I read a lot about becoming better. I'd watch videos of guys getting 4 kills in their 190Ds and being so enthused they could do it one sortie. I learned about merges, SA, ACM, and energy. It wasn't till I started dueling a few of the veterens that I really started to develop my game. I tried to learn all the planes and fight and die as much as I could. It really takes a lot of practice to learn the game and understand combat situations, even after 9 years of playing.
+1 to this. I am by no means uber, but the single best investment in my time (other than learning basic acm) was getting into the DA with a veteran and having a fight, while the two of us were talking. Me asking questions, the opponent giving tips and asking things like "ok, what were you thinking right there and why."
In my opinion, there is no better form of concentrated learning than locking horns in the DA with a helpful opponent who is willing to teach you.
