improve typing speed

[d-blank]

any online website or software you guys recommend to improve typing speed?

now I around 50 wpm, hoping to reach 100ish.

Thanks

[Moth]

http://www.typingweb.com/

[Viett]

TypingMaster, in my opinion, is the best, but it's not free.

TypeFaster is a great free alternative and I also highly recommend it.

If you just want to have fun and practice typing, I'd recommend TypeRacer, Typer Shark, or Typing of the Dead.

[type_dancer]

You could learn how I did.... play a text based RPG. If you don't type fast enough you die

To be more constructive... games like Text Twist or programs like Typing Instructor are good as well. You can always google free sites that have mini games and instructions.

[EverythingIBM]

Go to your local library, get out some old english manuscripts from the 17th century, and start transcribing them whilst modernizing them at the same time. That should increase your typing in no time.

[hoggy]

Have a look at texter.  Why type 100 wpm when you can type the equiv. of 100 wpm?  The 100 most popular words in English account for around 50% of use.  If you type fairly stock phrases then something like texter is a must.

You could try to remapping the capslock key to backspace (although some prefer to remap it to ctrl), so you can remove a mistake just a touch quicker and not lose your hand position on the home row.

If you're programming, then I find the ANSI layout offers better access to the return key than the ISO layout.

If you are in no hurry, consider learning colemak or dvorak.  You'll have a serious drop in speed for a while, but it could be fun and you'll notice the difference in how your hands feel at the end of the day.

Slightly unrelated but if you copy and paste a lot then have a look at some of the clipboard managers out there.

I would suggest you don't increase your typing speed at the expense of your accuracy - my typing is terrible after swapping to dvorak (used to be fine on qwerty - but dvorak is more comfortable even with the mistakes).

[Arc'xer]

You could try to remapping the capslock key to backspace (although some prefer to remap it to ctrl), so you can remove a mistake just a touch quicker and not lose your hand position on the home row.

I've recommended this quite a few times. Using Kmapper and adding a registry for caps lock key to be Backspace and Left-Windows Key to be Capslock that way you still got caps lock if you need it for something. It's great quite more efficient depending on which hand is in which position required after the erase.

Though it does create quite a lot of muscle memory so don't be surprised if you hit caps lock on others computer and nothing happens but CLock on.

[hyperlinked]

You could try to remapping the capslock key to backspace (although some prefer to remap it to ctrl), so you can remove a mistake just a touch quicker and not lose your hand position on the home row.

While I think this would definitely give you a small edge in speed, it might be something that would be a better thing to try after you've maximized your speed with conventional layouts because one of the skills of faster typing is learning to get back to home position quickly and accurately. From a lot of the posts here, I get the impression that a lot of typists have difficulty maintaining their typing when they have to reach for numbers and punctuation because they either make a huge stretch from home row or have difficulty once they lose contact with home row.

[hoggy]

Though it does create quite a lot of muscle memory so don't be surprised if you hit caps lock on others computer and nothing happens but CLock on.

I'm glad it's not just me that does that.  My contour beeps everytime I hit capslock.  As you can imagine, it beeps a lot.

I've just mentioned elsewhere, but swapping the ; for enter (or something else) might be an idea...

[Zalusithix]

I'm glad it's not just me that does that.  My contour beeps everytime I hit capslock.  As you can imagine, it beeps a lot.

I've just mentioned elsewhere, but swapping the ; for enter (or something else) might be an idea...

Why haven't you just reprogrammed the capslock key on the contour?

[ozar]

any online website or software you guys recommend to improve typing speed?

now I around 50 wpm, hoping to reach 100ish.

Thanks

I can't recommend any certain application because it's been too long since I used such an app, but they really do help with increasing speed and accuracy if you stick with them for long enough to benefit from them.  Do report back on what you go with and how it works out for you.

[hoggy]

Why haven't you just reprogrammed the capslock key on the contour?

I could say that the backspace is under the left thumb, and it's even quicker than the capslock...  but, you're right, I'll change it.

[chimera15]

1000th post.

I finally broke down and watched the ultimate typing champion contest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9EXEpjSDEw&feature=player_embedded

 That guy's pretty amazing, he did 160 on a long typing test, possibly even unseen or unpracticed? I can get about 130 max on a practiced memorized quote.  I'm at about 90 on an unpracticed relatively easy quote.  Beyond that I think it's a style limitation I'm facing.  I think I might start videotaping my typing and try to compare it to his or something.


On the second test he didn't really look that fast, and made lots of errors, but still made 120-130 wpm.

[chimera15]

Ah, arenasnow is Sean.  
That's his youtube channel, one video on typeracer...

He doesn't look incredibly fast actually...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbsGioyqy18

Yeah new racing typing site apparently, or at least one I hadn't seen before:

http://play.typeracer.com/

Yeah typeracer is much improved over typrx, and a lot more people there, and much better statistics keeping and such.

[chimera15]

Well I did 111 on a quote I had never typed before on that site..  Average around 90wpm on medium difficult quotes it seems.

[DryDry]

you need a good tool---new keyborad~
and  practice more~

[chimera15]

you need a good tool---new keyborad~
and  practice more~

No, I came to the conclusion a long time ago that it has nothing to do really with the keyboard. A friend of mine who was in the finals of the ultimate typing championship types on a crappy old rubber dome and gets 160 wpm.  At most the keyboard really only makes maybe a 10wpm difference overall.

I really like the new site, it charts your overall progress.


I guess this means I'm pretty static..

[noctua]

Damn! I short played around, for the moment enough for level "Typemaster"..
(to less for level "Megaracer" as chimera15 above..)

[Rajagra]

you need a good tool---new keyborad~

Keyborat?



Sorry, couldn't resist. :smile:

[DryDry]

prepare a good tool first whenever you want to do some work

[hyperlinked]

At most the keyboard really only makes maybe a 10wpm difference overall.

Totally agree about the small difference a board makes in a testing situation, but it might make a bigger difference in a sustained typing test though. In the short burst tests that you get on Typeracer and like sites, you'll probably do fine on just about anything north of an Atari 400 keyboard.

I think we also need to distinguish between a really awful rubber dome and a quality one. If your keys jam or stick, it'll obviously put a ding in your performance.

Show Image

That charting feature's been there for a long time. I haven't played in a good long while though so maybe there's a new wrinkle that you're referring to that I'm not seeing.

[noctua]

hyperlinked: You suggests then time has come and i kick my awful
rubber dome keyboard with an cherry blue-clicky one, this improve
my speed nearly +10 WPM?

[hyperlinked]

hyperlinked: You suggests then time has come and i kick my awful
rubber dome keyboard with an cherry blue-clicky one, this improve
my speed nearly +10 WPM?

No, I didn't actually mean that the keyboard will necessarily improve your speed by 10wpm. I was just agreeing with Chimera that I wouldn't expect the keyboard to really account for more than 10wpm in improvement for most people. That means that it might give you a slight speed boost, but it may not and it may even slow you down a little.

Also, I suppose the two of us should really put some context into what we mean by 10wpm. I assume that he's saying 10wpm for himself. We're both 100+wpm typists. A 10wpm change for us is no small feat, but if you're typing 40wpm, it would be a heroic feat to get 25% faster just by switching keyboards. Perhaps it might be more useful for us to say that you shouldn't expect to see more than a 10% difference in your speed with a better keyboard unless you were going from something truly truly awful to something very good.

I love my mechanical keyboards, but not because I feel they make me faster. I love them because they're more durable and the resistance is more consistent. I have no problem with typing on domes, but years of typing very fast and for many hours a day have taken a toll on my hands and most rubber domed boards usually last only a few months before they start to cause me pain or become erratic to the point that I start getting frustrated with keys that catch and disrupt my typing.

[chimera15]

Yeah, what he said. lol

[Buckling_Summer]

When I bought my first model M, I started touch typing using this online lessons:
http://www.typing-lessons.org

Now I can catch a decent 60-70 wpm.
In gtypist software, I can reach in short sentences 105 wpm.

I think I will try this type-racer thing.

* I think that the shortest travel time of the keys combined with a adequate tactile feel  would be the fastest combination for world speed typing records. What would be the best switch then?

[Arc'xer]

I never got fast typing per se, even before touch typing I was like left 2-3 finger and right like 1 or 2 finger. Then I forced myself to learn.

But for the most part the general area I remain at is the 60-85 mark. For some reason I tend to have either stupid finger syndrome or clumsy improper movements like deviations or improper location strikes, I wouldn't say off-center more like overshoot or undershoot or generally relying too much on muscle memory and hitting another letter/number haphazardly and missing said number/letter.

I guess it's the current mx black I'm using though I exhibited the same phenomena practically on every board. Gonna move into a brown soon, but it's sorta like my hands are not synced with the words. Both in reading and typing the words and almost like my mind is way ahead of my physical body, well when doing those typing racing or whatever.

Not sure just sometimes I tend to just tend to strike incorrect characters.

Numbers are pretty bad, the reach is far I make these sorta clumsy fat finger presses scrambling to press it and I hit a different number in some cases.

Worst with pinkies, seems they don't reach as easily as the ring to the 1, sorta feels like the pinkie is incorrect or improper even enter key is inconvenient at times.

Maybe I'm typing incorrectly or without proper support. Been wondering if a wrest helps always seems like a back and forth on them.

[gr1m]

Is there something that teaches you how to type, not tests your ability? Like, tells you where to place your hands optimally? I'm kind of sick of blazin' with my 2 index fingers.

Edit, nevermind:

TypingMaster, in my opinion, is the best, but it's not free.

TypeFaster is a great free alternative and I also highly recommend it.

If you just want to have fun and practice typing, I'd recommend TypeRacer, Typer Shark, or Typing of the Dead.

Typefaster is great. Thanks Viett.

[Arc'xer]

Is there something that teaches you how to type, not tests your ability? Like, tells you where to place your hands optimally? I'm kind of sick of blazin' with my 2 index fingers.

Edit, nevermind:

Typefaster is great. Thanks Viett.

Also http://www.typingweb.com/

Gets a bit boring though but I'd say within a week or so it should be more common and within a few you should do it without much if any mental hiccups.

[hyperlinked]

Is there something that teaches you how to type, not tests your ability? Like, tells you where to place your hands optimally? I'm kind of sick of blazin' with my 2 index fingers.

It's basically like an athletic skill. Repetiton, repetition, repetion gets you there. It's important that you practice correctly though. Practicing raw typing when you're still having trouble with several keys may not really help as much as just practicing those few characters until you can nail those characters without thinking.

If there's even a blip of thought about where your hands need to go, you have a ways to go... more reps... more practice.

[gr1m]

It's basically like an athletic skill. Repetiton, repetition, repetion gets you there.

You start to type faster when hitting a key is an automatic reaction rather than something you think about. It's like when you're playing mini-golf or pool and you have the easiest shot in the world. The ball is right outside the cup and all you have to do is tap it in, but one of your so called friends says to you right before you're about to shoot, "HEY DON'T MESS UP!"

And you shank the shot and you mess up. It's because what should have been an automatic reaction became something you started to think about when your friend made you think about it.

If there's even a blip of thought about where your hands need to go, you have a ways to go... more reps... more practice.

I understand that. I've been playing guitar for a long time and it's the exact same thing. Heck, if you have to think about what button to press in an FPS, you're as good as dead. Etc. I can navigate a keyboard using my two index fingers but I still need a starting point for using all fingers of both hands properly.

[spolia optima]

If you want to type fast, I suggest typing all the f**king time without looking at the keyboard. try to type reaally fast and don't make any mistakes. The switch is totally up to you. I recommend Brown MX.

[kishy]

Agreed, that's one of the best ways. I've had Model Ms sound like machine guns (or what I presume such a weapon to sound like) on my desk when I really get into typing or if I'm transcribing something.

[chimera15]

Typing Of The Dead

Show Image

Too bad it now goes for $57 to $70 on Ebay!

I got it on torrents.  It was mildly interesting, I wouldn't say it helps improve typing that much, since you can continue the levels, and some of the levels are ridiculously hard and depend on which word you choose to type first more than anything.  Sides it's old, and the graphics aren't exactly to the level of left 4 dead or something.  The characters are pretty funny though, they walk around with keyboards on slings. lol




Wonder what kind of keyboard.  I think it's a tenkeyless.  Would make a great cosplay/halloween costume. lol

[chimera15]

You seem to be a big torrents fan.....

Open SW at it's best.

Torrents are what computers are for aren't they? lol

[DreymaR]

The characters are of course using the SEGA Dreamcast keyboard! And on their backs are Dreamcasts with battery packs. Just brilliant.

You're absolutely spot on about the cosplay idea. Some people would guffaw, while the rest didn't get it at all.  

[Buckling_Summer]

Torrents are what computers are for aren't they? lol

LOL.. Ofcourse that's the way it is.

[Viett]

I'm still waiting for someone to translate Typing of the Dead 2. The original was amazing .

[chimera15]

That implies programming is a dead end career.

 It pretty much is dead, for pc's at least.  Any program that's any good instantly is pirated on torrents.  Unless it's open source and free and ad supported, no program is going to make much profit.  

Look at a simple thing like Paint Tool Sai.  A guy spends 10 years of his life developing one of the most awesome paint programs ever, that blows photoshop, illustrator, and all paint programs out of the water for most of it's features.  Yet you can go on demonoid and get it for free, even when the program only costs like $50 to buy.  It's sick.

[chimera15]

I'll tell my son to become an artist.

lol It's even worse as an artist.  No media has any worth anymore.  

The only area that anyone can make any money anymore is government, energy, or service industry, since the Chinese copy every product made as well.