To be able to know which way is which no matter what we do, it helps to think like an actual pilot inside the aircraft, instead of merely responding to the visual movement of the plane. That way we fly the plane instead of getting flown. Once in a while I lose orientation if it's really far away and doing snaps, but most of the time I know the heading before and during the move. Visual feedback is just a feedback to fine tune the stick movement.

The only part that I had to learn based on primarily visual feedback is hovering w/ the wing bottom facing me. I move the rudder stick in the direction the nose veers toward.

I've been flying mostly pattern maneuver from high school to 2 years ago. Then I started practicing 3D. I too believe that having a firm foundation of smooth flying is key to all other type of flying. It's like having the fundamental classical piano skill, then learning jazz, pop, and other styles are much easier.