1000 Rating help

So my blitz rating bounces around from 750 - 850 depending on the day. I am ready to pass this rating range and get to 1000 - 1200. I was wondering for anybody over my rating, what was the magic that pushed you over this first hump?

The main thing is to start looking over your games and looking for improvements. Look at this game, the last game you lost. You were better after 12 moves. You lost in 10 more moves.

Where did you go wrong in less than 10 moves? What moves caused you trouble? What would have been better moves?

Start with the first move. Why choose Bf4? You needed to develop but the bishop attacks nothing on f4. Why not put the bishop on b2? (What would you need to do first?)

Find the point where you think you lost the game. When your opponent brings his rook to d8, did you immediately see the threat to your queen? When he retreated his bishop to c8, exposing your queen to attack, was there any alternative to moving it? What was the piece that chased it around? Could you have removed that piece? 

And how did you get to this end position in only 10 moves? Why did you resign?  (Hint: Ne2+ was a blunder, not a crusher.)

Asking yourself questions and learning from your mistakes is the magic.

That is one thing that I have not done - looking over past games. Also I've never had someone examine any of my games. Thank you for taking that kind of time, says a lot.

Get a tactics book and work out of it an hour or two every day for a month and then treat your blitz games like a tactics puzzle.  Calculate checks and captures non-stop while avoiding basic strategic errors like undeveloped pieces, uncastled king, and moving pawns in front of your king (which makes the king more susceptible to attack).

notmtwain gives some good examples from one of your own games.

If you were already rated 2000 or so, my training method would have helped you attain your wish of getting a rating in range of 1000-1200.

Best advice I got as a beginner is to ask questions to yourself when playing. What's your opponents last move reveal in his intentions and options going forward, what threats if any exist, what is the worst piece on the board, who has the initiative and if you do what can you do to get a concrete advantage from it?

Matt,

We are about the same level in blitz and standard. I think notmtwain gave some solid advice! I have been reviewing my games the past few weeks and try to ask myself all these questions when I'm playing in a game (standard time games, blitz doesn't really allow for it.).

harmbtn also provided some great advice in my opinion. I tried to play lots of blitz games rather than slower games thinking that by sheer number of games played alone, my chess would improve.. It didn't. When my chess improved it was because I was playing slower games, really thinking about my moves and considering my opponents threats. I only play blitz to kill time now, focusing more on my slow game. 

I just found out tonight there is a lot you can learn right here on chess.com, I was looking for links to teach beginners. Here's a good place to start:

http://www.chess.com/article/view/study-plan-directory

Also if you are below 1000 you probably have very little tactical and checkmating ability, so a book that shows you tactics and mates would be your best bet. It would bring you over 1000 pretty quickly. I would recommend 'Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess', it's only $7.19 on Amazon. It worked for me as a beginner to quickly go from 800 to a 1200 rating. That and learning some openings and good opening principles.

Also you should not play Blitz right now, play mostly 15 10 time control games. They are still fairly quick, but that extra 5 minutes and 10 seconds after every move really makes a difference. You will have more time to think about your moves, which means you'll make better moves and learn more, plus you're less likely to lose just from running out of time.

Blitz (and Bullet) are speed chess and they are best for people who have a good chess understanding and have played many standard time control games. You need to "learn how to walk before you can run"! I played a few thousand 15 10 games before I ever played a 10 0 game. I still do not play 5 0 or 1 0 games. Trying to get better at chess by only playing blitz, is like trying to get better at golf by only playing putt-putt.

Real life chess club is the best advice I can suggest. I started playing in OTB tourneys at my local chess club a year ago. I have enjoyed it very much. The great resource there is that the better players will go over the games with you after they demolish you. By listening to them you begin to understand how they think at the chess board. What they see that you don't. When you play an OTB chess game for 3 hours, giving your full effort on each move. The game sticks with you. You will be thinking about it later when you go to bed and the next day in the shower. You start to learn. In blitz you don't reflect upon your games in the same way that you do against a real opponent,OTB at a slow time control with prize money and ratings points on the line.

Thanks everyone. I have been debating getting some reading material to study, or a tactics trainer book. I will play slower games, even though I love the fast paced games, but you're right, I'm not getting better playing quick games. Also when I said I'm ready to jump to 1000 - 1200, I meant I'm ready to improve my game to achieve that rating. If any of you want to challenge me on a slow paced game, so that we could review it after I would much appreciate it and get some game advice. 

Also this site is awesome to have members so willing to give advice, you guys rock.