I mean an arcade stick won't "make" you better, but if you feel more comfortable on it, that is certainly an option for you.
Fighting games are all about practice, not peripherals (I play pad on some games, stick for others). Can't do a dragon punch? Can't do a combo? Can't do a super move? You go into practice mode and figure it out over and over again until you have it down pat, then test it out vs friends and hopefully other players around your skill level so you can really push the little new things you learn from practice vs each other every session, until you start remembering it and improving against each other x infinity.
FYI for some of you who only casually approached fighters in the past: Training modes are
AMAZING in most games now. They are chalked full of interactive move lists, character tutorials, character trials with escalating difficulty, input recording/playback, defensive training, hitbox information, frame data, combo demonstrations... you name it, the training modes will really help you get the most out of your practice times these days. It's not just reading a move list off a piece of paper anymore
That being said, as much as I want this to feel like anyone can participate... if you are unfamiliar with the game or casual about it, just be prepared to get stomped on by others often, and keep the proper mentality of- "I'm still learning, having fun, a loss has a lot of information to offer me (most games have match replay features built in, especially online) and you will get better as long as you focus on learning what happened to you. ask people if you don't understand how it works and do your best to stop it from happening in rematches.
/peaching
. 
