Here's a better (I hope!) diagram. In fact, disregard my first drawing. The red lines indicate the blades path over the strop. The blue indicates the movement of the hand. The razor remains perfectly flat on the strop at all times. The dotted lines indicate where the razor is turned or flipped. I usually keep the razor in contact with the strop during the turn, but have found, after years of practice, that I can also lift off during the turn if I want with no problem.
I think you can now see how this is essentially the X pattern.
The curving of the red line is intentional as I find it a more natural and comfortable way to strop. You could use a more strict approach, if you want, and use a pure diagonal stroke getting the same effect.
I should also mention that I do use a very strict diagonal motion while honing.
And, for those of you who might think that this method of stropping is slow and/or cumbersome, if you've watched my stropping video you should think differently ;)
Oh, one more thing. I know someone will think those red lines show that the razor is flying completly off of the strop. No. At least one half the length of the blade stays flat on the strop the whole time.
Scott
Attachment 1982