The first thing to master is slow flying. Most early pilots rip around the circuit at cruising speed or higher, but when you're in the circuit to land it's already part of the approach and your speed should be appropriate.I recommend swanning around, up high, at low throttle settings, just to get a feel for how the model behaves. You may find that roll control at low speeds requires a degree of rudder input as well as aileron, particularly if you have full-span strip ailerons.I recommend using the elevator trims to keep a neutral stick whenever you want precise control.
Once you're happy with flying at approach speed, but straight and level, practice entering the descent stage of the circuit by employing throttle alone to control the rate of descent. Avoid the temptation to allow the nose to drop because the speed will build. If your model is trimmed to fly hands off before you close the throttle (a bit) then it will continue at the same speed but with a descending path. Particularly with 4-strokes, keeping good speed control using pitch allows you to keep the throttle well above idle. This will keep the plug hot and give better response for the overshoot or go-round.
When flying circuits, don't allow the speed to build after the climb-out. Bring the throttle back straight away, so that you don't spend all the time in the circuit just getting the speed under control. Remember that your upwind leg should be at least as long as the final leg;many pilots turn straight away after they are level, so that there is not enough distance in the downwind leg.
Don't fly the down-wind leg too close in. This will allow a decent base-leg with the same angle of descent as final. Keep the model level unti you have turned onto base-leg. Once the heading is correct, bring the throttle back a little to begin descending. Use the throttle to control the angle of descent. If you are going too high, don't put the nose down, reduce throttle (and vice-versa).if you think the model is too slow, allow the nose to fall, re-trim the elevator and compensate for the higher descent speed with throttle. Flying a square circuit allows you to judge the nose angle and speed much more accurately than in a descending turn towards you. A traditional approach speed is 1.6 x the stalling speed, so for most models this isroughly a fast running speed. A head wind will reduce the speed over the ground so that it can look very slow indeed.
The landing phase has three stages:
Final approach.:- You are attempting to keep a constant angle of descent at constant speed. Once you can nail this, all you need to worry about is lining the model up with the runway. You might need to make the final turn a longer distance away than you are used to.
Round-out: As you cross the end of the runway, you should be at a speed and with enough throttle to be able to bring the nose up and arrest the rate of descent. You're aiming to bring the model into level flight with the wheels maybe a foot off the ground. The pitch change may be very slight.
Flare: This is the bit where you transition from being airborne to being on the ground. Having nailed all the other parts of the circuit, when flying straight and level just a foot up, you smoothly but quickly close the throttle fully whilst simultaneously attempting to keep the model level. Once you have reached the landing attitude, you keep on controlling the throttle to the closed position but you keep the pitch steady. The model should settle onto the ground firmly but without skipping or bouncing.
The transition from round-out to flare can be very quick, maybe only a second or so, butthey aredistinct phases of the landing.

A good circuit takes just as much practice and the same amount of skill as good aerobatics.

Power On. Round again.