There is a lot of advice available out there on how to prune fruit trees. Pruning different types of fruit trees correctly requires different skills and years of practice. After pruning 20,000 temperate fruit trees of all kinds, and teaching it to many people, I was forced to look at the two core concepts that makes someone a successful pruner regardless of the type of tree or its age. I present my fruit tree pruning concepts to beginners and experienced pruners alike.