The object of all ACM is either to get into position to make a kill, or to disengage from a fight and stay alive. Knowing where you are in relation to your target, and what how it is maneuvering, while still considering all other threats is called Situational Awareness. It is important to know how to maneuver for a kill while staying alive, but f you don't know what's where, you're not a threat to anyone.
Pilot skill involves not just knowing how to enter the fight and use weapons, but how to adjust tactics to an opponents skill level and aircraft capabilities. Every defeat is a learning experience--when you lose be sure to know what tactic defeated you, when to adopt it, and how to counter it.
There are too many maneuvers, tactics, and stragegies to completely list... Chandelles, luffberrys Immelmans, split-s, hammerheads, sicssors, cobras, controlled stalls, etc. Here are a few of the buzzwords and concepts to start with:
Boom and Zoom is an energy fight which emphasizes the use of speed and altitude to close, attack, then quickly separate outside the targets gun range. Useful against aircraft that are more agile, but operating at slower speeds.
Turning Fights are engagements in which aircraft try to turn inside each others' radius for better firing position. Usually the aircraft with better aerodynamics will prevail.
