I've got about 250tt in the Tomahawk, and I did my CFI spins in it as well.

IIRC, a contributing factor in the early stall/spin issues for the plane was that the yoke shaft could be deflected upwards and possibly jam when fully deflected aft during the stall. This made it difficult(impossible in some cases) to apply forward elevator and break the stall. We would always apply slight downward pressure(towards the floorboards) to the yoke while pushing forward when initiating stall recovery.

My primary CFI was a Navy A4 pilot, he loved to demonstrate cross-controlled stalls in the PA38. You learn coordination pretty fast when you suddenly find yourself on your back! Chop the throttle and a John Wayne back thru, then home in time to change your shorts.

As for spins, no more than 3 turns. They just aren't any fun after that.