If you ask someone to massage your shoulders for you they will usually use this stroke. Kneading works best on the large meaty muscles of the body. Its purpose is relaxing muscle tension and getting the blood circulating deep in the muscle. it is meant to gently lift muscles up and away from the bone. Then the muscles are gently rolled and squeezed.  It is always done firmly, take a hold of the muscle being massaged and then press it between the fingers and the heel of the hands, like kneading dough. The kneading stoke can be done with two hands, one hand, or between the fingers in a rolling type motion since this is a deep muscle stroke make sure the muscles are warm and relaxed before doing this stroke. Experience and communication will help to keep pressure firm but not painful.

To do the kneading stroke lay your hands on the muscle you want to massage,. Keep your fingers close together and your thumbs extended. The space between your two hands should make a triangle. With one hand, bring the thumb towards the fingers; you are closing your hand by pressing the muscle between your thumb and fingers. Your fingers should remain still and act as an anchor for you thumb. Keep a constant rhythm and hold your fingers together. Moving in tight circles, use both hands on one spot. Now let your thumb and forefingers slide off the muscle and as the first hand releases perform the same grasping action with your other hand. Alternate doing this motion with both hands. The thumb is the secret. Feel the muscle roll of off you fingertips. When done correctly, the feeling rolls across the body.

Make sure you stay relaxed when kneading and don’t overuse it. The kneading action is a great way to loosen tired muscles, but the repetitive motion can be very tiring if you do it too much. Your fingers will get worn out the quickest, and you need to use them as little as possible. Make sure you always pay attention to how you feel when you give a massage.

Plucking – Plucking is done by lifting small areas of the muscle using the fingertips. The lifted muscle is then gently squeezed before it is allowed to slide back.  You should work along the grain of the muscle since working cross grain can be painful.