I always place my hand on my snake before taking him out. It reassures that I am not a giant beast coming to eat him and gets him to visually relax a bit before i take him out.

Try and avoid tapping, striking, or rapidly moving hides. Slow steady movements are best. I would even go so far as to limit petting or stroking your snake while you are hand training him.

Keep up a routine and you will end up just fine. Just remember, he can't bite off your finger even if he bites hard so while shocking, it won't hurt bad at all.