Hi Bellydancer.
What you describe is sadly all too familiar to many of the experienced and consciencous instructors that frequent this forum.
With full and due respect to you, but it appears you were the product of a lesser skilled instructor.
My clients are fully confident to be face forward in a space in any car park, and reverse into any other space anywhere in the car park, around obstacles, corners, trees anything, before I allow them anywhere near a test centre.
Of course, it's not appropriate to reverse around car parks like that under normal circumstances, but all my clients do get tasked to be able to reverse into very small spaces and from all angles and distances, including around obstacles.
How? because they understand how the car will react to changes in control, can identify when the car is not doing what they want and how to correct it and do not rely on a fixed method.
It is true that many instructors teach how to bay park by a set routine. Stop here, turn here, straighten here etc. and if the learner can park like that, the instructor moves the lesson on.
That doesn't mean the learner can reverse and park, or understands what they are doing.
This appears to be how you were taught.
However, the more able and conscientious instructors do try to teach reversing and not just a way to do each of the manouevres on the test.
Finally, be wary of following just one persons guidance on forums. They may be totally bogus, or as in Peakdrivertrainings case, come with an unproven record and relatively new to the industry.
To help you gain confidence with your reversing, invest in a couple of sessions with another instructor that is willing to show you how to reverse from any location into any other location with the confidence of being able to do so in the tightest of spaces.
Congratulations on passing your test, and I hope you enjoy your new found freedom and learning how to drive better and safer all the time
