Typing 118 WPM broke my brain in the right ways

Practice, Progress, and “Proper Form”

• Many describe daily typing runs as a refreshing, almost meditative warm‑up.
• Consistent practice over months/years is seen as key; people report big gains (e.g., 60→120+ WPM) with relatively little daily time.
• Several emphasize prioritizing accuracy and relaxation first; speed then “arrives on its own.”

Unorthodox vs Home‑Row Typing

• Numerous fast typists (100–150+ WPM) report highly idiosyncratic styles: few pinkies, WASD-centered hands, “floating” over the keyboard, using whichever finger is closest.
• Some argue home row is mainly pedagogical; real-world fast typists often adapt to comfort and speed instead of strict fingering rules.
• Others defend home row as the natural “center of mass” with F/J bumps for orientation, minimizing travel and possibly strain.
• There’s skepticism toward dismissing tradition purely because personal ad‑hoc styles feel “good enough.”

Ergonomics, Keyboards, and RSI

• Several credit unorthodox, straight‑wrist typing with avoiding RSI; others only found relief after switching to split/ortholinear/keywell boards and lighter switches.
• Vertical mice, trackballs, alternating mouse hands, and frequently changing posture are repeatedly mentioned as more important than perfect “static” posture.
• Some had to relearn “proper” typing due to nerve issues or surgery and regained near‑previous speeds with much less pain.

Tools and Training Sites

• Keybr is praised for spaced repetition and error heatmaps, but criticized for random nonsense words, awkward error handling, and tracking/consent.
• Monkeytype is widely preferred: real words, rich modes (including code), zen mode, better high‑speed handling.
• Other tools mentioned: typingclub, typequicker (stats + daily leaderboard), typ.ing, typeracer, wpm.silver.dev (code‑oriented), and reading‑speed apps.

Typing Speed, Coding, and AI

• One camp: 100+ WPM plus strong shortcut/Vim habits meaningfully reduces “I/O friction,” supports flow, encourages better comments/docs, and speeds collaboration (e.g., IM, pair work).
• Another camp: beyond ~60–80 WPM, thinking, design, debugging, and API recall dominate; macro systems, completion, and LLMs give more leverage than raw speed.
• Several note that many “100+ WPM” scores come from short, English‑word tests and don’t translate to symbol‑heavy real‑world coding.

Psychology, Flow, and Origin Stories

• People liken typing drills to scales in music or Beat Saber practice—building rhythm and concentration.
• Many learned fast typing from IRC, AIM, MUDs, MMOs, and competitive games where real‑time chat under pressure forced speed.
• A recurring theme: when fingers can keep up with thoughts, typing itself becomes enjoyable and can help trigger a productive mental state.