I HATE pulling up straight to spike or birds etc I always swing in/on also i pull from the back to the front as it seems to me as if I have more control than when I pull from the front to the back
For me, the string has to be very slightly longer than 3 fingers, no knots along the string, and the knot inside the tama has to be the smallest (yet functional) knot possible so that the loop and excess from the knot doesn't touch the inside walls of the tama. Specifically for pull-up slingers, it has to be starting from ken grip. none of this "base cup already pointed away from you" for a pull up gunslinger
I think they are two different tricks. Ones a gunslinger and ones a revolver I believe. I could be wrong tho.
With very rare exceptions, Around the World and its variations should always start with small cup, in my opinion. Keep it uniform, yo.