I too struggled with NDB tracking on very basic crude instruments.
When I got onto an aircraft on which you could overlay a bug or the course pointer and the ADF needle onto a moving magnetic compass card all on the same instrument - NDB tracking became so easy ! All one had to do was glance at the composite display to see if everything was still lined up, and if the ADF needle was even 3/4 of a needle's width out one side or the other, you simply moved the HDG bug one degree in the appropriate direction to bring it back.