I've been studying for a few months and this question has really been bothering me.
I don't like to subscribe to ideas blindly and prefer to test things out for myself, which is why I'm trying out a lot of different methods of learning that attack the subjects from different angels. Both input & output (unlike what Ajatt suggests). But I'm also aware that my experience is not a laboratory, and it's possible that by the time the effects are apparent it's already too late.
For speech output in doing Pimsleur daily & iTalki weekly (more casual chat rather than a lesson).
Other studies I'm doing is wanikani/kamesame/ringotan/graded readers/YouTube comprehensible Japanese content/anki (vocab deck + grammar deck)/watching simple anime/watching anime which I'm already familiar with
I personally know people who made great strides in learning a 2nd language, but even after 10-20 years of living in target language country still have unnatural speech, both in pronunciation & grammar, and I don't want to be in the same position.
Would you drop pimsleur&iTalki in this stage?
by sock_pup