Hit the right gear, or hit the wall.

[Boaisy]

Already been covered, but this is a good practice to do on the "down" gears. I always forward hand the "up" gears. Never hold the shifter with a closed grasped hand while shifting. Stuff like the OP tends to happen when you do that...

Yep, just watch the NASCAR guys, especially on the road course (specifically Marcos Ambrose too) when they shift into 4th. Turning your hand backwards going into 4th just helps from shifting into 2nd.