That may not be a good reason for not using the appropriate tool. If you don't understand something, you would do well to read up on it and learn about it. I suggest that you read the CardLayout tutorial:
How to Use CardLayout (The Java™ Tutorials > Creating a GUI with JFC/Swing > Laying Out Components Within a Container)
You do have a link to the Sun Tutorials Really Big Index, right?
The Really Big Index