Hey Chris,
Ditto from me. Being new myself I can strongly relate to your difficulty. I printed the 2015 practice board and am almost finished with the second one. I find that deliberately slowing down has helped a bit. The triangles are coming out cleanly more often. I’m still struggling with the crescents, even the smaller ones, so I printed out the essentials’ crescent pattern & it will be my next set of practice. Don’t be wary of making adjustments to the recommendations either. I nearly severed my thumb at the base of the nail several years ago and can no longer bend it as far as Marty is able to bend his. To finish a cut, I sometimes have to lift my finger knuckles off the board, but I pay close attention to maintaining the angle when I do. Hope this helps.
Blessings,
David