First time having manual brakes, are mine bad?

I love manual brakes on older cars. I have manual brakes on most my classic cars including our '77 van. It's one conversion I always try to do. Yes, it takes a little more "leg", but by all means, you shouldn't be standing on the pedal. My wife can drive any of our cars and stop them on a dime. But for sure, manual brakes have a different feel than power brakes.