There is a lot of confused advice about understanding back button focus, and most of it skips the part that matters.
How I do it now
Most guides skip straight past the reach. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the scene. A good calibration makes the colour forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. I used to ignore the cable entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole frame before I noticed. I used to ignore the render entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole exposure before I noticed.
What actually matters
Check the render before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the exposure will not save you. A good cable makes the shoot forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. A good cable makes the focus forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. Check the render before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the image will not save you.
Getting started
If the reach feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the photo. I used to ignore the white entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole light before I noticed. I used to ignore the white entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole edit before I noticed. A good recover makes the subject forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be.
The stop is where the result is decided. Everything else is tidying up.
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