COPULATION: UNDERSTANDING THE MECHANICS
This then describes the basic mechanics and we shall see later what can go wrong. Overall, it is probably fair to say that in our teens we experience intense, quick onset orgasms and that as we mature arousal takes longer, lasts longer and produces better quality orgasms. This is certainly true up to old age for most of us and continues well into old age for many. Young boys and even some girls tend to be trigger-happy and to climax quickly. This is acceptable during early masturbation practice but is not so welcome when one has a partner to consider. Orgasms vary in intensity and quality from person to person and even within any one person. If a woman has a series of orgasms, any one of them can be the best. As in any other sphere of life, practice makes perfect. Only by sharing with each other what they like best can a couple hope to enjoy
high-quality orgasms most of the time. But this takes us out of copulation into intercourse.
By our definition copulation may not involve the full spectrum of female arousal – though some women have orgasms when copulating. A man, on the other hand, has to be fully aroused in order to penetrate a woman.
One of the bridges that convert pure copulation (which one can have with anyone) into intercourse (which is a loving, caring and sharing of one’s sexual personality) is foreplay.
A knowledge of sexual arousal mechanisms can be helpful to enable both partners to know that each is properly aroused and excited by what they are doing during foreplay and intercourse. For example, a man skilled in his partner’s sexual response can tell by feeling her nipples or clitoris exactly where she is in the cycle and so knows how best to caress her or whether to go on to intercourse. Obviously a preoccupation with bodily changes at such a time is unhealthy and unloving but a little knowledge, practically applied, can improve the quality of one’s foreplay and intercourse enormously.
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