The squeeze technique is a self-help technique that might help some men with premature ejaculation.
The sex therapists William Masters and Virginia Johnson came up with the idea decades ago, but it’s still regularly discussed as a method that men can use to stop themselves from ejaculating too soon during sex.
For example, researchers in 2021 describe it in their study of premature ejaculation treatments as follows:
This sustained pressure applied to glans penis results in the contraction of bulbospongiousus muscle via bulbospongiosus reflex leading to diminished ejaculatory urgency, loss of desire to ejaculate and reduced rigidity of penis, thereby helping to prolong sexual activity.
I’ve tried many different techniques in the past, and I’ll say from the outset that the squeeze technique isn’t my favorite, even though I have successfully used it during sex.
I find it a bit uncomfortable and awkward to do, as you basically need to pull out and squeeze your penis head fairly tightly for it to work. It’s a bit dramatic, so I prefer more subtle techniques like the stop and start method.
Having said that, I still think it’s interesting to try different techniques, and you might like the squeeze technique more than I do. So in this article, I’ll explain how to do it in case you’d like to give it a go.
Key points
1. Do you need a professional to show you how?
Some websites recommend that you ask a professional sex therapist to show you how to do the technique because it’s quite difficult to get right.
I’m not convinced that many men will ask for that kind of help though, especially when you can just go online and find out how to do it.
I think it’s possible to understand the technique with some clear instructions, but I wanted to mention this point in case you’ve read it elsewhere.
2. You can do it alone or with your partner
I’ve read some articles suggesting that if you try the squeeze technique yourself, it can be less effective. This kind of makes sense because of the awkward thumb and finger positioning needed to do it correctly.
You can get the positioning of your fingers and thumb right when doing it yourself, but it requires some wrist and finger yoga.
However, I’ve discovered that you can still get pretty much the same result if you just switch the positions of your fingers around.
I also prefer to take control of this particular action myself rather than letting my partner do it.
I don’t like the feeling of ‘needing’ someone else to squeeze my penis to stop me from ejaculating. If you have a partner, it might be worth both of you trying it though to see which is more effective, assuming you’re both comfortable with experimenting with the squeeze technique.
How to do the squeeze technique
First of all, it’s good to practice the technique before you’re at the point of no return (when you are just about to ejaculate). Once you understand the positioning and strength of squeeze required, you can try it during sex.
So, assuming you’re practicing the technique with your partner, ask them to start masturbating you.
As soon as you get a full erection, ask her to stop and put her fingers in the correct position to squeeze your penis.
The correct finger positioning
She should place her thumb on the frenulum, which is the string-like piece of skin connecting the head of the penis to the foreskin.
The first and second fingers are placed on the opposite side, i.e. the front side of the penis that you see when you look down at it.
They are placed on either side of the coronal ridge, which is the ridge of the tip of the penis a few centimeters from the very top, but with the fingers still next to each other on either side of the ridge.
Your partner squeezes your penis with her fingers in that position for several seconds. She needs to squeeze quite hard, and probably won’t naturally apply the right strength through fear of hurting you.
If that’s the case, you may need to guide her by putting your hand over her fingers and showing her how hard she can squeeze without hurting you.
You may lose some of your erection because of the squeeze, which is completely normal. Your partner should then wait 15 to 30 seconds after releasing the squeeze before starting to stimulate your penis again.
As soon as you get a full erection again, you can repeat the technique. This pattern can be repeated 4 to 5 times in the first session. When you’ve done this a few times, you can then move on to try it to achieve ejaculation control.
If you want to practice the technique on your own, see if you can achieve the same finger positioning yourself.
You may need to bend your wrist in a slightly uncomfortable way for it to work. If you can’t do it, you could try experimenting with your fingers the other way around, though this isn’t technically the way to do it. Still, if it works, it works!
Doing it on your own can also be helpful in working out how many seconds you usually need to hold the squeeze for before the feeling of needing to ejacuate subsides. That way, you can tell your partner to aim for that length of time when they do it, or until you simply ask them to stop squeezing.
Again, some experimenting and quite a few attempts will probably be needed to get the timing and positioning right.
Practicing ejaculation control
In the next stage, ask your partner to masturbate you up until close to the point of nearing orgasm, and then use the squeeze technique as described above.
The key is to make sure you do it at the right time, which isn’t always easy to pinpoint at first. With practice, you’ll get better at understanding the right time to do the squeeze.
It’s a bit of an art form getting the timing right, so you’ll have to experiment a little and probably be prepared for a few timing mishaps at first.
If you find that you instantly feel like ejaculating when she starts again after each rest, you probably left it too close to the point of ejaculation. If so, try to stop and do the squeeze a little earlier next time.
The idea is that the technique will buy you time each time you do it and rest, not that you end up painfully hovering around the point of ejaculation.
You can repeat this process either 4-5 times or for a period of 5-10 minutes – whichever comes first. Remember to allow an enjoyable ejaculation and orgasm at the end of the session.
After practicing this technique over 3-4 different days, you can move on and try it with oral sex. Finally, after 3-4 days of practicing during oral sex, you can attempt ejaculation control with full penetrative sex.
When having full sex, it’s recommended that you use the squeeze technique 2-3 times first during foreplay before having sex and continuing to withdraw and use the technique.
How often should you practice it?
The squeeze technique takes dedication on both your and your partner’s part. It may be then that you only practice the technique once or twice per week whilst continuing to have normal sex on other days.
It’s important to still have a natural sexual relationship whilst practicing this and other techniques.
Stick with it though, and you could start see good results even in your normal sexual encounters with your partner.
You might also like
For more techniques, you might like to check out one of my recommended premature ejaculation self-help guides.
Take a look at the main premature ejaculation overview page for more techniques and self-help treatments too.
