all the stages linearly — you choose what suits you. Here it's no longer about quantity, but depth and direction.

• E.1 — Detail & nerdy stuff. You dive into the finest nuances that hardly anyone notices and vary according to the situation.

• E.2 — Autonomous flow. You can quite literally tie with your eyes closed, directing your attention elsewhere — be it your partner or something else entirely.

• E.3 — Style depth. You deepen and perfect several styles and understand the philosophy behind them.

• E.4 — Performance & dramaturgy. Shibari becomes expression and stage art — narrative, aesthetics and the experience of the whole.

• E.5 — Your own signature. You develop something new: your own figures, your own ways, your own language in rope.

• E.6 — Passing it on. You teach, mentor and share your knowledge — you give support rather than needing it.

The Special Categories: S and X

Not everything fits into a ladder. These two categories sit across the levels A–E.

S — Special

These workshops revolve around a particular theme rather than a skill tier — and are therefore open to all levels. The point here is less about linearly built-up knowledge and more about skills that help all levels, or that have nothing to do with typical shibari at all. Wherever you stand: you'll take something away — just everyone something different.

X — Exchange

Not a lecture, but growing together. In our labs, all levels come together, share their knowledge, try out new things and build new knowledge collectively. Experiments and experiences are often at the center. There are no fixed prerequisites — just openness and curiosity. And the best part: you can start such labs yourself anytime.

The Three Great Thresholds

The real leap happens at the transitions between the letters — here you need new skills and a new understanding:

Threshold	What changes
B → C	From "I think in knots" to "I think in scenes". The rope steps into the background, the person moves to the front. From here on, suspension and more intense ties may first be considered.
C → D	From "I can do it with help" to "I can do it alone". The technical level is close — the difference is independence. At C still with targeted support (including in the air), at D self-responsibly.
D → E	From "I create with confidence" to "I refine & develop". Here it's about refinement, specialization and your own style — in the direction that suits you.

How to Find Your Starting Point

• Never tied before? → Start at A.

• Tied before? → B.

• You think in goals and want to get more complex — maybe lift off for the first time? → C.

• You create independently, floor and air? → D.

• You're after depth, your own style, performance, or want to pass it on? → E.

When in doubt: Better to start a level lower and enjoy yourself than to feel overwhelmed. You can repeat levels as often as you like — every step on this journey counts. The beautiful thing about shibari is: the path is the destination.