i've come to the conclusion that strokes that feel natural to your face and hair should be your best bet. For example, i prefer short strokes that slightly overlap. I tried a few times to take long gliding strokes, and it seemed to me that i cut at a very poor angle this way. You also don't hear the hairs being cut when you shave this way. Keep it simple and find the good blade angle (differs from razor to razor slightly) and then to maintain it lock your wrist when shaving. Hope this helps!