Touch typing advice

theoretica

We taught my brother by sticking blank labels onto his keys - he had to remember where the letters were then. Not always the correct finger, but no looking at the keyboard or pattern on the screen.

TELLIT01

I learnt to touch type on a manual typewriter with all the keys covered with coloured caps - no letters or other characters visible. That certainly concentrates the mind. I could manage nearly 100 words per minute at my peak, but lost a lot of that when using early computer keyboards where upper and lower case wasn't used. I can probably still do about 60 words per minute on a good day, and it's great to see the looks on the faces of younger people when I hold a conversation with them and carry on typing whilst looking at them. Few seem to be taught to touch type these days.

jobbingmusician

Mavis Beacon is still around.

I learnt touch typing in the early 80's by going in to a specialist school in central London. It cost over £100 - a fortune to me at the time - but remains one of the most useful things I ever learnt!

Comms69

It's about practice really more than anything. Unless the job is very heavy on typing, you'd be surprised what levels of skill are acceptable. I remember as a kids being told that we must all reach 45 words per minute, the reality is that for most jobs - admin office based - it's not a requirement and many people wouldn't be anywhere near that.

GlasweJen

I learned to touch type using a programme in school, I even still remember some of the typing drills. I left school typing at 76wpm and got faster at uni because I'd leave everything to the last minute.

I'm surprised my nieces aren't being taught to type in school now, it seems like a backwards step.

Thomas_The_Tank_Top

Instructor led touch typing on the old type 12 Golf Ball headed type 12 teleprinters in the mid-70',s.

HMS Mercury and one infamous POWRN instructor. If she caught you looking at your keys a yard rule and your knuckles made friends. If she caught you twice it was the keyboard with the blank keys for ever.

I finally made the grade C&G 777/1 Advanced Keyboard 85 wpm at 100% accuracy.

People claiming 100 wpm are talking out of their ar5e.

p00hsticks

Some people don't realise that most laptop and PC keyboards have small raised 'dashes' towards the bottom of the ' f' and 'j' keys. These are to enable you to position your hands correctly for touch typing ( forefinger of the left hand on the f and forefinger of the right hand on the j)

peachyprice

p00hsticks wrote: »

Some people don't realise that most laptop and PC keyboards have small raised 'dashes' towards the bottom of the ' f' and 'j' keys. These are to enable you to position your hands correctly for touch typing ( forefinger of the left hand on the f and forefinger of the right hand on the j)

Indeed.

I was taught left had over ASDF right hand over JKL: I still start off in that position 40 years later.