A stick is used to beat the skin so that as the pig is inflated the skin separates from the rest of the body. When this is accomplished the skin is much easier to dehair. The person furthest is blowing into a small hole in the skin, inflating the pigs skin. After the task of inflating the skin was done I noticed that the person inflating the skin washed his mouth repeatedly. It was obvious he did not enjoy the task. Often a pump, like that used for a bycycle, is used rather than using one's mouth. I would think the bicycle pump for many reasons would be preferable.