i'm not a big fan of sections. it requires a fair bit of practice, and also requires the right circumstances, although, if u r good at it, it'll make things quicker.
i prefer joint analysis. it's longer, but it's easier. u have to make sure that for each joint, it has to have only 2 unknown forces and 1 known force acting on the joint. then just split it up into x and y components and solve the two unknowns. you may need to do some trig, but it's pretty basic stuff. you just need to choose the order in which you analyse the joints. global equilibrium is sometimes easier. But it is very conditional. and that's only really for analysing the reaction forces. but it can sometimes be a good way to start. All you hav to do is take in the x, y and moment equations around any point you choose.
anyway, hope it helps!