The course was well put together, you could tell alot of time went into planning the curriculum. Getting interaction with the instructor and other students via zoom created a comforting sense of community as you go through the lessons. as a bottom i learned so much more than i expected to during the course. Like anatomy, rope history, and even getting the hang of some ties myself! The course taught important fundamentals for participating in rope safely and gave important tools in order to advance in your rope journey. It gave direction and the opportunity to have important conversations and make deeper connections with your partner.

I took the online 101 course after quarantine killed the in-person classes. I took this course as a top, when I’m normally a bottom. This course is filled with so much great knowledge and clear instructions on how to do the ties, and really truly builds from the basic fundamentals up.

During the pandemic, I’ve taken a lot of classes with ATU — Intro & Safety (now Getting Started), Negotiation, Vetting, and with my partner, the 101 and 201 series.

The advantages of the Intro & Safety class as well as Negotiation and Vetting for everyone are that you learn skills you can apply both with rope play and mostly with any other kind of BDSM play, too. You’d think that a bottom could get pretty much everything he or she needed to know through those three classes, right? The essentials of safety, plus how to vet a potential partner and negotiate a scene — that’s all a bottom really needs to know about rope, right?

I’m here to tell you that’s a big nope! While those classes are highly recommended, they are only the first few chapters of the story. The advantage of going through the 101 and 201 series with my partner — the live classes, watching all the videos, and doing all the ties — is that I am now a far more informed and knowledgeable bottom than I was before. I know how to tie a single column — and I can barely tie my shoes, so that’s no small feat — (hah!) but much more importantly, I now have the knowledge to evaluate the my partner’s skills.

I adore my partner ( ❤ you Ari! ) but it is possible that someday I might want to try tying with someone else. And I will need to know if it’s safe to do that, because rope play can result in injury if a top is trying to tie above their skill level. Going through these classes with my partner has given me the ability to evaluate a partner’s skill, beyond what I learn though vetting and negotiation, in about 5 minutes during a basic tie. I know what to look for now, and that has made me much safer.

It’s also made me a better partner, because these classes have taught me a lot about communication before and during a tie. I’m not all the way there yet, but I’ve started to be able to evaluate things like the evenness of tension on a rope. I know where the nerves are (in my upper arms especially) so I can tell a partner how to avoid them.

As bottoms, a lot of us want nothing more than to be able to relax into the rope and zone out. But you can’t do that until you trust your partner, and these classes have started to give me the skills to evaluate whether a partner is deserving of that trust.

I took the 201 course after taking the 101 course and it didn’t disappoint. It dove deeper into the fundaments that one needs to really lock in your ties, communicate with your partner, and have a deeper meaningful experience with your partner. The soft skills sections of the course such as anatomy, negotiation and intent went deeper as the risk level and of tying increased. Most importantly it forced me to relearn some forms I “thought” I already knew. Although I may have known the form from an elementary level, I realized I needed more work and practice on tension and frictions. It’s definitely a journey that requires time and patience.

The work Dan puts into his classes is second to none. This class was online yet I felt I knew all of the students because of the discussion forum we used for assignments and other discussions. There’s more than enough training material provided to get you going deeper into the journey.

At first I was a little worried about taking a rope class online. After the second class I realized this format actually works better with my life. Being able to go through the modules on my own learn and practice on my time, was a new way of learning for me. Pleasant surprise that it worked. Dan has done A great job thoughtfully curating the most important content and presenting it in fun inspiring ways. Also a plus for me is the ability to go back over and over again and refresh my skills. I highly recommend this class and I think it’s a tremendous value for the little that he charges.