geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: NewbieOneKenobi on Sat, 25 August 2012, 15:59:35
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Touch-typing, of course, but I mean hitting single keys without looking, which is so much more difficult (for me, at least) than just simply typing proper words.
In games, I find combos easy, even like CTRL+1, 2, 3 etc. Sequences aren't that bad, either. But I have a problem hitting the right key when I need to press just one key. Obviously, you're faster and have better orientation in the game if you don't need to look at the keyboard, so this is how I'd like to do it.
Any hints how to practice this type of thing?
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Just keep doing it. And also, don't expect to be able to do it like a pianist unless you do the whole thing like a pianist. Which is to say, a pianist has a single keyboard/body relation that they maintain in order to pick out any chord or note. I can pick out most any key on a board without looking, but I have to touch the board first to orient myself. My pinky tips, thumb tips and the base knuckles of my pinky are how I orient my hands.
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what he said. Either keep your wrists on the desk or else use a wrist rest, whichever feels more natural. Index fingers stay on F and J at all times unless being used to hit another key. Do some typing practice type things. gtypist is OK on Linux, or I'm sure that there's something equivalent for Windows. I like to run gtypist every couple months while using my WASD (hard to see the printing on the keycaps) helps keep me from developing bad habits.
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It depends on your gaming layout (I'm assuming you're asking for gaming and not necessarily traditional touch typing): for traditional WASD layout, and when in a movement heavy situation, I normally leave the tip of my pinky on the keyboard chassis leaning against the upper edge of the shift key, I'd say I have normal-ish size (male) hands so I can easily access 1 2 3 4 Q E R F Z X C along with the W A S D cluster from this position; some times, when I shift from heavy movement to heavy ability usage, I slide my pinky up to the bottom corner of the tab key, so that the number row is more accessible. I don't leave my pinky on the chassis the whole time, just when I need to quickly gain my bearings after fishing for lesser used key binds (6+, T, G, V).
I've also removed my caps lock key-cap, it just seemed to get in the way and I didn't want to bust out the dremmel to mutilate the thing, lol. If I were to go even further I'd probably add tactile dimples to a few keys (mainly V for thumb use and 4 7/8 to make quick passes over the number row more easily), but I haven't found it really necessary, haha.
edit; the point I'm trying to get across is to find or make "landmarks" since you probably won't have access to the ones normally provided by the F and J keys while gaming.
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Touch helps a lot. Rest your hand on something you can feel and learn the amount of movement you need to get from this "something" to the key you want to hit, without looking at the keyboard.
YMMV but it worked when I played the piano.
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it's just a case of training muscle memory + memory, eventually once you do it enough it becomes instantaneous. This is how I typed before learning properly, I simply without effort knew where each key was and had a set of patterns built in so that I could type without looking at the keyboard. Basicly it just happens.
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Touch helps a lot. Rest your hand on something you can feel and learn the amount of movement you need to get from this "something" to the key you want to hit, without looking at the keyboard.
YMMV but it worked when I played the piano.
Ah...
In addition to this...
Exhaustively search for all pertinent transitions "into" the single key you're looking for. And practice those transitions. Although I highly doubt you'll need this technique, because it's only used by serious people doing serious work.