Yeah dw, I'm not at 1500 either - But I do know that at one point everyone knows most things like memorized tactics or whatever, so after that it's pretty much just a game of less mistakes.
And I usually don't play (regularly) against someone that's miles ahead of me, but it's a good way to improve I guess. I think one of the ways you can improve is by using engine-analysis, that usually requires premium/payment but it's the best way to go about it imo. The type that records your game and then at the end, you can see what exactly you should've done - Do that frequently and you'll get the hang of it seriously fast.
Also idk if you want to play together, but if you do, PM me.