I am new at this. Started Straight razor shaving in 08. I will tell you this; Speed, skin stretching, angle, pressure, lather, pre shave prep, keeness of edge and attention to detail is what counts with straight razor shaving. Make sure you have a good lather worked up. Also stretch, it will may the hairs "pop" and also allow the razor to glide over the face easier IMO. Go slow for now. This is not a race. You will develop your techinique as you go. If you want fast go with a Mach 6 or whatever they are called now. Pressure and angle are key. You are not scraping paint off a barn here, you are shaving. Low angle and even, steady light pressure is what will get you a good irritation free shave. Keeness of edge....All other advice is mute without this. If your razor is dull than all the tips and hints you receive amount to nothing. Make sure it is "razor sharp". People here can help with that. My best shaves come after a nice hot shower in the morning. I have attempted to shave in the evenings after a face scrub with hot washcloth, but it is never like after a hot shower. The mornings are quiet, the kids are still in bed and the wiskers are soft. Stropped on pasted leather than a move over to regular strop and I get a good shave.