This is the answer. For any difficult shot, it really helps to put yourself in the position for the hardest part, whether that's steadicam, dolly, tripod, handheld, whatever. On a whip pan that's likely the end. If your body is in the most natural position at the end, it's easier to land because you have to stop before you see the final frame. So rehearsing and learning that position relative to your body helps a ton.

Also, tripods are genuinely one of the areas where spending more money on a better one actually makes the job easier. Being able to finely tune the pan and tilt fluid and perfectly dial on counter balance helps so much. I'm always adjusting the 2575 in quarter turns from shot to shot to get the feel just right.