Missionary position
The missionary position is probably the most well-known human sex position. It is said that it is so called because of a story that this sex position was taught by Christian missionaries as the only "proper" sex position. (This story is apocryphal; the term originated sometime between 1945–1965.)
In the missionary position,
- the woman lies on her back, with her legs spread either flat (horizontally on the same surface as her back) or drawn up towards her chest.
- the man lies on top of her on his stomach, with head and feet aligned, his legs between her legs, and his groin at the same level as hers to facilitate penetration.
Features of the missionary position:
- both partners can see each other
- they can combine sex with kissing
- they can both caress one another
- penetration is relatively deep
- clitoral pressure can be quite intense
- the man controls pace
- this position supposedly produces the quickest male orgasm
Disadvantages of the missionary position:
- the woman does not control the pace
- either the man's weight is upon the woman (uncomfortable for the woman) or he must support his weight upon his arms and knees (tiring for the man)
- it can be difficult for partners to manually stimulate the clitoris
- this position supposedly produces the quickest male orgasm
