11 Anal Sex Positions to Try, From First Time to Fearless

She is face down on the bed, hips raised on a pillow, and she can hear him breathing behind her. Not moving yet. Just waiting. That pause, the one where her whole body is asking and nothing has happened yet, is the reason couples who love anal sex talk about it the way they do. Done right, it is slower than any other kind of sex. More deliberate. More trust in the room than clothes.

We hear the same thing from couples again and again: the position matters more here than anywhere else. The right angle turns nervous into greedy. The wrong one ends the night early. So this guide is nothing but positions, eleven of them, stacked from gentle first-time angles to the deep, pinned-down ones you work up to. If you two are brand new to this, read our beginner's guide to anal sex first. It covers prep, lube, and pacing so this list can stay focused on the fun part.

Jump straight to a tier: Start Slow (1 to 4) · Turn Up the Heat (5 to 8) · Go Bold (9 to 11) · FAQ

Spooning is the best anal sex position for beginners because the receiving partner lies relaxed on their side, controls how deep their partner goes, and can pull away or press back with a small shift of the hips. Positions where the receiver is on top, like the Lap Seat, come a close second for the same reason: control stays with the person being entered.

Here is the whole list at a glance, so you can pick tonight's position in ten seconds:

Position	Best for	Who controls depth
1. Spooning	First-timers, lazy mornings	Receiver
2. The Sphinx	Shallow, nerve-rich play	Shared
3. The Lap Seat	Full receiver control	Receiver
4. Backdoor Missionary	Eye contact, intimacy	Shared
5. The Corkscrew	New angles, edge of bed	Shared
6. Leaning Cowgirl	Receiver on top, show-off energy	Receiver
7. Lying Doggy	Full-body contact, relaxed depth	Giver
8. The Caboose	Seated, skin on skin	Receiver
9. The Deep Arch	Classic doggy, deeper reach	Giver
10. Upright Doggy	Hands everywhere, held close	Shared
11. Full Throttle	Maximum depth, experienced couples	Giver

One number worth knowing before you start: anal sex is far more common than most couples assume. In a national U.S. survey, over 40 percent of adults reported having tried anal sex, according to the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. You are not the outliers. You are the curious majority.

Preparation is the whole game the first time: give yourselves at least fifteen to twenty unhurried minutes of warm-up, use far more lube than feels necessary, and let the receiving partner set every inch of the pace. The body relaxes on its own timeline, and the couples who rush this step are the ones who never want to try again. Slow is not the delay before the fun. Slow is the fun.

Picture it the way it actually unfolds. A warm shower first, so everything feels clean and loose. Then unhurried touch, a small plug worn through foreplay so the body opens gradually instead of all at once, and a long, deliberate pause the moment penetration begins. That pause, where nobody moves and you just breathe together, is what separates a night you repeat from one you regret. If anything feels sharp, you stop, add lube, and slow down. Full stop. Our full warm-up guide walks through the touch sequence step by step.

Step	What to do	Why it matters
1. Relax first	Warm shower, dim light, unhurried touch for 10+ minutes	A tense body resists; a calm one opens
2. Warm up gradually	Fingers, then a small plug, before anything larger	Lets the muscle learn the sensation slowly
3. Over-lube	Thick layer, reapply often, keep the bottle within reach	The anus does not self-lubricate
4. Start shallow	Begin with Spooning or the Sphinx, receiver in control	Depth and pace stay with the person receiving
5. Pause and breathe	Hold still right after entry until the body settles	The single most-skipped step, and the most important

The best anal sex positions are the ones that let the receiving partner control depth and speed, so Spooning, the Sphinx, and Leaning Cowgirl top most couples' lists. Spooning wins for first timers because nobody can push too far too fast, the Sphinx keeps the angle shallow and the hips relaxed, and Leaning Cowgirl hands full control to the person on top. Couples tell us the same thing over and over: the best position is not the deepest one, it is the one where the receiver never has to brace against the next thrust.

If you are choosing your first anal positions from this list, start with anything in the gentle tier below and only move deeper once the body is fully relaxed and asking for more. Here is how the eleven sort out at a glance.

Best anal position for...	Pick this	Why it works
Your first time	Spooning	Shallow angle, receiver sets the pace, no bracing
Staying relaxed	The Sphinx	Hips loose, weight supported, easy to pause
Full control on top	Leaning Cowgirl	Receiver owns depth, speed, and angle
Deep and intense	The Deep Arch	Maximum depth once you are warmed up and confident

These four keep the receiving partner comfortable, supported, and in charge. If tonight is a first, stay in this tier and let the night end wanting more. Warming up matters more than any position here, so spend real time on it. Our anal foreplay warm-up guide walks through the slow build that makes everything below feel effortless instead of tense.

Both of you on your sides, her back against his chest, his mouth at her neck. She pulls her knees up slightly and he slides in behind her, one slow inch at a time while she breathes. Nobody is holding their own weight, so her whole body can stay soft. That softness is the secret. Muscles that are relaxed welcome; muscles that are braced refuse.

Try this: she reaches back and holds his hip, setting the rhythm herself. When she starts pulling him in instead of slowing him down, you both know the night has changed gears.

She lies on her stomach, one leg drawn up, cheek on the sheets, watching him over her shoulder. He straddles her lower leg and enters shallow. Most of the nerve endings sit in the first couple of inches, so this position is not a compromise. It is a target. Shallow, patient strokes here can undo her more completely than depth ever could.

Pro tip: he stays still and lets her rock back onto him. The moment she is chasing the sensation instead of receiving it, the Sphinx has done its job.

He sits on the edge of the bed. She backs onto his lap, his hands on her hips but not steering, and lowers herself exactly as far as she wants. Gravity works for her, not against her. She can hover, sink, rise, tease. He gets the view and the agony of not being in charge, which, couples often tell us, is half the fun.

Try this: he keeps his hands on her thighs and his patience on a leash. Her pace. Her depth. His reward comes when she finally settles all the way down.

Anal is usually a facing-away affair. This one is not. She lies on her back with a firm position pillow under her hips to tilt her pelvis up, knees pressed against his sides. He enters slowly from the missionary angle while she watches his face change. Eye contact during anal is intense in a way that surprises almost everyone the first time. If you want to go deeper, our guide on the best oral sex positions walks you through it step by step.

Pro tip: her knees against his ribs are a live brake. Press to slow him, release to invite him deeper. No words needed, which is good, because words get scarce in this position.

You are warmed up, comfortable, and greedy for more. These four add new angles and deeper sensation while keeping at least one hand on the controls.

She lies on her side at the edge of the bed, hips twisted, one leg raised. He stands behind her and enters at an angle that hits side walls no straight-on position can find. Every slow press feels like a different position entirely. The edge of the bed gives her leverage to push back and grind at her own speed.

Try this: he swivels her top hip a few degrees between strokes. Tiny rotations, huge difference. Let her tell you which angle makes her breath catch.

He lies back. She straddles him facing forward, leans onto his chest, and takes him in at her own pace, an inch of surrender at a time. On-top positions demand a little more of her legs, but the payoff is total command plus a front-row seat for him. Her hands on his shoulders, his hands free to roam.

Pro tip: add a vibrating ring and let it hum against her while she rides. Double sensation in a position she already controls is how quiet nights turn loud.

She lies flat on her stomach, legs together. He lowers himself over her, chest to her back, and slides in from behind. Legs together means everything feels tighter and every stroke travels further. She is fully relaxed, pinned in the warmest way, his weight a blanket rather than a cage.

Lift her hips onto a cushion here and you have slid straight into the flatiron position, the flatter, deeper cousin that lines the body up for a smooth, gravity-assisted angle.

Try this: he slips a slim vibrating plug into the warm-up beforehand, so by the time this position arrives her body already knows the rhythm it wants.

He sits, one leg straight, one knee bent. She backs into his lap and they spoon sitting up, her spine against his chest, his lips at her ear. She rocks rather than rides, small motions that build slowly while his hands wander everywhere at once. Maximum skin, minimum distance, the kind of position where whispered things get said.

Pro tip: this is the slowest position on the list. Treat it that way. Ten unhurried minutes here beats two frantic ones anywhere else.

Depth, intensity, and a little delicious loss of control. Save these for nights when you are both fully warmed up and fully sure.

Classic doggy, perfected. She is on all fours and drops to her forearms, arching her back as he enters from behind. The arch changes everything, opening the angle for the deep, rolling strokes this position is famous for. If you love the energy of doggy style, this is its darker, slower sibling.

Try this: he wraps one hand in her hair, gently, just enough tension to remind her who is behind her. Ask first. Then enjoy the answer.

From doggy, she pushes up until she is kneeling upright, her back pressed to his chest. His arms wrap around her, one hand at her throat's soft hollow, the other tracing lower. Neither of you can see the other's face, and somehow that makes every touch louder. He holds her wrists at her sides when she gets close, and she learns what it feels like to be completely surrounded.

Pro tip: this is the position for hands. Hers, his, everywhere. Couples who like a little restraint energy without gear find their ceiling here fast.

She lies on her back and draws her legs up toward her shoulders. He kneels above her, balancing on his hands, and enters with nothing held back. This is the deepest angle on the list, the one experienced couples save for the finale. Her view is his face; his view is all of her. Nobody stays composed for long.

Try this: slide a firm wedge from our support pillow collection under her lower back. It saves her hips, holds the angle, and lets the finale last a lot longer than her hamstrings would alone.

Anal sex becomes comfortable through three things: a long warm-up, more lubricant than you think you need, and positions where the receiving partner controls depth. The anus does not self-lubricate, so a thick, generous layer of lube is non-negotiable, and reapplying mid-session should feel routine, not like an interruption. Many couples also start with a small plug during foreplay so the body eases into sensation gradually instead of all at once. Health experts echo the same rule: go slow, use plenty of lube, and stop if anything hurts. Pain is information, not a challenge.

Move to deeper positions only when the gentle ones feel easy, wanted, and fully pain-free, usually after several sessions rather than several minutes. The signal is her body, not the clock: when she is pressing back for more in Spooning or the Lap Seat, the Heat tier will welcome you. If a deeper position ever stings, drop back a tier for the night. There is no scoreboard in your bedroom, and couples who treat this as a slow season rather than a single event report the best nights of the lot.

No, anal sex should not hurt when it is done right. Pain almost always means one of three things: not enough lube, not enough warm-up, or moving too fast for the body to keep up. Fix those three and discomfort turns into the slow, full sensation that keeps couples coming back. Sharp pain is a signal to stop and reset, never something to push through.

The receiving partner should feel pressure and fullness, a stretch that eases within seconds, not a burn that builds. When it starts to sting, the answer is almost never willpower. It is more lube, a slower rhythm, and a position where the receiver can pull back at any moment, like Leaning Cowgirl or the Lap Seat. Let them steer. The moment the person receiving controls the depth, the tension in the whole body drops, and what felt like a wall a minute ago opens on its own. If you are still building confidence, our beginner's guide covers exactly how to read those signals together.

What is the easiest anal sex position for first-timers?

Spooning is the easiest anal sex position for first-timers. Both partners lie on their sides, the receiver stays completely relaxed, and a small shift of the hips controls depth and pace without any strength or balance required.

What positions make anal sex feel deeper?

Face-down positions with an arched back, like the Deep Arch, and legs-raised positions, like Full Throttle, create the deepest angle of penetration. Save these for experienced sessions after a full warm-up, and add a pillow under the hips to hold the angle comfortably.

Do you need toys for anal sex positions?

No, but a small plug worn during foreplay helps the body relax before penetration, and a firm position pillow makes hip-raised angles far more comfortable. A vibrating ring adds clitoral sensation in receiver-on-top positions, which many couples say is what unlocks orgasm during anal sex.

How long should you warm up before trying these positions?

Plan on at least 15 to 20 minutes of dedicated warm-up with fingers, a small toy, and generous lubricant before any penetration. Rushing the warm-up is the single most common reason a first anal experience goes badly, so treat the build-up as part of the sex, not the delay before it.

Eleven positions, one rule underneath all of them: the night belongs to the person being entered. When she controls the pace, anal sex stops being a favor and becomes a craving. Start in the slow tier, stay curious, and let the bold tier be something you both earn together. At WildNightX we design for exactly these nights, the slow, deliberate, look-at-each-other kind. The positions are free. The patience is the investment. The payoff, couples tell us, is a version of trust you can feel.

How much warm-up and lube do these positions need?

Plenty of both. Take real time with foreplay so the body is relaxed first, use a generous amount of a body-safe lubricant, and reapply often since the area does not self-lubricate. Going slow and communicating turns any of these positions from tense into comfortable.