Watch videos, read about the opening (even Wikipedia has pretty decent stuff for a first impression, believe it or not) and then find out which GMs or other strong players played said opening on a regular basis so you can go over their games. If you don't mind spending some money, look up which opening book on the opening is considered best and get that one. Then try out the opening in casual games, like online blitz, and see which lines gave you trouble. Go back to those lines and play more games. After a while you know your way around.
How do you learn the opening patterns??
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Try finding a thematic tournament in the opening also. Gives you a chance to see what positions look like from white and black perspective.
Play it a lot and go over your games afterward. There is no substitute for experience.
Definitely sound advice on going over the games afterwards. Objectively review the game and see what went wrong. Did you deviate from the opening? Did your opponent? If you deviated, try to learn from your mistake. If your opponent deviated, try to learn how to exploit the mistake. This helps to build your knowledge of the opening you are playing.
Here an excerpt from another thread:
I love daily games. And I love to have the possibility to use some books or youtube and the databases. It´s not only a way to play best it´s also a way to learn more. For example before I use the database I think about the question "what would I do next?" Then you see whether the books or the databases agree with you. Or you find a move that is totally understandable for you as a recommended next move, so you start thinking: Why the hell is this a good move in this situation? And maybe you see some lines you wouldn´t have seen without this help. And for me it is no problem to reach the moment, where the game goes out of the "help" phase and I have to start without any help. I enjoy all parts of the game.
^^ THIS ^^
What a great description. Perfect. Indeed, you *really* only get to understand an opening if you get to play it. Yes, you can use books, videos, etc., but it's all abstract until you actually play it. Using the above method, we can do both: encounter an opening, and then have 24 hours to study it (the way you suggested) and then make the move.
My own addon: there's learning and there's doing. You need to do both.
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I’m trying to learn a few openings and I’m just wondering how you go about practicing and learning openings??? Thanks