I would start with something that bounces a little better like epp foam. It sure helped me. prop savers lots of props. Epp will bend take a hit and bounce back. I learned to 3d with a mini 3d from slofly.com. It is a little heavier then depron but unless you are a super fast learner I would look into epp. I went through many lite foamys but you set them down hard and they brake. you can lawn dart a mini and worst case put a new prop on it. My two cents.
Justin