q and a

Yes. There are components in the semen that gel a little, like water and powdered Jell-O. For some people this gelling action is quite strong, making the semen appear clumpy. It's normal and does not affect your fertility. (For more, read JackinQ&A – Questions About Semen & Ejaculation.)

Apparently this is fairly common with boys in the early stages of puberty, before the "plumbing" has fully matured to the point where everything goes down the right tubes at the right times. But this shouldn't be happening if you're pretty much done with puberty. If it is, check with a doctor.

It depends. If you're still going through puberty, it's probably normal and you'll start to ejaculate before long. Boys usually start being able to ejaculate around age 13, but for others it can take a year or two longer. If you're age 16 or older and you still have never ejaculated, it's probably time to check with a doctor.

There seems to be a small percentage of males who have major problems masturbating to orgasm. This isn't a serious problem in itself, but it suggests you may have problems with completing intercourse later on, and I suggest you continue to work at it through masturbation. If you haven't seen them be sure to read (and re-read) the JackinHow-to section titled "But I can't ejaculate!", as well as the Mental Masturbation article in JackinLibrary.

This is a common condition known as premature ejaculation. Basically you just need to learn to slow down – to slow your pace when you feel you're getting close to orgasm, or stop stimulating yourself completely for a minute, and then start up again. There's also a ton of other resources on the Web; go to your favorite search engine and enter "premature ejaculation." But beware of expensive pills or creams sold on shady Web sites – they're usually a ripoff.

It can be okay, yes – as long as you understand they're fantasies and are clearly different from reality or anything you would actually do in real life. If you do, feel free to take your fantasy life as far as it pleases you – even though your fantasies may seem "naughty" (which for many people is a strange part of the turn-on). For more, see JackinQ&A – Questions About Fantasies

Not necessarily. Masturbation is a very penis-oriented activity: you have your penis in your hand, you're getting intense pleasure from it, you're touching yourself in other places, and you're getting ready to ejaculate. For some, the concept of girls just doesn't fit into the picture at this moment. Even if you do have a bisexual streak, this too is very common. Rather than getting freaked about it, just consider yourself normal. There's no reason to get upset over something that's shared by most guys – including, probably, most of your friends and family.

If we have techniques, they're already on JackinWorld. Be sure to check out the dozens of reader-submitted techniques in JackinExpert Collection if you haven't seen that section.

No. It wouldn't hurt, though, to eventually learn to do it – that will open up options for sexual play with other people. We don't have any suggestions for this; just keep working at it (both literally and figuratively!).

It's very common to want to do this. (There's an old joke that goes, "Why do dogs lick themselves? Because they can.") Actually doing it, though, is another question. Your penis has to be especially long (like over 8"), or you have to be especially limber, to succeed. Some guys are able to reach their penis by doing a backwards somersault and stopping in mid-roll. However, we must caution you to be careful when doing this. We heard from one fellow who wanted so badly to suck his own penis, he strained his back and had to be taken to the hospital – extremely embarrassing!