You are right on about keeping the tension in the strop, but I'm honestly not sure on the X pattern. My understanding, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, is that the X is to ensure that the entire blade is stropped. Personally, I strop mostly in a straight pattern, but I move the razor from stroke to stroke to cover the whole edge.
Also be sure you have a long enough strop that allows you to build up a bit of speed, and be sure to use light pressure so as not to "roll" the edge.
Did you leave the lather on your face as you stropped? That should help to soften the hair, and would probably be a sufficient pre-shave routine, provided you reapply lather after stropping (right before the actual shave).
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