Man I remember when I learned to drive 5spd last summer. My dad was a pretty bad teacher in my opinion. He used to teach me in a way that I guess I understood wrong. At first I could never even get the car in first gear cause of him. He used to tell me to clutch in, put it in first, and then let the clutch up slowly and right before I let it out to give it a little bit of gas. So I used to try it all day long and stall, stall, and stall. Finally I did it my way and I got it. I clutch in, throw it in first, then as I let the clutch up slowly I go giving it very little gas (1,000-1,200rpm I am guessing), and this way worked for me because they blend in together therefore giving it a smooth start. Once you learn how to get into first gear driving is easy. Reverse is a lil bit of a pain to get used to, but its easy once you get used to it. Now unlike when in 1st, when you are in reverse the car rolls back (thats what manual's are known for) easy so you don't have to give it much gas if any at all (depending on the incline of the surface). I clutch in, throw it in reverse, then I let it roll back. Once I feel the car is not moving enough I go slightly tapping the gas while having the clutch halfway up (but not all way out), and this allows the car to back up smoothly without jerking (because if you let the clutch out and tapped the gas the car would jerk). If going down a hill, you most likely won't even need to give it gas, and you'll be able to measure when and when not to give the car gas after a few weeks of driving. Just remember to practice all the time, and it will become second nature. It took me about 3 days to get the jist of it. And it took about a full month to get used to driving normally without error. Hills used to be my worse nightmare. But you'll learn that when you are on a hill to let the clutch out and give it gas quicker, because if you don't the car will roll back fast. And this takes the most time to learn because its hard to practice on a hill without having cars behind you to worry about. I always hated hills because it put the most pressure on me because I was so scared to fvck up and it would roll back and hit someone. But if you are careful it will never happen. I hope this helps you out on your journey to learn how to drive manual transmission. Good Luck, I am sure you will enjoy it alot more than automatic. Ever since I learned 5spd I will never go back to automatic ever again.
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