Either you understand or you don't, and that is that.
Learn it all, then forget it all.
Learning is never cumulative, it is a movement of knowing which has no beginning and no end.
Turn your sparring into play - but always play seriously.
Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.
Cease negative mental chattering. If you think a thing is impossible, you'll make it impossible. Pessimism blunts the tools you need to succeed.