The shift knob I prefer:
Shifting style:
Pistol grip from Neutral to 1st.
Pistol grip from 1st to 2nd.
Rotate the hand on top of the knob, thumb towards me, for 2nd to 3rd.
Continue rotating hand, thumb down, for 3rd to 4th.
Back to hand on top for 4th to 5th.
Thumb down again for 5th to 6th.
The pistol grip position makes you naturally pull towards yourself. That's perfectly fine on the 1-2 shift. But on the 3-4 shift you run a greater risk of pulling the shifter into 2nd. So the reverse grip changes the angle of your arm so your muscles naturally pull the shifter away from you. That way if you misjudge the gate to 4th you end up in 6th which is perfectly fine. Same with the hand-on-top 2-3 shift, as you'll be pushing away from your body.