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    Success! Up to old speed and still improving

    • Started by Vincenator
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    • Registered: 13-Mar-2013
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    13-Mar-2013 09:28:53#1 Success! Up to old speed and still improving

    I switched from QWERTY to Colemak about three months ago, and I'm finally back up to my old speed! That's about 110 WPM on TypeRacer.

    I spent two weeks practicing Colemak with the TypeFaster lessons before completely switching to Colemak. For a few weeks I spent a lot of time on TypeRacer, maybe an hour a day. Since then I've only been on TypeRacer a few minutes a day, but I type for schoolwork and other things several hours a day.

    There were a few points along my progression when I was afraid I had peaked, but so far I haven't reached a serious plateau. I'm hoping to get my average significantly above my old average, maybe up to 130 WPM.

    I can say that typing on Colemak seems easier than Qwerty in terms of finger movement. I'm sure that's somewhat due to the placebo effect, but I still think the layout significantly reduces my effort. The motions feel a lot nicer.

    For comparison:
    Old (QWERTY) TypeRacer
    New (Colemak) TypeRacer

    So if you're considering switching to Colemak and are worried you won't get back up to your QWERTY speed, don't worry - you can do it!

    [Update:] One year into Colemak, my TypeRacer average is up to 125 WPM, and my best speed has increased to 147 WPM from 139 WPM. I can't be certain this change is entirely due to the keyboard switch, but I'm sure at least a significant portion of it is.

    Last edited by Vincenator (17-Dec-2013 04:22:26)
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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    13-Mar-2013 10:11:37#2 Re: Success! Up to old speed and still improving

    Nice! Congratulations on your successful switch. Regaining 110 WPM in only three months isn't something just anyone can do easily, so I think you did very well. And it's good to hear that you too find it comfy and superior. :)

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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    • From: Sofia, Bulgaria
    • Registered: 05-Mar-2011
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    13-Mar-2013 19:02:08#3 Re: Success! Up to old speed and still improving

    Congrats on your success! That speed in three months should make it likely to reach higher speeds. A long term goal of 130 wpm sounds quite reasonable to me ;)

    Good luck!

    Hi-games profile: http://hi-games.net/profile/4663
    TypeRacer profile: http://data.typeracer.com/pit/profile?user=patcm

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    14-Mar-2013 11:51:32#4 Re: Success! Up to old speed and still improving

    It's really hard to improvise from here. In order to get a few WPM more you have to drill on common words a lot as well as to know when to speed up with such common words and when to carefully type some difficult words in between.

    My fastest typing records http://hi-games.net/profile/4314
    My switching experience https://forum.colemak.com/viewtopic.php?id=970

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    17-Dec-2013 04:18:40#5 Re: Success! Up to old speed and still improving

    Update: One year into Colemak, I have definitely surpassed my Qwerty speed! My average speed is on TypeRacer is up to about 125 WPM on Colemak from 110 WPM on Qwerty, and my new best speed is 147 WPM up from 139 WPM. I can't be certain the entire difference is due to the switch, but I'm confident at least a significant portion of it is. Go Colemak! :)

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    17-Dec-2013 11:27:44#6 Re: Success! Up to old speed and still improving

    Grats again. That's fast. What are your account names in the typing games?

    Last edited by DreymaR (17-Dec-2013 11:28:12)

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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    17-Dec-2013 18:53:54#7 Re: Success! Up to old speed and still improving

    Thanks! My names in TypeRacer are vincenator (for Qwerty) and vincenator_colemak (for Colemak). I haven't really played any other typing games.

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    • Registered: 22-Jan-2014
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    22-Jan-2014 17:06:16#8 Re: Success! Up to old speed and still improving

    Are you still able to type in qwerty?

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    22-Jan-2014 18:08:07#9 Re: Success! Up to old speed and still improving

    You know, I've actually almost never tried to type in Qwerty since I switched to Colemak. I thought that I would have to switch back at some point, but I've been able to avoid it so far.
    That being said, I can jump into TypeRacer and type 50 WPM on Qwerty by looking at the keyboard. A few of the Qwerty-specific keys still feel natural, and I think I could get decent at Qwerty if I spent an hour typing in Qwerty.

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