Regular arm binders are essentially a long leather piece that wraps around both arms, keeping them straight and securely fastened behind the subject’s back. Leather straps running across the chest or around the shoulders keep the arm binders from sliding off. This type of arm binders is common in Pony Play.
Since this type of arm binder usually forces the wearer to lean forward, it will require some getting used. For most people this can easily be worked out with a few minutes of balance training.
Most people can tolerate regular arm binders for longer periods of time. However it is recommended that you watch out for changes in the wearer’s balance to make sure the person is alright.
In Pony Play and some other activities, a leash or rope is connected to the tip of the binders. This allows some control over the movement of the wearer. Pulling up can force the wearer to lean forward further. As long as it is done reasonably, the tension on muscles and tendons should not cause any issues, however sudden yanking is a very bad idea.

Many cross (or crossed) armbinders are similar to their regular cousins however, the arms of the subject are crossed behind the back.

Bicep armbinders are basically two leather cuffs that fit around the subject’s biceps and are connected with a leather strap behind the back. This takes away the ability to move the arms freely while still allowing the wearer to use his hands for some purposes.

Regular and crossed armbinders are designed to tie the arms as a whole and not put pressure on a single location on the wearers arms. This is done to prevent cutting off the blood circulation. Most improvised fall short in that category. Cross armbinders can easily be replaced by zip ties around the subject’s wrists. This however places the stress of holding the person’s arms in place onto a tiny area of tissue.