Tightening a plumbing fixture
 

What's the trick to tightening a male-female plumbing joint - hand-tighten
then wrench for a full rotation and/or it is at the proper postion it needs
to be?

Always wonder about that part of putting in valves and such for fixtures.
Part of the issue for me is that hand-tightening never has it pointing in
the right direction, usually other end of the valve is pointing some other
useless way, so I take the wrench to it until it is pointing the right way,
oftentimes having to turn it about 300 degrees or more or sometimes when
turning it with a wrench it doesn't feel snug even after getting it into the
right position - so go around again, usually ending up having to muscle it
that last 10 or so degrees of rotation. Am I overtightening in doing that,
or is there a better way to but on a valve so that it always points in the
right direction after its been properly tightened down?