I think the real answer to the question is "you need to learn situational awareness" so that when you look at the ADF needle, it tells you where you are. Then you need to be aware of what to do to correct that, if it's not where you want to be." I spent many happy hours poling a Warrior round Florida learning that.
For me, the most important single skill with the ADF is remembering and using the + and - sectors of the display. If I am off track, I turn in the right direction and recite (for example) "steering plus 20 waiting for minus 20". When the DI shows 20 degrees "plus" and the ADF 20 degrees "minus", I'm back on track. It works!
I practice that often using MSFS - which is quite good for that. Set up a stiff wind, with different directions at different heights, and then try to track out and in on an NDB.
And recognise that ADF is not very accurate! On my IR checkride, I did a theoretically perfect NDB procedure at Fort Myers. I stopped at MDA and asked the examiner to "decide". He had me continue for a while, then we went around. He asked me how far I was from the centreline - I said "the instruments say I was exactly on it". He said "Yes, they did, and you were actually a good half mile off."
I passed. Fort Myers is near the coast; the US teaching on NDBs doesn't cover coastal effect. No idea if the two are connected, but it seems likely.