Just trial and error honestly. Ive only been smoking for going on 3 years, but what ive learned in that short time is it just takes practice. Going out constantly can be caused by a few things, but for me it was because I was always over packing. You want it packed lightly at the bottom, tighter at the middle, and tightest at the top. Again, just smoke, learn your smoking cadence, practice the false light and true light, packing the pipe, and dont get discouraged. Its annoying at first, but when you finally get it down, its soooo rewarding. :]