Ummm, there is no ONE way to buck. Nobody has mentioned compression and tension. I suggest buying or borrowing the book, Professional Timber Falling, A Procedural Approach by Douglas Dent. Although it is mostly on falling, it does get into bucking.
You basically buck bigger wood the same way as smaller wood. Before you start your cut, look at how the log lays. Is the compression on the top? Side? Bottom? That determines where you place your cuts. Is your wood on a hill? On the side of a pile? Will it roll while cutting? That determines which side you cut from. Stay on the uphill side if on a hill. Work it from there.
Buy some plastic wedges and keep them handy. You will get your bar stuck if you cut much. That's how we learn and we keep on pinching and getting stuck because nobody can always predict what the wood is going to do. If you are really stuck, take the bar off, usually it will come out and leave the chain. Put another chain on and cut your other chain out. I carry an extra bar--it is cheaper than an extra saw. Hopefully, you'll use the wedge before the kerf closes, and you will have prevented getting stuck.
For me, the worry about the log rolling or popping up (horizontal barber chair) is greater than the fear of kickback. That's why I'll stress looking before cutting. I've had wood spring up in the air, hitting the saw on the way up, and almost knocking me over.
This is the PNW answer-If your saw will handle it, get a longer bar. That way you can be farther away when bucking. Had I been leaning over, or standing close to some of the cuts I've done, I wouldn't be typing this.
Another thing, cutting into the ground is not the end of the world. Just put on another chain, or hand file the one on the saw. It takes a while to get up to speed on hand filing, but it sure is a nice skill to have once you learn. The only way to learn is by doing.
And, my number one rule for bucking? STABILIZE THE LOG FIRST THING. I do blowdown, and that is the first cut I'll make, the one that will keep the tree from doing bad things to me.
I hope your logs are unloaded in a nice way so you don't have to worry too much. But I worry at the advice given, that all you have to do is cut the far side first... it all depends on how the logs are set on the ground, in the deck, or hanging in the air, bowed at the bottom...
Happy cutting.