Positioning yourself correctly
Pruning is hard work, so take a comfortable stance with your feet apart. Don't work directly overhead or a branch may fall on you. Keep your wrists straight, and wear gloves to protect your hands from blisters and thorns. Alternatively try out ratchet Secateurs/Loppers as they give at least 5 times the cutting power without you having to wear yourself out using brute strength.

Lopping a branch
Hook the branch with the bill of the lopper, maneuver it as deep into the jaws as you can, then close the handles. (Cutting with the tips of the blades can bend them.) Take a similar approach with an anvil lopper: Catch the branch on the anvil, get it as deep into the jaws as possible, then draw the handles together.

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