[SOLVED] How Do I Type So Fast?

Black Ice

I've looked it up on the Internet but can't find anything but gags and questions as opposed to answers. My question is: how do I type so fast? I type 110 words a minute and I hear that instant messaging me is like playing a game of Tetris.

In 6th grade (11 years old) I typed 90 words a minute. I wasn't a geeky kid or anything so no one expected I could type so fast, and I had no idea what I could do was abnormal. Now that I do know, I have to ask - does anyone know what lets me type so fast? I play sports but I don't have any crack reflexes that I'm aware of. I can dial numbers on a phone quickly but I can't text much quicker than most people.

So can anyone tell me what gives me this ability? Is there something else I may be freakishly good at? It seems statistically rare, but I guess it could just be the same thing as someone that can shoot a free throw better than another. They're just better at it.

EDIT: I would like to point out something extremely useful pointed out by Frylock that I never knew before. Ctrl + Backspace deletes an entire word. And with that.. I have been helped.

kaliyama

practice.

LadyM

The mutant X-gene.

Ritchmeister

Is this a joke thread? Because it's a poor one.

Jasconius

muscle memory

http://wikipedia.org/

see317

LadyM wrote: »

The mutant X-gene.

Damn, really got the short end of the stick on that one. He could have flown, or shot laser beams out of his eyes or turned into organic steel.
Instead he types fast. Oh well, the X-mansion probably has room for a secretary. Don't forget to have Wolverine neutered(again) this weekend, he's been peeing on the rugs.

Seriously, it's just practice. You type a lot, you learn to type faster. Some people pick it up faster then others. Probably also has to do with what you're typing. I know when I'm typing just stream of consciousness stuff it flows a lot faster then when I'm stopping to think about what I'm typing.

DrFrylock

It's surely that you've simply built up a store of useful muscle memory for yourself through repetition. I know, for example, that my brain rarely processes typing as a sequence of individual characters anymore; I have a muscle-memory bank dedicated to English words. That is, I have separate muscle memory for typing "t, h, e" and "the." Because of this, I almost never just hit the backspace key; I use control-backspace constantly because it's quicker for me to retype the full word than to back up and have to reset my typing in the middle of the word. I've never known anybody else who does this, but it would be interesting to find out if it's common for other fast typists who work on computers rather than, say, people who learned on typewriters.

I also wonder whether it has something to do with the combination of fast-twitch vs. slow-twitch muscle fibers. Apparently this has some predictive value to determine whether you'll get carpal tunnel syndrome or not, but I'm not sure if it affects typing speed or proficiency.

Black Ice

It wasn't supposed to be a joke thread. People ask me how I do it and I don't know what to tell them. I can't imagine telling someone to practice this. It seems like people cap at 60 words a minute. And ever since I can remember I've had this ability.

Frylock, I was thinking the same thing with the muscle fibers. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get carpal tunnel syndrome as well. By the way, thanks for the control + backspace tip, that's going to help me out

Solved...I guess.

locopostal

holy crap ctrl-backspace is wonderful.
thank you doctor..!

ManonvonSuperock

locopostal wrote: »

holy crap ctrl-backspace is wonderful.
thank you doctor..!

seconded. how the fuck could i not know about this. Quickly, unfold unto me the rest of your secrets. Secrets like that, or how shift+tab moves through textboxes in reverse order.

Bionic Monkey

It's really not that big a deal. You're faster than the average person, but I know secretaries that can type 120-130 wpm. I can personally type approximately 80, which is still faster than just about everyone I know.