The SIM phase of my Airbus FBW type rating was badly taught.
The instructor told us nothing about how to set the seat or the rudder pedals or how to control the aircraft, despite my saying more than once that I had never used a side-stick so would need some instruction.
It was day 2 or 3 when I was struggling and making PM and TRE feel sick when he leaned over and said "no wonder you are having difficulty, you're not using the arm rest" I said "what arm rest?". Every day when we got in it had been left vertical, and in the dark cockpit I had never noticed it, and the TRE never said anything about it or how to use it
Also nobody ever gave me any sensible advice about how to use the side-stick and FBW combination, so I was over-controlling and getting into PIOs.
I eventually taught myself how to use it after happening to see a film of a Tornado bomber, which I believe has a similar joystick and FBW system. The Tornado pilot was making inputs to adjust the attitude and returning the 'stick to neutral after every input. And each input was a nudge. So nudge, neutral. nudge neutral etc. Works like a dream. You can hold the 'stick properly in a full pistol grip, as long as you nudge and return to neutral. As soon as the aircraft starts responding to your input; return to neutral. On very turbulent approaches you might need to hold full travel until the aircraft responds - to pick up a wing for example - but as soon as it does, release to neutral.
And of course, if you realise that the FBW will help you by holding the attitude you set, (within reason), your controlling will become an order of magnitude better
