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    Should I continue with Colemak?

    • Started by Twoddle
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    • Registered: 04-Jul-2013
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    12-Jul-2013 12:08:40#1 Should I continue with Colemak?

    Changed my keyboard layout to Colemak cold turkey as it were a month ago and it seems I've hit a plateau at around 52 WPM (no improvement for a week) compared to the 65 WPM I peaked on QWERTY and I'm a lot slower when free typing like I am now.

    The main site I use to practice on is http://keybr.com/ and also the program Amphitype.

    It's most frustrating when I want to type in something quickly into a chat box or do a Google search, because I have to get my fingers ready on the home row and get into the touch typing mindset even if it's to type a couple of words and that's very slow.

    I also have doubts about whether Colemak is better for the average human. Yes all the common letters are on the home row but in a way that's reason why it's so hard to get faster, there is a tradeoff. On QWERTY you are forced to move your fingers all over the keyboard so the brain is exercised more and makes more neural connections which is easier for the muscle memory. Anyone who knows anything about memory will tell you this; the more pathways that link to a memory the easier it is to retrieve that information.

    Paradoxically some of the words I find hard to type are the words with most of the letters on the home row. "Disordered", "received", "returned", "retrieve", there are also words that I type very fast so there seem to be many hot and cold spots in Colemak typing, more so than QWERTY like someone mentioned in another post. The hot spots don't make up for the cold spots. A car traveling at 60mph for 50 miles then 40mph for 50 miles will not reach its destination as quickly as a car traveling at 50mph for 100 miles.

    Another reason I'm not getting faster could be psychological. The very thought that I may go back to QWERTY makes me cling on it somewhere in the back of my head so I can't shake it completely especially when I want to type a couple of words fast.

    Last edited by Twoddle (12-Jul-2013 18:28:16)
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    12-Jul-2013 12:34:18#2 Re: Should I continue with Colemak?

    After a month of switching I reached half my Qwerty speed and it's all right for me.

    You get even faster speed and you're frustrated because you cannot improve immediately? I think patience is needed. You just need to stay on wheels, you don't have to come out of your car and push.

    Focus on your accuracy for a change. Aim for 98% or better accuracy, try to type slower but higher accuracy every time.

    You will discover that your average speed will increase on its own accord. It just simply ignores your plea of constant improvement and new records.

    Yes, on Colemak you will feel that tightness when typing some homerow words, and you will soon learn new Colemak words that's very fast to type. Not necessary the Qwerty words.

    Qwerty is the past. You have bright Colemak future. Go ahead.

    9822-nike-just-do-it.jpg

    Last edited by Tony_VN (12-Jul-2013 12:40:51)

    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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    12-Jul-2013 21:39:47#3 Re: Should I continue with Colemak?
    Twoddle said:

    On QWERTY you are forced to move your fingers all over the keyboard so the brain is exercised more and makes more neural connections which is easier for the muscle memory. Anyone who knows anything about memory will tell you this; the more pathways that link to a memory the easier it is to retrieve that information.

    Unless you were specifically told this by a neurologist studying finger movements, I call BS.  Had this been a foregone conclusion, the QWERTY fanatics (mostly people trying to rationalize it so that their economic models aren't threatened) would've been parroting it out.  Without prior study, it's just as plausible that the finger+hand movements are a gestalt. 

    Twoddle said:

    because I have to get my fingers ready on the home row and get into the touch typing mindset even if it's to type a couple of words and that's very slow.

    It sounds like you're learning to touchtype simultaneously?  This is hard!  You should not underestimate the progress you're making.

    Once touchtyping becomes natural, putting your fingers along the home row will become second-nature.  I say "along" because most advanced typists don't actually put them strictly on the home row, rather floating them nearby.  Being comfortable enough to float will also make a huge difference.

    Also, you really shouldn't be hunt-and-pecking colemak.  It's pointless and counterproductive.

    Twoddle said:

    The hot spots don't make up for the cold spots. A car traveling at 60mph for 50 miles then 40mph for 50 miles will not reach its destination as quickly as a car traveling at 50mph for 100 miles.

    Ironically, if you slow down, you'll often find that you speed up, because your brain's no longer running into any "potholes" so to speak, and can keep a steady pace.

    Last edited by lalop (14-Jul-2013 20:49:38)

    Tarmak Transitional Layouts (QWERTY -> Colemak)
    Amphetype (lalop edition)

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    13-Jul-2013 21:08:04#4 Re: Should I continue with Colemak?

    Haha, i have some of the same issues. I often am googling one or two words, and I used to hunt and peck those letters. But my keyboard still being in the qwerty layout it doesn't really work anymore. So I just get back in my homerow position (also shitty word to type for some strange reason), and type the word from there. I got used to it already, I guess you just have to make the mental switch.

    Also, when you notice you made a single typo and have to put your cursor over there and have to press delete and type a single letter, not being able to look at your keyboard kinda sucks.

    position position position position position position position position position position position position position position position position position position position position position position position position

    If you have trouble typing a hard word just type it a bunch of times. I already noticed the difference after just typing it 20 times.

    test test position test position over.

    good luck man, you'll get there! don't give up.

    position

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    30-Jul-2013 09:37:05#5 Re: Should I continue with Colemak?

    A good exercise is to put the 100 (or whatever number suits you) most common words into Amphetype and crank up the speed and accuracy settings to challenge yourself. Works wonders for those words and subsequently your typing in general.

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

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