How do I tell when my clutch is going/bad?

[Bad Boy]

I know lately Ive been making a quite few posts about the clutch and everything... but only because this is my first manual car and I want to take good care of it and make it last a long time!
I promise this will be my last clutch question. Lol.

**main questions**

**How do I tell when my clutch is going out or bad, or when it needs to be replaced?**
Ive read about some tests like shifting into 6th while stopped and letting go of the clutch to see what happens... I didnt fully let go of my clutch because I didnt want to stall, but while in 6th from a stop, I let go a little and it was moving slowly with a little bit of shakiness... is that normal?

**Also, does holding down the clutch on 1st and revving to peel out waste or damage the clutch?**

**Also, when in a congested parking lot, I tend to "ride" the clutch in 1st because I dont want to stall and think 2nd is too fast. Same with reverse. Is this a normal practice?**

Thanks in advance for any advice or input.