My RSX-S is my first manual, and yes, taking off from a stop is by far the hardest part of learning to drive a stick. I did a lot of parking lot practice in the begining, but you can only learn so much in a flat, empty parking lot. In my first few days on the road I had my fair share of stalls and jerky starts but after a few weeks of daily driving you'll have everything down and you won't even have to think about it anymore. My best advice -- try not to get frustrated. Everybody who drives a stick was a newbie once and everyone goes through the same learning curve -- just remain calm and patient and you'll get the hang of it with practice.