Hello I'm Chris. In this video we're going to have a look at how to change gear using the palming method. It might look complicated at first but having your hand in the correct position on the gear lever will help you get into the correct gear every time. If you're a new driver or someone who occasionally changes into the wrong gear by accident then hopefully this video will help. There are normally five forward gears and one gear for reversing. Reverse gear is identified by the letter 'R' and it might be in a different position depending on the car. You need to remember the diagram on top of the gear lever as it show the gear layout. When changing gear, it will be tempting to look down where your hand is going but looking down when you're driving could be dangerous. At the moment, the gear lever is in neutral which means that it's not in any gear. You can tell it's in neutral as you can move the gear lever freely left and right along this line. You wouldn't be able to do this if it was in gear. The gear lever is spring loaded which means that it always springs to it's neutral position just below 3rd and above 4th. You'll need to remember this, because when you change gear it's important to apply pressure in the correct direction or you could make an error and change into the wrong gear. I'm going to change into 1st gear from this neutral position. I'll point my thumb down with my palm facing away from me as I'll be pushing left against the spring. And then forward to 1st. To change up to 2nd gear my hand will keep in the same position with slight pressure to the left. As I move the gear lever backwards to 2nd gear. Having my hand in this position prevents the gear lever springing to neutral and then possibly selecting the wrong gear. I'm going to change up to 3rd. Changing up to 3rd, 4th and 5th I'll move my hand so that my palm is facing myself and my thumb is pointing up. Don't forget that the gear is spring loaded and wants to spring to the central neutral position just under 3rd. Unlike 1st to 2nd, where I didn't want it to spring to the central position this time I do. My hand postion will allow this to happen. A little pressure forwards and it springs to neutral and then straight forward to 3rd. A common mistake is to force it into 3rd. This could lead you to changing into 1st or 5th by accident. Always remember to be gentle when changing gear and don't force it. I'll change back to 2nd and I can demonstrate the spring with my finger. To show just by pushing forward, it springs into the neutral position and then I'll push forward again into 3rd. I'll change back down to 2nd. Remember not to force it into 3rd. You don't need to push left or right on the gear lever. Just push forward slightly let it spring to neutral and then forward again. To change from 3rd to 4th. Hand in the same position with my thumb pointing up and palm facing me and then move it in a straight line backwards. To change form 4th to 5th, hand in the same position, move it forwards slightly to neutral, a little pressure right and forward to 5th. We're now going to have a look at changing down through the gears. To change from 5th to 4th, I'll have my palm facing me, with my thumb pointing up. I want to allow it to spring to the central neutral position. A little pressure backwards, let it spring to the centre and then move backwards to 4th. Changing from 4th to 3rd, you can keep your hand in the same position and push forward without any pressure left or right. To change from 3rd to 2nd, I'll need to push against the spring, I'll change my hand position so that my palm is facing away from me and my thumb is pointing down. Remember any time you want to change to 1st or 2nd, your palm should face away from you. I'll move it backwards slightly, so that it springs to neutral. Push left and then backwards to 2nd. With 2nd to 1st, I don't want it to spring the central neutral position as I might change to 3rd by accident. I'm giving it slight pressure to the left and forwards to 1st. To change into reverse gear from neutral, my palm will be facing me. I'll push to the right and backwards. As mentioned earlier, reverse can be in a different position depending on the car. Sometimes you might have to push down or pull a collar up. We're now going to have a look at what is sometimes called 'selective' or 'block gear' changing. This is basically skipping gears. Instead of changing through the gears, for example from 4th to 3rd to 2nd. Slow down to the appropriate speed and then change from 4th to straight to 2nd. It's less work for you and better for your clutch and gearbox. You can also block gear change up as long as you have enough speed for that gear. Let's change from 5th to 2nd. Any time that you change to 1st or 2nd, make sure that your palm is facing away from you and thumb is pointing down. Slight pressure backwards to let it spring to neutral, push left and backwards to 2nd. Let's try 5th to 3rd. My palm is facing me as I wat to let the gear lever spring to the centre just under 3rd. Slight pressure backwards, so that it springs to neutral and then forward to 3rd. 3rd to 1st. I need to push against the spring so my palm is facing away from me. Slight pressure backwards to neutral, push left against the spring and then push forward to 1st. I'm going to change from 3rd to 5th. Palm facing me, slight pressure backwards to neutral, push right and forward to 5th. 5th to 1st gear. Palm facing away from me, slight pressure backwards so that it springs to neutral, push to the left and forward to 1st. Let's try 4th to 1st. Palm facing away from me. Push forward slightly to neutral, hold it slightly to the left, then forward to 1st. And finally, 4th to 2nd. Don't forget that you need to push against the spring for 2nd and 1st. Palm facing away from me. Push forward slightly to neutral. Hold it to the left and backwards. That's the end of the talk through. I'm now going to demonstrate changing gear without any pausing. 1st. 2nd. 3rd. 4th. 5th. 2nd. 3rd. 1st. 2nd. 3rd. 4th. 5th. 3rd. OK, let's try them all again. 1st. 2nd... Well, that's the end of our video on how to change gear using the palming method. Hope you found it useful. If you're just starting to learn how to change gear then practice with the engine switched off as it will save fuel and help the environment. There's a lot more driving tips on our website, including some free mock theory tests. Don't forget to subscribe for our latest videos and thanks a lot for watching! See you on the next video.
