Few years ago, I got a message that went along the lines of "Positioning, positioning, positioning". I got a little irritated with it, because of several reasons. There is only so much one person can handle all at once, and I wasn't ready at that time to work that out. Plus, it was something, I had to study and learn on my own. Positioning IS very important for the game. And down to various aspects, it can determine the outcome of the battle.

When you start as a newer player, you only notice that this and that tank, goes in different directions. But not necessarily why. Asking a more in-experienced player, why, all they would say will most likely be: "Because that class just goes there"
Where as a more experienced and tactical minded player, would go; "because my tank is the strongest in this position".
Things to notice and consider, when choosing a postion for your tank, is it's features and characteristics. Like these:

- Lower plate weakspot
- Cupola on the turret, and on which side
- does the tank have good or bad gun depression? (is it designed for sloped grounds?)

With "good" gundepression, we are talking the ARL 44, and mostly the American tanks, where as the bad gundepression, is the German and the Soviet tanks as the most famous and well known examples.

Other things to consider, are things like strong or weak armor? which determines whether the tank is made for brawling or not. The accuracy of the gun, allows sniping. And some German tanks, and tankdestroyers in particular, are very good at sniping. A few exceptions like the Ferdinand and the T28 Prototype can be used as heavy tanks, in some cases.

Lower plates, can be hid behind piles of rubble as well as any hills or rocks. A slight turn of the tank to one side or another, will increase the effect of thickness. Your lower glacis or lower plate, still have the thickness indicated on it, but added a few degrees to one side or the other, gives the shell an effective thicker plate to penetrate. This will show clearest on the German tanks as the Tiger on tier 7. Look at it in the garage. (If you don't have it among your tanks already, you can go to the German techtree and find tier 7 (VII) and the Heavy tank called "Tiger I" in it's box. Click on it, and choose the option "preview". Now you can see it in your garage.) Below the turret is some upright plates. Easy penetrated with standard shots by most guns around it. (Of course easier with guns on tier 8 and 9 tanks, than 5 and 6)
Pike-nosed lower glacis like on the IS-3 as the most popular example, can be a little more tricky. What you want to conceal, is the lower open plate of the pike nose and face the enemy head on, with the upper part, which is made of angled armor already. Turning this tank to one of the sides, gives the enemy a flat plate of armor to shoot at.
Cupolas, can be concealed behind housewalls or wrecks of tanks (but DON'T push living and fighting allies in front of the enemy team, to create cover, if you don't have it. Better to give space to alleis so they can reverse into cover. You won't have them blame you for their destruction, more than what is necessary)

These things, will help you some part of the way, to make a choise as to where to go on the map. BUT it is also important that you can use the features this game offers you. Teamlists. If you see a 50TP or maybe a 60TP, then you know they would most likely go to a spot where they can use their sloped turret armor, and relatively good gundepression.
Where as Tanks like the VK 100.01P, E 100 and Maus, are stronger among houses, where they can angle their box-like hulls, and cover cupolas and lower plates behind housewalls or wrecks.

Play around with these tanks. Find out, if I turn it this way, how much will I bounce then? If you take damage, in the angling process, then change it to something smaller. Notice, when you bounce the incoming fire. That is the angle to remember. Overangling, will allow enemy damage to be dealt. Polish heavy tanks, can also use this, with their side plates. But the sloped turrets and decent gundepression, does allow other technics as well. Bit more, than with the German tanks.

One thing I for one am guilty in not doing often enough is keep moving back and forth, when for example on open ground. With this little practice, you will make yourself a harder target to hit for the enemy. 

Players seem to only judge on numbers. And it can give you a sense of confidence, when you are playing. BUT, if you judge a player on amount of played battles and percentage of those won, you wouldn't be able to tell a true unicum, from a dirty filthy little seal clubber.
Seal clubbing, could be fun for those doing it. But less fun, for unsure and new players. It is some sort of in-game wordless bullying. And just because others did it to you when you started, doesn't give you the right to do it now, when you have grown. 
Many players are quick on the bad-mouthing and blaming and shaming part, but most often, when I have played battles and joined in count downs, it has turned out that those spewing worse curses and shamings on the rest of the team, are those who have done less.
Seems as if the general view is you can just start a battle and headlessly go where you want. Turn your brain off and have fun. But it is when the brain is turned off, the most mistakes are made.
You might not be liking to study in school. This game, you ALSO have to study, if you want to become a really good player. 
Seal clubbing might be getting your stats up, and show you're a good player. But if you only go by seal clubbing, the truth will come out eventually. And it's not sure that you then will stay in the topclan, which you might have dreamed off.

I once asked a recruiter of a high ranking clan, what they are looking at in players. His initial reply was that I wouldn't get a spot for sure with my stats. But he also said that they were looking at the abillity to work together on the battlefields. 
-I don't have any intention of joining any top ranking clans. There are more important things in life.

The use of premium rounds is just superficial. It can't make it up for your own knowledge of the game. The premium rounds, can't magically tell you; these tanks will go here. You don't learn to use the terrain to your tanks advantage. You don't learn to be effective assistance to the team, by spamming gold alone. You can damage some places with premium, you wouldn't be able to with standard. But material goods alone, won't give the full deal.

I had four battles, recently where I think I have learned something from them. Might be obvious to some players, but certain things takes longer time for some compared to others. And if you only last few minutes, it's limited what you get out of each battle.
Neither does it help ONLY, to have stats or mistakes massed out to you. And definitely not, with further insults. A suggestion, like where you could go in stead, is far better. And best is the feeling when you spot it yourself.

I am for the time being playing the T-54 to grind to unlock the topgun, and then on to the Object 140, which is a meta medium Soviet tech tree tank. 
The T-54s mobility is felt right from the start. It has a high traverse speed, and can even with the next top gun, deal damage to tier 9 tanks even with standard rounds.

First battle I had in this grinding process was on Westfield. I started heading out for the hills in the southern corner, from the Western spawn. Not all enemy tanks were spotted. But two of our allies got destroyed quickly by advancing along the map border. Ok, I tried to advance towards the hill two of these enemy tanks were hiding behind. That way around, I wouldn't take any damage from them. But there was also the other side of the valley going under the broken bridge. And crossing this valley directly, is quite risky. If you are to cross you have to be certain that there aren't any more tanks left who can shoot at you. I wanted these enemy tanks on the other side of the ridge lit. Wanted them out of the game. But I got destroyed. Because when I went to the other side, I exposed myself to fireing lines from BOTH sides of the valley.
When I told about this, to another on twitch, I realized, if I had pulled back. Down from the hill in the southern corner, out to the map border, behind the allied base, and in on the other side. First shot at the two across, so they wouldn't be shooting back at me, and then worked my way forth again, then I maybe would have lasted far longer, and dealt way more damage and even allowed my allies on the hill, to advance. I do get eager and impatient at times and that is something I have to be working with.
Something I learned quite some time back, was to clear my flanks, before I start flanking. If the flanks aren't secure first, you won't be able to advance and move forward, without taking damage. 

Next battle I had, was on a newer map, called Studzianki. (Read it syllable by syllable.) I quite like the hill far north on the map. But it's not equally good for all tanks. And the Soviet tanks, doesn't have much gundepression or viewrange to play it effectively. Certainly not, Soviet tanks, being researched and ground.
I couldn't see very much, and when I advanced to get shots in on the enemy UDES, I took damage both from him, and his unspotted back up behind.
When I got destroyed, I noticed the enemy T-54 in the long dip going north-south, on the other side of the factory buildings. If I had used the mobility of the T-54, to in curved lines, cross the open field, maybe I could have reached to the middle dip, and made a far bigger difference to the outcome of the battle.

I had one on Malinovka. (map with bush on the field, and windmill on the highest hill in the 9-0 line corner)
Our Manticore, took position in the swamp. But not ONE enemy tank, got lit in the area where a light tank normally would be spotting enemy tanks. An allied STB-1 took position by the rock at the water road, and acroos of him in the northern spawn, was an enemy foch and a Udes.
(-rewatching the replay on wotinspector.com, made me realize, ok, there was also an enemy T 30 and CS-59.)
None the less, during the battle, I took damage from other enemies, whose presense were only brought to my attention, when they shot at me, by the shooting indicators. But I couldn't see them. No silhuette, outline, anything. Among those were an enemy Tortoise in some of the bushes by the enemy base. Not at one point during the battle, did I see him.
I tried to find spots of cover, where I could shoot without taking damage but it wasn't so.
What I am thinking I COULD have done, was to pull back to the corner of the map, and wait for them to advance, for then again to deal damage to them. In this battle, I was also so frustrated with how bad it went me, and I took it on others. Not fair, or right. But it is easier to point on others, in stead of looking at your own mistakes. That doesn't only matter for me, but for all. Which means ALSO YOURSELF!
"Why do you see the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not notice the beam in your own? Take first the beam out of your own eye, then you might see bright enough to help your brother removing the splinter from his"

Often, when I start out, I get unsure and in doubt. That state, is not a very pleasant one to be in.

Last of the first four, was on Mountain Pass. After three battles, where I haven't managed to deal much damage and fall in battle among the first ones, I began to give up a little bit. And have in my mind, that I will fall early. I often fall early, no matter where I go on any of the maps. So working on improving and changing that aspect, is quite a process. And with 40 thousand battles played, you do tend to develop habbits, which you will fall back on.
I didn't have anyone to teach me, when I started out. And complaining about that, to those who did get me to the game in the first place, was in their eyes not valid, because they had been through the same. 
I went to the bridge on Mountain Pass. Imagining some shoot across the bridge, "trading" with the enemy tanks at the other end of it. But my allies went face on, with those enemy tanks. So if I wanted to deal shots, I had to follow along. On the northern iceroad, 3 enemy tanks were spotted at that time. I stopped on the middle of the bridge, to get shots in on them, but that lead to my far early destruction. What I learned from that, NEVER stop on the bridge on Mountain Pass. Perma tracked, unlucky. But always cross the bridge if possible on Mountain pass, other wise you will be far too vulnerable and far too easy a target up there.