Manual Transmission shifting question

I'm relatively new to driving a stick. I had learned previously, but the first manual car I've ever owned was my GTI which I've only owned for two months. That being said, the issue I'm having could entirely be me being a novice, so keep that in mind.

I've noticed that in 1st and 2nd gears, the shifter seems to catch on something. Every once in awhile putting it in 1st from neutral it will feel like it's rubbing or something is blocking it. Also, when I shift from 1st to 2nd, it feels like it's catching on something. This (I think) slows down my shifting, causing me to let the clutch out at the wrong time making the car buck. I don't have any issues with shifting in any other gears (everything is fairly smooth, with the clutch being let out at the right time), just 1-2.

Is this a normal thing to feel with GTIs? For the record, I do have a Dieselgeek SS installed. If someone in the Nassau Country area has a DG I could feel for comparison, it would be much appreciated. There were some install issues when I first had the DG put in which led me to having it adjusted by Elite Motorsports. That being said, I'm not entirely convinced that it was installed correctly, so I'm wondering if this could be the problem.

The short shifter doesn't have a counter weight to it, making it feel a bit notchy since there's less momentum to help you shift. You might want to go back to stock shifter and practice on that honestly.

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did u align ur shifter after install? ss can be notchy in general.

I know the DG can be notchy, so that isn't the issue. The problem is that each time it goes into gear, it feels completely different. Similarly, when I shift from 1st to 2nd, sometimes it goes easily, and sometimes it really has to be dragged forced out of first. If this is normal, I will definitely just work on practicing more, but I guess it just didn't seem normal that the feel wasn't consistent.

I did have it adjusted after install, by a well-reputed shop that specializes in VWs and Audis.

First to second can be harder. It usually happens for me when shifting quickly at high RPMs...

Going into first is a different story. First gear has a lockout to make it harder to shift into, but when you're fully stopped and in neutral, it should be easy. It does occasionally get a little stuck though.