[tbirdtbird]

Agree, I don't 'coast' thru a turn with my foot on the clutch; this is not necessary. Brake as needed; it won't stall. While driving ANY stick shift car, not just the A

Upshifting from 2-3 with non-synchro straight cut gears is way easier than down shifting same. It takes a while to get the feel for how much rev you have to apply while in neutral. Shift more slowly, even on upshift, it will shift easier.
And be sure your idle is set back as low as it can that makes shifting easier, too