Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Embracing the Most Underrated Part of the Male Body

I am a known champion of the scrotum. I’ve always been fascinated by the wrinkly-skinned sack that hangs behind the penis. As a cis/hetero woman, it felt mysterious and otherworldly, a sort of amorphous backdrop for the star of the show.

Penises get a lot of good PR. They’re legendary, powerful, and even come with a long list of cool sobriquets: cock, dick, Peter, prick, pecker, dong, schlong, shaft, willy, wang, anaconda, python, Johnson rod, John Thomas. Pretty much the only thing we hear about scrotums is how delicate they are. While the penis’s purpose is to get hard and penetrate, the scrotum’s job is to hang out and hold onto the hypersensitive testicles. Whether you call it a ball sack, nut sack, the family jewels, or bro globes, chances are there are things you don’t know about this beguiling body part that would earn your devotion.

Here are 10 things about ball sacks you should know:

1. The scrotum holds the testicles (two of them) which produce 200 million sperm daily. On average, each testicle is about 2 inches long, 1.2 inches wide, and 1 inch thick.

2. Testicles also produce androgens like testosterone which probably has earned them the symbol of strength and courage, in spite of their tender disposition.

3. One ball typically hangs lower than the other so that they take up less room. For the vast majority of individuals, the right one hangs higher than the left.

4. It would make sense for these very delicate organs to be safely tucked inside the body, but they are suspended exteriorly to keep them five degrees cooler than the rest of the body.

5. Ball sacks vary greatly in size from person to person. Some extend way below the penis, some are smaller and less prominent. During sex the testicles double in size.

6. Sperm are matured and stored in the epididymus, a tight-coiled tube attached to each testicle.

7. The line down the middle of the ball sack is a subcutaneous fibrous ridge extending from the penile frenulum (that sensitive spot on the underside of the head), along the penile shaft and scrotum. From there it extends across the perineum to the anus. It’s called the penile raphe, scrotal raphe, or perineal raphe depending on which segment you’re considering. It is formed in utero when the scrotum and penis close toward the midline and fuse.

8. When a person with a scrotum is nearing orgasm, the testicles retract up towards the body, and you can often feel a contraction in the scrotum first as it pumps the semen into the penis so it can be ejaculated.

9. Ball play can be extremely pleasurable, but it comes with some significant health benefits. Stimulating the scrotum increases blood flow to the entire area and supports ejaculatory production. Additionally, knowing your partner’s normal anatomy means you could help monitor for abnormalities that require medical attention.

10. Nutscaping is a thing. Many ball-owners enjoy shaving their scrotum to experience extra sensation during ball play. If that sounds treacherous, there are many tutorials on the internet.

Basic tips for ball play:

1. Communication is key. Like with everything in The Intimacy Lab, talking openly and honestly increases pleasure and intimacy. Every individual is uniquely wired and has their own set of preferences. It’s a myth that we should all know how to touch each other without having input and guidance. Sex is collaborative and connective. Use your words.

2. Experiment with different kinds of touch and stimulation. Cup them in your hand, gently tug or pull the balls away from the body, gently squeeze them, stroke downward, roll them carefully in your hand, lightly tap them with the flat part of your fingertips.

3. Take your rings off and use lube. I recommend unrefined organic coconut oil. It’s absorbed easily by the skin, and it smells and tastes great. You can go from manual to oral stimulation seamlessly.

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From the book…

“We skim the surface of our lives pretending there isn’t a swirling bog of unresolved energy growing underneath, the neglect of which leads to anxiety, depression, and loss of purpose.”

—Zoë Kors, Radical Intimacy

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In the lab…

Experiment #4
Sway and Swivel