Read on Twitter
BTS Know How to Touch Each Othereveryone has moments where they're just doin' a little shoulder squeeze or absent minded petting, but sometimes they work on each other in deliberate ways so here's a massage thread by a massage therapist.
let's start with some Jungkook massage. out of all of them he's probably most likely to grab the nearest person and start rubbing with abandon when he has nothing to do with his hands. he's usually always massaging effectively.
there are multiple videos out there of him working on Jimin's shoulders like this. the arm around the front to is brace Jimin's upper body so he doesn't jostle around while JK ruthlessly digs into his shoulder blades to release tension.
this is SLIGHTLY different, instead of simply bracing, he's pushing Jimin's shoulder back while applying pressure to the shoulder blade with his left hand which helps release tension a little more actively than the example above.
JK does this cute thing when he's massaging others where he pokes around the muscle before applying pressure in one spot. this is a simple technique for finding trigger points. you can see him find a trigger point at 0:10 and dig in before moving on.
trigger points are spots in muscle that are hyperirritable when pressure is applied to them. they can cause muscle shortening, local and referred pain, and constricted movement. everyone has lots of them, but you have learn how to find 'em. it's obvious some of the members can.
there IS A REASON for the pushing, it's not just... inexplicable humping. JK has his thumbs on Jin's sacrum and moves them over to his hips after a moment, the downward pressure helps reduce stiffness in the hips.
at the end of this clip, JK uses tapotement on Jin's lower back, which is the percussion technique used in lots of massage types. it promotes circulation and loosens tension quickly.
here's JK with the bracing technique again! but he's not perfect. he uses his thumbs to massage more than I'd personally recommend. here Jin shows good instincts by using his fingertips to apply friction to Jimin's occipital attachments.
attachments or attachment sites are where the muscle literally attaches to the bone. working on attachments with hard pressure or friction/vibration allows for quick tension release especially in areas with more muscles like the neck and rotator cuff.
Jin is actually, in my professional opinion, the BEST at massaging. here he is bracing the front of JK's neck and working on trigger points, he seems to know exactly where to go and barely needs to correct his finger placement (you see him correct at the first point)
this grab and lift technique pulls the belly of the muscle up and allows for circulation and reduces tension throughout.
here he's kinda being mean but in a really competent way. yeah USE those forearms baby! (forearm use is good for applying lots of pressure and not putting strain on the wrist.) Jin finishes with tapotement.
JIN KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING (but should stop using his thumbs). here he does a pin and stretch, applying pressure to a -- probable -- trigger point in Hobi's upper trap (upper shoulder muscle), having Hobi follow his hand down engages the muscle and allows for an active release.
Hobi ALSO knows what he's doing. here he's picking up JK'S SCM. wiggling it like so allows for a quick release of tension. it's not always the most comfy, but it's effective.
the SCM aka sternocleidomastoid is a neck muscle that connects to your sternum, clavicle, and jaw. it works as a major mover -- yours is probably tight right now, grab that big muscle under your ear and give it a lil wiggle :^)
he's using two thumbs too many on those back muscles but his movements are confident and effective. as a bodyworker, I don't recommend popping people's necks without training but. we like a man who knows what he's doing.
here we have Hobi indulging Jimin in some neck traction. traction technique allows for a slight stretch which increases circulation and reduces tension. Hobi also does a passive neck stretch on Tae before tractioning his neck as well.
Tae is also someone who grabs other members and indulges them in massages frequently! usually it's the normal shoulder squeeze that most of the members do but sometimes he shows off:
here he's using good fingertip technique to loosen Jin's neck. again, mostly targeting neck attachments with quick and hard movements to release tension quickly.
and HERE, a favorite moment for me... he's bracing Yoongi's hip so he can dig into a trigger point in Yoongi's hamstring with brutal efficiency.
and lastly, Jimin using that pick up technique I talked about Jin using earlier on Yoongi's quad!
obviously there's TONS of videos out there of them massaging each other's shoulders and legs (Jimin especially) but the above examples are probably things they picked up on from getting body work themselves, or the therapists in their lives teaching them simple care techniques.
bonus:
why I won't shut up about their thumbs: https://twitter.com/shortestpoem/status/1162894453171871746?s=20
another fun fact: https://twitter.com/shortestpoem/status/1159471274449522690?s=20
