Relax, all it takes is practice. in the beginning, yeah, had the herky-jerks, but you seem to understand about where the clutch begins to grab, you don't have to mash clutch pedal to floor to shift. About hills, if you have a hand operated parking brake on console, you can pull it on w/ your thumb on the release button. and hold car with that while you clutch out and begin to pull, then release brake. It's all in the timing, and you'll soon pick it up. Before long, you'll be able to bite the clutch,throttle up and roll without roll back. Good luck!

i suggest you learn in a small 5 speed car like chevy spark

You got it easy I learnt in cars of the early seventys heavy clutches no power steering 3 on the tree . As you feel the clutch grab give it the gas it wont take long too get used to it and not stall the engine or kangaroo hop as for hill take offs hold the handbrake on and let it off as the clutch starts grabbing . Once your comfortable you wont use the hand brake you'll just use the brake and jump on the the throttle as you quickly let the clutch out.

5th grade i. 1990 or so offloading in a full size van with three on the tree. Just got my first stick since about 2004 a couple months ago and it took a day or two to get used to it (live in a city built across a hill).

Just drive it. Will take a bit of work to gain the muscle memory and readjust your driving.

Go to an empty parking lot to just stop and start hundreds of times until you get the feel.

Try really slow starts where you give it no gas at all, and just ease the clutch slowly.

Try quick starts where you rev engine and burn clutch.

Don't do either a lot, but a couple of times, to get the feel.

The hill trick is to use the hand or emergency brake to prevent backsliding, but then release as you get the clutch right. You hold the release so that it does not lock and can quickly be released.

My best advise to you while learning to drive a stick is use the emergency brake while on a hill to take off. Just feather the clutch out until you start to feel it grab, then release the emergency brake. That trick works like a charm. Before you know it, you won't even worry about hills. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Once you get the hang of a stick, you will never want another automatic.

Practice in a quiet neighborhood and go slow - its a feel type thing that you can only get with practice. If your'e still too nervous try an abandoned parking lot.

NORMAL; There were no automatic transmissions (1940s) !

I had a 2003 Ford Mustang and earlier this week, I traded it to a 2009 Ford Mustang with a manual transmission. I had done plenty of research and had a couple lessons prior to but were a long time ago.

I have the car now, it's been about 6 days now. I'm just now getting the biting point and can ride without stalling. I have a deathly fear of hills and can only pull away from one if there is nobody behind me, if there is, I'll freak out and stall. I can go to work and the basics but I stay home a lot more because I get extremely nervous when I'm behind the wheel even though I can get to where I need to go without stalling. What was it like when you first learned? We're you as scared as I am? How do you go about shifting gears smoothly . How long did it take before it was like second nature to you? Any Tipss on anything? I would like drive as comfortable as I was in my automatic and I would like to feel the "fun" of driving a manual transmission.