well, this is my first stick shift as well.. i've had it for about 4 months now and have about 4k miles on it..
i know exactly what you mean.. it does get hard and since every car is different, it's hard to explain to others so they could teach you..
From just my experience and trying to learn little stuff here and there from other peeps, this is what i found out..
this car has a lot of torque... A LOT! this with the combination of the accelerator being very sensitive, it's hard to match and get the "sweet spot" while balancing your clutch and gas..
after trying numerous things, i came to a conclusion where more gas = better shifting.. (not too much, just a tad over needed..)
from N to 1st gear, i give it a little more gas and use my clutch to control the speed.. i keep my foot down on the gas at a constant and slowly let go of the clutch.. as you're letting go of the clutch, the car accelerates.. and then, i hit ~ 3,500rpm and shift to 2nd.. from 3rd on out, it should be easier to shift gears since your car has enough momentum..
my biggest problem is or was, i'm so used to driving automatics, i'm always imagining driving my manual car like one... i just got over the fact that the transition from 1st to 2nd will NEVER be as smooth as an automatic.. lolz..
it took me a while to get over this..
if anyone else reads this and i'm wrong about something, please correct me for i am still learning right now.. as i mentioned above, this is my 1st stick shift as well...
hope this helps..
ride on~
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