This thread is more interesting than I would have guessed. I thought
standard practice was to teach both. That's what we did when I was a
student pilot. Crabbing was emphasized as the better technique for
managing larger cross winds (and we students figured it out, just fine).

I no longer remember if I was taught both. Learning in a (slab-sided) 2-33, I
was *certainly* taught slips as a means to increase sink, and I remember them
being useful/great-fun in early-model, top-only-spoilered, 1-26's. Upon
transitioning into flaps-only single-seaters, I found slipping approaches
unnecessary/not-realistically-worth-practicing due to (in the case of the
wimpily-ruddered) HP-14, full flaps resulting in something less than a 4/1
L/D, and, in the case of the (less-powerfully-flapped) Zuni, slips with full
flaps actually *reducing* the sink rate.

As for the actual touchdowns, I always sought to 2-point-on the HP-14 (easy to
do), while simultaneously (if possible) angling into any "significant
crosswind" by way of minimizing drift at touchdown; I can't recall ever
landing the HP on pavement in a crosswind. OTOH, in the Zuni (especially on
pavement) I routinely wheeled-on the ship with partial flaps in significant
crosswinds, just because it was easier to do gracefully than attempt an
easily-ballooned flare-to-a-2-point attempt. (The HP also wheeled on nicely,
but I thought it counterproductive - in a "useful most often" skills sense -
to routinely do so.)

Does it go without saying all flaps-only skills were self-taught (i.e.
reading, thinking, doing)? Definitely a good idea (and challenging fun if
approached with the right mindset) to continually attempt to increase the
variety/competency of skills in one's collection...

Bob W.