Keep working at it. I think the chin is the hardest area by far to get down, I've been shaving for a little over a month now, and am just now getting close shaves in the chin area, and I still do make the occasional mistake there. like most things in life you skill will improve with practice. You definately should work on your stropping, because this does play a huge role in the quality of your shave. It was recommended to me to practice with a butter knife to get used to the stropping motion and develop the muscle memory to strop well. That being said don't get down on yourself for dinging your strop, all honest people here will tell you that they destroyed their first strop. I think my first strop (a cheapy thank goodness) lasted about 2 weeks before it was unusable, but I have yet to nick my second (knock on wood). Keep up the good work and keep practicing and it will get better and more rewarding as you progress.