Stick Shift Lessons – Manual Transmission

Knowing how to drive a manual transmission (stick shift) takes the driving experience to a new level. Feel the connection between you, your car, and the road. Leap Professional Driving School offers professional instruction for your stick-shift driving lessons using well-maintained, manual-transmission vehicles.

Learning to drive a stick-shift vehicle can be an intimidating task to take on without the assistance of a trained professional. Some drivers go through a good portion of their adult life before deciding to give it a try, and of course, many others never try at all.

People have many reasons for wanting to learn but the most common is because of the desire to purchase a consumer vehicle that is a manual transmission. Having control of the gearbox gives the driver an exciting and exhilarating experience, especially in many of the sports cars available today.

Follow These Steps to Drive a Stick Shift 

• Press the clutch all the way to the floorboard with your left foot (the gear shifter must be in the neutral position). 
• Turn the ignition key. If you are certain that the car is in neutral, you can remove your foot from the clutch. Ensure that the parking or emergency brake is not in use.
• Press the brake, or the center pedal, with your right foot.
• Position the gear shifter so that the transmission is in the first gear. 
• Remove your right foot from the brake pedal. If you are on a flat surface, the vehicle should move very little. 
• Slowly begin to place less pressure on the clutch with your left foot. Depending on the vehicle, you may feel it begin to slowly roll forward.
• As you gently release the clutch, begin to press the accelerator very delicately with your right foot.
• Once you have released the clutch completely, you should now only be pressing the accelerator with your right foot. Congratulations you’re driving in first gear. Continue to build-up speed until you feel that you need to shift into second gear. 

Some drivers need to learn to drive a manual transmission vehicle because of their job. Whatever the reason, with a little assistance and a bit of practice you could be on your way to driving a stick shift sooner than you might think.

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