i'd been watching people i know for a long time, and had the mechanics of how it worked in my head. Took about an hour total (little over the course of 3 days) going up and down my driveway, which has a nice hill on it. then, it was just a matter of playing with the car to see what she can do and what she likes. thats been over the course of a year. been driving a stick for 3 years now. only stall now, cause my brains somewhere else