I realized recently that my self-taught through observation dismount was a step-through dismount. Due to several near-misses (and one direct hit) on the barriers, where I was lucky not to be injured, I examined what I was doing and did some actual research on technique. Turns out the pros aren't doing a step-through, precisely because of the problem I had: if your cleats don't release smoothly, you could be in for a world of hurt. So I switched mid-season to the much safer no-step-through dismount. Currently, yes, I am slower, but that's because I've had very little practice with the new technique. Even if I'm never as fast with without the step-through, I don't care - it's simply not safe. But I'm sure that I will end up faster, losing the step-through means you can hit the ground closer to the barriers. My problem is that I'm new to the technique and a little shy of excess speed at the barriers after a few scary experiences.