I didn't mean to say don't care for or practice maneuvers, of course you have to know them and be proficient in them. But ONLY knowing that will get you nowhere.
Understand all the other things I mentioned and at times what to do when will come to you even in a sort of improvisational way due to the fluidity and miriad of situations in combat.
Practice maneuvers and combined with your proficiency in SA, comparing and reading energy states and knowing your aircraft's and your own capabilities will give you a good idea what maneuver to employ in a given situation or a variation of that maneuver adapted to the situation (i.e. improvisation).
Flat scissors or scissors with a vertical element? Corkscrew, rope-a-dope, chandelle (I like that one, simple and effective to stash up some energy and put yourself maybe in a good attack/bounce position on an unweary enemy)?
Maybe sometimes it's just throwing some angles that will defeat the enemy.
Like the book says, the simpler and less energy consuming the better, unless of course you have someone right on your six, then the appropriate action is......to panic.
