As far as figure 8s goes.
A figure 8 is nothing more than a right hand circle followed by a left hand circle or vis-versa.
first off practice circles for a while until you can get a smooth and fairly tight circle in each direction.(ie.. do a bunch of right hand circles for awhile then do a bunch of left hand circles)
Then start your figure 8s with BIG circles, use up the whole flying area and gradually work your way in tighter with steeper banks and more elevator. (keep your airplane up high so you have room to recover if needed)
I am by no means an expert and am only on my second year of flying but I still do figure 8s almost every flight, especially the first flight of the day (I find it gives me a feel for the way the plane will handle that day and makes me more comfortable with it)