When your Stage 8 (and maybe Stage 7) reps are becoming very accurate (nearing/achieving 99-100% on average) – but they still contain just lower case letters…
…it is probably time to start training yourself to reach for the Shift Key.
The Shift Key helps you – selectively & deliberately – to type:
Cc Aa Pp Ss
- Upper Case Initial Letters (typically at the start of sentences, or for proper nouns – ie. names like Maria or St Petersburg)
AND
- the uppermost of two symbols shown on most punctuation/number keys
We’re not talking about the (in)famous Caps Lock key which is often accidentally pressed by non-touch typists resulting in a suddEN SWITCH TO CAPITALS.
The Caps Lock key is for when you want several upper case letters in a row (eg for NATO or UNESCO or THE SENSE OF SHOUTING IN AN EMAIL!!!! )
For StarTouch trainees you can think of Caps Lock as now being ‘guarded’ by our favourite Agent. And your well-trained fingers are now much less likely to stray too far to the left him!
Two hands are better than one
A touch typist avoids unnecessary movement by reaching for the Shift key with the closest ‘idle’ finger – the little finger of whichever hand is NOT busy pressing another key. In other words, using Shift is always a TWO-handed action. You use the opposite Shift key to the hand that’s pressing the desired letter/symbol key.
Since you need to keep your eyes up, it’s best to feel your way carefully with your fingers, get both hands in position – and not commit to pressing anything until you’re sure both hands are correct.
You may need to ‘stray’ from the home position with some of your fingers, but it’s important to keep either your thumb, or your index finger (or both) in their home positions (ie thumb on the spacebar and index finger on the ‘bump’), so that your body’s internal (proprioceptive) sensor system can ‘record’ the stretch you need to make as relative movements with respect to the finger(s) that stay in contact with the keys. This makes reversing the stretch without looking easier.
Once both hands are in position, practise making three separate moves:
1) carefully press and hold SHIFT,
then
2) TAP the other key with the opposite hand,
and finally
3) LIFT off Shift with the first hand….
After this bring ALL fingers home (to their home keys) before you think about your next keystrokes.
For letters or symbols you type with your right hand, use the left Shift key. Beware of accidentally pressing ‘Caps Lock’ (directly to the left of your left little finger’s home position). Consider moving your left little finger onto Caps Lock first but NOT pressing it. Then feeling your way one row down (to Shift).
PRACTISE using Shift by drilling the story letters but deliberately giving each group a capital first letter:
Qaz Wsx Edc … etc
…swapping from right Shift key for the Left Hand story to left Shift key for the Right Hand story
When you get to the end, remember to use the (left) Shift for @ instead of ‘