it's because they manhandle the shifter and pull left and back, and wham, 2nd gear. if your bushings are in good order, the shifter should rebound to center, so all you have to do is pull back, no left, no right.

however, i have see shifter gates that were spaced weird, so that if you pull straight back or forward, you'd hit gate instead of gear. it's bad design, if you ask me. fortunately, neither my integra nor my girl's c230 are like that, but it's something to keep in mind.