Equally important, though in some planes more than others, is throttle management and rudder usage. Don't forget about those.
Perhaps try the F6F. Really taught me a lot about flaps, throttle, and rudder (not saying I'm an expert by any means though). That plane will surprise you.
donkey
EDIT: I started out with the pony when I first joined, and trust me, it's not the best suited plane for mixing it up. It's only real advantages are speed and views, but I think that really helped me a lot, and can help you to if you stick with it. You MUST use flaps, rudder, and throttle in the pony when in a 1v1 dogfight (if you're not just bnzing). If you can knife fight in a pony just about everything else will be a walk in the park. Makes the transition to other planes so much easier as they seem like their in a different class compared to the pony in close up dogfights, because for the most part, they are.