Yes, working up is how it's been the limit on ball-impact has generally been dealt with. I find it kind of annoying that it is a limit for me, but it works the same way for me as for Jawz - too much takes me right out of the session and I just want it to end. But it's no fun to make it totally off-limits.
As for the new hard limit: rape play. It wasn't a limit before, because it never came up. But a partner wanted to play that way, so I went along, as I don't have a conceptual problem when consent is 100% clear. Never doing that again.