Not the only way.. it just seems that the older .torrents will typically be getting seeded by people with higher speeds.. most people only
seed due to someone still being connected to them. A lot of
leechers could be spaced out over many peers. Just stay connected and sometimes what will happen is that newer
leechers will tend to lock on to what you are seeding. Usually it is the best idea though to grab some newer .torrents.. or go the cross-seeding method to establish a
buffer on whatever
Tracker you desire. Then from that
buffer.. you can go after older ones.
But yes.. as it is.. the best possible way is to connect and download those newer .torrents and that way you will be "First in line" for future
leecher/
seeders.
Give it a try and check your results.