Week 1: Home row and posture

This week lays the foundation for everything that follows: the home row and a relaxed, upright posture. The home row is the middle line of keys, and each finger starts and returns to one of them. Speed does not matter yet. When your fingers rest in the right places, you can find each key without looking, and speed grows on its own later.

A note on the practice text: the F layout is designed for Turkish, so the practice text in this course is Turkish on both language versions. The instructions stay in English.

What you will learn

Each key on the home row belongs to one finger. Your left index finger rests on a, and your right index finger rests on k. The home row bumps sit on the physical F and J keys, which are labeled A and K on the Turkish F layout. Feel the bumps with your index fingers and find your place without looking.

• a: left index
• k: right index
• e: left middle
• m: right middle
• i: left ring
• l: right ring
• u: left pinky
• y: right pinky

Technique tips

• Rest both index fingers on the bumps. Let the other fingers settle naturally on their keys.
• After each key press, return that finger to the home row right away. A finger left stretched out slows you down.
• Keep your wrists off the desk. Let your hands float lightly and keep your elbows close to your sides.
• Look at the screen, not the keyboard. It feels hard at first, but your fingers learn the way as long as your eyes stay on the text.
• Do not hit the keys hard. Press lightly and let go. A steady rhythm is the real base of speed.

Lessons

1. Lesson 1 (10-15 minutes): Learn the new keys. Watch the keyboard demo, follow which finger presses each key, then type each key a few times.
2. Lesson 2 (10-15 minutes): Practice. Type short Turkish words built from home row keys.
3. Lesson 3 (10-15 minutes): Review and take the 2-minute test. Look at your results and repeat the keys you missed.

This week’s goal

Your targets are 8 WPM and 90% accuracy. Finishing the lessons earns 1 star. Reaching the accuracy target earns 2 stars, and reaching the speed target in the closing test earns 3 stars. Focus on accuracy first. Speed follows once your fingers know where to go.