How to drive a stick shift? Is my technique ok (described further)?

A23

New member
Someone's clutch needs replacement getting me to think if I drive correctly.

I ease off the clutch so that the car doesn't jerk (as if eased off too fast) or surge (as if eased off too slowly). When I drive, the car is smooth. I pause in neutral for maybe 0.25 seconds between shifts. I don't shift too early as to lug the engine, but fairly early. At long stop lights, I leave the car in neutral, not in gear with my foot on the clutch. My foot is never on the clutch when I am moving forward but is leaning on the deadpedal on the far left. My last car lasted 80k on the same clutch before a truck ran into it and totalled it.

One thing that does happen is that it smells smoky on rare occasions when I try to back up and parallel park on a steep hill (car's nose pointing downhill). Advice to prevent this? I use the hand brake and release it after giving the car some gas.
 
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