I have been reading this thread for a while, but never had time to respond. I think we are getting mixed up between training autos and real life autos. Other than to repeat the excellent words of Sasless--"Ass, tin, ticket", this is all I have to say on this point.
I will share a publication I acquired some years ago entitled "How to crash a helicopter". It gives you the advice that you always wanted to know but were too afraid to ask, for example; "what if I have nowhere to go but into the trees?" (see page 8)
How to crash a helicopter
Going back to the original question posed by rabidcat:
I just can't seem to accurately judge the spot I am aiming for. I know most everyone has had this problem when they were learning, is it just repetition or is there some other trick?
I have taught the occasional auto in my time, and all I can say is....give it time. There is a ton of excellent advice on this thread, but in reality, it will just "click" one day. You need to read, listen and watch all about autos, and then find what works for YOU. Do not beat yourself up over not hitting the spot right away. Like Sasless, I am not a "numbers" or "theory" type pilot. I see myself more as a kinesthetic type pilot---as in feel the aircraft---trust me, it will come to you one day. I have had students ask me how I did certain things with the helicopter---I cannot explain it, but I can demonstrate so YOU can feel it----and then you can hopefully mimic until you can do it yourself. Hopefully you have an instructor who can do this for you.
Think of it this way----try to explain to me, HOW you balance while riding a bicycle? Some things just come with practice and feel.