Insert your tension wrench and give it the necessary pressure to bind the first binding pin. You will need to keep tension on the plug during the entire process of picking the lock. Next, insert your pick into the top of the lock and, starting from either the front or back, begin to cautiously probe each pin by lifting it up slightly.
When I’m picking locks at a club meeting or lockpick village I try to use the same spare hooks that are on the table for others to use, and while my competition set can have upwards of 20 picks in it they are all variations of the hook pick, just with different lengths, widths, angles, stiffnesses, etc.