Touch Typing Basics

Touch typing means finding every key by position instead of by sight. Your fingers learn a map of the keyboard, and your eyes stay on the screen or the source material.

Start on the home row

Place your left index finger on F and your right index finger on J. Most keyboards have a small bump on those keys. The remaining fingers rest on A, S, D for the left hand and K, L, ; for the right.

Assign each finger a column

Each finger owns the keys directly above and below its home position. The left index finger reaches R, T, F, G, V, and B; the right index finger reaches Y, U, H, J, N, and M. The thumbs press the space bar.

Build a simple drill sequence

Type this sequence slowly, returning to the home row after each group:

aaa sss ddd fff jjj kkk lll ;;;
asdf jkl; asdf jkl;
fj fj dk dk sl sl a; a;

When your hands drift, pause and find the bumps on F and J again. Then move to the common words practice for real-word rhythm.