If it's the thumb that's hurting, then I'd say your problem is your typing posture. Maybe you need to think about how you keep your hands when typing. What keyboard are you currently using? Are your hands relaxed on the keyboard whenever you're not typing? Are they relaxed when you're typing as well?

I wouldn't switch the thumb for the space. I would figure out the source of the thumb pain and get that fixed. Switching the thumb will hurt your speed till you get used to the timing which can take a while, but if you want, you can try. In general it sounds better to use the left thumb for the spacebar since the rest of the load is slightly more to the right hand, but in reality (my experience) it doesn't matter that much for the space, since your thumbs are over the space almost all the time anyway.

Just by the way, when people usually talk about "hand alternation" they refer to how often do you alternate between your hands while typing. The exact percentage comes from the chance that the next key is going to be pressed by the other hand. So 70% hand alternation for the layout would mean that when typing text, after each key, there's 70% chance that the next key will be pressed by the opposite hand. It doesn't have anything to do with how much the layout is biased to the left or right hand.

Sorry if you knew that, I must have misunderstood you in that case.

Colemak uses the right hand 6% more than the left hand (source: Carpalx), so you must utilize left hand more, for Caps-Backspace and the space bar if possible, in order to balance the workload.

To use the right thumb to press space bar makes your right hand work 9-10% more than the left hand, which is not good in the long term. Luckily most people are right-handed anyway.

For the keyboards, if you type a lot, then you must consider buying a mechanical keyboard, which is easier on your fingers.

For more information, you can read Mechanical keyboard Guide here
http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mecha … guide/0_20

I get keyboard related pain in my hands, neck, fingers, and wrists.  And i partially account this to stiff keyboards, but mostly from over doing it.

After spending a day hammering away at some code during the week (I'm heavier with my typing when coding - a habit I'm finding difficult to liberate myself from,) my hands and fingers weren't good for much the following day.

I experienced a lot of teething pains when I first started out touch typing - real discomfort.  I think the typing exercises can be particularly brutal.  You might also be be more stressed to begin with (with the concentration), and can become further stressed out with yourself at being stressed.

Make sure you afford yourself some healthy breaks, and try and loosen your hands a little.

I don't think the majority of touch type users use only one shift, and since we're talking about Colemak, I assume almost every user is touch typist.
Anyway, just thought I'd mention this.

Touch typing means simply typing without looking at the keys. It does not mean anything about the technique you're using. You could touch type with 4 fingers. I don't know how many touch typists go for only one shift, but it seems quite unproductive, and puts more strain on the hand that's stretching for the shift, instead of using both hands.

I assume most Colemak users have been thought to type with typing tutors, and I don't know a single one (tutor) that doesn't say to press shift with the opposite hand of the letter. From that point on, a normal person would only improve, which in my book is pressing Shift with the letter on the same side only if the next letters would require awkward movement from the other shift. For example for "So" I'd type S with the left shift, since it's less awkward than having to move my pinky from the right shift to the "o". Personal preference. I don't know how many people do this... shift alternating, and have no statistics to show how many touch typists use only one shift to back what I'm thinking, but either way it's not something crucial we need to bother thinking about a lot :)

PS: I think what you mean when you say "touch typing" is the classic technique, which is only one of the many.

Fair enough. I agree, with slight doubt that Colemak users use only left shift, but anyway.

Sorry for hijacking your topic bmende. Any improvement with the thumb soreness?