One of the reasons I bought my '18 Sport was to teach my boys how to drive a manual. I've watched some videos and particularly like the idea of letting him try on a level surface without using the gas pedal first. I tried myself and the Fit has no trouble moving forward provided you let the clutch out slowly. Any thoughts or tips on teaching a new driver how to drive a manual?

 

Lot of patience. For both parties.

When I was younger and learning stick, my dad went over the fundamentals in a parking lot and let me try. After I was comfortable with that, we did start/stops on inclines (>10%) with, then without, the e-brake. First few times I rolled back more than a car length until I got it right. That man has a sea of patience.

I tried teaching my wife years later and, suffice it to say, I was not as patient. :D But she picked it up. I had her slowly let the clutch out until the car was shuddering/stalling so she would know where that point is for that particular car.

 

My dad went over the basics with me in a huge empty parking lot.

He then told me to stop the car, got out, grabbed a folding chair from the trunk, three magazines and sat in the chair reading while I drove laps, starting and stopping, occasionally upshifting to second. It was the most valuable thing I could've done. Zero pressure, just establishing muscle memory.

Starting without the gas pedal just feathering the clutch is super useful IMO.

 

I remember using the handbrake to avoid rolling backwards. I'll still teach that method even though you don't really need it in the Fit. I've found that the Hill Start Assist gives me more than enough time to get going on an incline.

 

As others have said, patience, space and practice.

I had to teach a guy how to heel and toe and double declutch with a white piece of paper under all the pedals so he could see what was going on.

 

no gas pedal method, all clutch. sounds like you have that idea down. this forces the new driver to learn the heck out of that clutch pedal.

use that method on a flat piece of land
then use that method again on a very slight incline, just to add a tiny element of difficulty

once the driver masters the clutch, pick a tall hill (with no other cars around) and get them to go from a stop without rolling back (NO E BRAKES ALLOWED), do this a crap load of times, until that driver is comfortable

 

That's how my dad started me out driving one (as soon as I could reach the pedals). For a week I just went forward and backward up and down the driveway for like 5-10 min after dinner. Then we incorporated the gas pedal up and down the driveway. Once that was mastered it was around the neighborhood. "Don't rest that foot on the clutch pedal" still echos in my head lol.