I do very little scything or sweeping strokes. I try to keep my strokes as long as I can make them, so no buffing either. What I do concentrate on is skin holding and stretching. It gets more important the older I get. The issue being we have so many varieties and combinations of skin type and beard type and growth patterns it is hard to say this is the path. I did in the beginning do a lot of small changes and try to hold onto a new concept for several shaves. Although there were a few times I tried this or that and it was an immediate fail. For me, getting the pressure right was pretty important, combined with the right skin holding technique.