I think bottom line I need to practice practice practice. Both with shaving technique and stropping. I suppose you don't become a pro overnight. I still get excited when I can get through a complete shave nick free.

I guess I'm just a bit confused as to how the blade should feel when properly sharp. From the videos I've seen online, it looks like it passes over the hair very smoothly. This really isn't the case for me, as I consistently get minor pulling, and need to pass over certain sections of my face repeatedly. Is this just cause I'm a beginner and my technique is wrong? Or should a truly sharp blade glide smoothly on the skin no matter the skill level?