Touch typing lesson 2: f→g, j→h

Keys and finger movements

Keyboard layout: English US.

Reach toward the center of the home row with your index fingers. Keep the other fingers close to their starting keys; return after each reach without forcing your hands to stay rigid.

• Left index finger: Move from F to G, then return to F.
• Right index finger: Move from J to H, then return to J.

Moving fingers from the keyboard home row

The home row is a reference position, not a stop you must visit after every letter. In a reach exercise, deliberately return the finger so you can feel where the movement begins.

When typing a word, move on to its next letter without tapping an extra home-row key. If your hand drifts, use the raised marks on the index-finger keys to find your position again.

A reach can be sideways along the same row, as with F to G on QWERTY, or up or down to another row. First identify the starting key and the finger assigned to the destination. Move that finger while allowing the rest of the hand to stay relaxed. The aim is to find the destination reliably, not to hold every other finger rigidly against a key.

During ordinary typing, the next letter determines where the finger goes next. If a word needs the same reached key twice, you do not have to return to the home row between those presses. Use the deliberate return in a lesson to learn the distance, then practise connecting the movement to surrounding letters.