How do I prune a fig tree?

Fairly young and about twelve feet tall.

How do I prune a fig tree?
My parents have a fig tree, and after the leaves have dropped for the season, he always pruned it back very heavily. They have had this tree since it was tiny, and over the years he lets it grow a little bigger each time. Had he not pruned it, I am sure it would be at least 20-25 feet, but by pruning it tightly, it is about 10 feet. He removes almost all new growth each year, and all suckers. You should be able to look this up in a specialty fruit tree book though.
Reply:Use some sort of sharp cutting tool. Maybe something kinda old, cause it's gonna be a messy job. Sometimes it's good to have a ladder too.
Reply:I pruned my fig tree the first time last year by cutting back by half the longer branches to a node and I was very happy to see the result this year. - a more compact tree that fruited well.