Quote Originally Posted by rhaegar View Post
wow tons on information. thanks for all the replies! the whole reason for my confusion was how people make these errors. i kinda figured as long as i kept the spine in contact with the strop and applied no downward pressure aside from the razor's own weight i would be good.
That's about the gist of it. Of course, when experienced, you will develop a better feel for what you're doing, when to use pressure and (obviously) a faster stroke. But for now it's best to go at a comfortable pace, concentrating on flipping the blade correctly with minimal wrist movement.

I'm not sure if you've seen Sham's stropping vid, but check it out.