Thanks for relating all of that. A great experience and you can pass it on to your kids and grandkids down the road. Just for the heck of it give the barber manual excerpt in the SRP Wiki help files a read here.

If it was me I would do what they say and practice turning the razor between my thumb and forefinger without doing the stroke until the flipping is memorized. Then when you do start the doing the stroke do it as they suggest without bending the wrist. If you follow their lead less chance of nicking your strop or rolling your edge.