Reddit mentions of Deep Tissue Massage, Revised Edition: A Visual Guide to Techniques

Zhitface has the best answer in so far as you're going to get a quick answer to this. To elaborate on something he brought up and a couple things he didn't mention:

1. use less oil and go slow to let your client's body set the pace of the work. You should NEVER think of dt technique as a push - it's a sinking into the tissues. Think of it like entering your clients home - you don't barge in and bust down the door, you knock, they open after a minute, and you only enter when they step away from the threshold and allow you to. The force is applied along a parallel plane and never at a 90 degree angle - that's how people get hurt. When your client tenses and the friction stops your hands mid stroke, never fight and force but wait until the client's breathing and tone relaxes and your hand starts gliding naturally.
   
   
2. BODY MECHANICS ARE ESSENTIAL. it takes getting used to, but you need to learn how to glide and how to use your bodyweoght to direct force, not your strength. Some tips- keep the table low - like the 1 or 2 setting. Try not to hover over the client - no pushing down. Find the natural crevices and paths in the body musculature and glide along. Start at the attachment of a muscle and glide along until the insertion - not just where the knot is to the end.
   
   
3. BREATHING is absolutely necessary. Ideally you want to be on the same breath pattern as the client - slow deep inhales and exhales. It's impossible to listen to the body when your breathing isn't synced, the client doesn't relax and open the door, and the tension of holding the breath and muscles is entirely counter productive to what you are trying to do.
   
   4.)always go from broad to smaller surfaces. Start with the palms (thenar eminence is your best tool, spread and separate muscles, move to forearm, and transition through an entire stroke from the fingers, ulna, to the elbow if you are going to use them. Youh can use the elbow to apply static pressure after you've done a few stroke s to a knot - but that is trigger point therapy, don't think of that as neuromuscular. I tend to find that the side of Palm and fingers is more than sufficient for that pointed pressure. Finally - save your thumbs. You'll have to use them to fit some crevices of the body, but 9/10 times there is a much better option that will give you a natural fit.
   
   This is only the surface. I highly recommend reading art Riggs to begin to understand deep tissue and neuro work - this book is an easy read and has great pictures. You can only gain so much about an entire system of massage from tips here.
   http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1556436505?pc_redir=1413775382&robot_redir=1