Lots of good info to help you out in here, heres my .02. I taught my 3 sons (all by the time they was 14) how to drive a stick. 1st i let them sit in the passenger seat and learn the gear pattern by changing gears when i told them to. After they had it down pat, i put them in the drivers seat and we started with the clutch and gas. With the car/truck off, we would simulate driving, and we worked out slowly letting out the clutch. After a few minutes we started the car/truck and then they had to move us. Appling enough gas to keep from stalling and letting out the clutch like they had learned before, (slowly) then we was on our way. Yea, they stalled it several times. And I have owned one car in 21 years of driving that wasn't a stick shift. I was taught to drive a stick when i was 12 in a 72 Cheyenne Pickup with a 3 speed on the column. Good Luck