it really depends on the type of disobedience. The severity of punishment can vary so much that to not know the level of being bad can hurt more than teach a lesson.
Since lots of kinds impact play is liked by submissives, just laying it on thicker is not generally an appropriate punishment..
So we often want to keep notes on what our subs really don't like, and remember those things as punishment. For example, not many people, including subs, like having their mouths washed out with soap, or being made to sew a little soap and make some soap foam on their mouth (can be done as and online punishment with a proof picture.....Mayb that wil get you thinking along the right track.
Along the same lines, ice play is often enjoyable.....BUT holding a cube directly on a nipple (or the tip of a cock for the count of (say)30-45 seconds is a whole different kind of ice, and will be remembered!
For those with a sadistic bent, spreading a few spoonfuls of uncooked rice on a hard floor and being made to kneel on it for a set time is also pretty memorable as a punishment, especially when each kernel has to be picked up individually in the fingers afterwards....some (but not me) might even require all those kernels to be lapped up to add humiliation to the painful sensation on the knees.
Or, there could be corner time, without the usual spanking--5 minutes is a lot to stand naked facing into a blank corner, and 10 minutes feels like forever....
The essence of punishment as I see it is to administer a detested behavior which will be remembered by the subbie. It is not necessarily about pain, but many times about the cringe factor involved.
Oh, and I'd suggest that punishments be fairly quick to administer, never administered in anger, and ALWAYS be followed with some loving aftercare. Subs crave to please, and when a corrective punishment is required, it is often more mortifying that the Dom might know...When it is complete, it is over and done, and never needs mentioning again. Hope this answers some of your question and gets your thinking on an expended set of ideas...
I saw this was posted 2 months back.
I thought I would answer anyway.
If you are thinking about punishment you should ask yourself a few questions-
Why are you punishing?
To get your rocks off?
To change behavior?
Because you think you have to or should?
Next-
If your doing it to get your rocks off. Then fine. Do whatever.
If you think you have to- you don't.
If you think you should - you don't.
If you are looking to change behavior then -
What you want to do takes a back seat to what will work with the person at that time.
I have 3 rules to punishment --
1) it can't take my time , effort, or energy
2) it must teach, redirect, or illuminate and successfully change behavior
3) it can't make me feel icky