There's nothing like hands-on practicing!! At last last year's Boy Scout summer camp my son took the Wilderness Survival merit badge. Part of that involves lighting a fire three ways without matches. He used a ferro rod, steel wool w/ 9V, and a magnifying glass on twine.

Here's a picture of him (on the left) and his buddy just before heading off to a night with just the clothes on their back and a few bits of survival gear. They are trying to look like mountain men.



I was surprized how well the steel wool worked ... and how difficult lighting with the magnifying glass was.