(Manual noob) Had a little trouble starting in 1st gear at test drive

Originally Posted by Vaughanabe13

I learned manual on a beater Ford Taurus and while I know the basics, I'm definitely still a novice on manual trans (been driving auto since I learned to drive). The only reason I'm learning is because I want my Z to have manual. So after I learned the ropes I went and test drove a manual Z34. I figured it would be much different than the Ford and my suspicions were correct. Overall I didn't have too hard of a time but my biggest problem was first gear starts. Basically, I couldn't start smoothly every time, I was getting bucking/jerking when letting out the clutch. It was particularly hard because my shoes were wet from the rain and my foot was slipping all over the place but really it's just my lack of manual experience and what to do in those situations. I never actually stalled the car but did have a tough time on the first gear starts. I was hoping you guys could give me advice specific to the 370z (or manual cars in general) so that on my next test drive I can fix this issue and not embarrass myself as much. Any help is appreciated!