<s>
Touch	B-Device
typing	I-Device
(	O
also	O
called	O
blind	O
typing	B-Application
,	O
or	O
touch	O
keyboarding	B-Application
)	O
is	O
a	O
style	O
of	O
typing	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
phrase	O
refers	O
to	O
typing	B-Application
without	O
using	O
the	O
sense	O
of	O
sight	O
to	O
find	O
the	O
keys	O
—	O
specifically	O
,	O
a	O
touch	B-Device
typist	I-Device
will	O
know	O
their	O
location	O
on	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
through	O
muscle	O
memory	O
—	O
the	O
term	O
is	O
often	O
used	O
to	O
refer	O
to	O
a	O
specific	O
form	O
of	O
touch	B-Device
typing	I-Device
that	O
involves	O
placing	O
the	O
eight	O
fingers	O
in	O
a	O
horizontal	O
row	O
along	O
the	O
middle	O
of	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
(	O
the	O
home	O
row	O
)	O
and	O
having	O
them	O
reach	O
for	O
specific	O
other	O
keys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
(	O
Under	O
this	O
usage	O
,	O
typists	B-General_Concept
who	O
do	O
not	O
look	O
at	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
but	O
do	O
not	O
use	O
home	O
row	O
either	O
are	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
hybrid	O
typists	B-General_Concept
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
two-handed	O
touch	B-Device
typing	I-Device
and	O
one-handed	B-Device
touch	I-Device
typing	I-Device
are	O
possible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Frank	O
Edward	O
McGurrin	O
,	O
a	O
court	O
stenographer	O
from	O
Salt	O
Lake	O
City	O
,	O
Utah	O
who	O
taught	O
typing	B-Application
classes	O
,	O
reportedly	O
invented	O
home	O
row	O
touch	B-Device
typing	I-Device
in	O
1888	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
a	O
standard	O
QWERTY	O
keyboard	B-Device
for	O
English	O
speakers	O
the	O
home	O
row	O
keys	O
are	O
:	O
"	O
ASDF	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
left	O
hand	O
and	O
"	O
JKL	B-Device
;	I-Device
"	O
for	O
the	O
right	O
hand	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
modern	O
computer	B-Device
keyboards	I-Device
have	O
a	O
raised	O
dot	O
or	O
bar	O
on	O
the	O
home	B-Device
keys	I-Device
for	O
the	O
index	O
fingers	O
to	O
help	O
touch	B-Device
typists	I-Device
maintain	O
and	O
rediscover	O
the	O
correct	O
positioning	O
of	O
the	O
fingers	O
on	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
keys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Z	O
and	O
S	B-Language
are	O
close	O
to	O
each	O
other	O
because	O
the	O
American	O
Morse	O
codes	O
of	O
Z	O
and	O
a	O
common	O
digram	O
SE	O
(	O
both	O
)	O
are	O
near	O
the	O
same	O
,	O
so	O
the	O
telegraphist	O
often	O
needs	O
to	O
wait	O
for	O
more	O
signals	O
before	O
understanding	O
the	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
calculations	O
for	O
keyboard	B-Device
layout	O
were	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
language	O
being	O
typed	B-Application
and	O
this	O
meant	O
different	O
keyboard	B-Device
layouts	O
would	O
be	O
needed	O
for	O
each	O
language	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
mechanical	O
typewriters	O
are	O
now	O
rarely	O
used	O
,	O
moves	O
to	O
change	O
the	O
layout	O
to	O
increase	O
speed	O
have	O
been	O
largely	O
ignored	O
or	O
resisted	O
due	O
to	O
familiarity	O
with	O
the	O
existing	O
layout	O
among	O
touch	B-Device
typists	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
25	O
,	O
1888	O
,	O
an	O
American	O
man	O
,	O
Frank	O
Edward	O
McGurrin	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
reportedly	O
the	O
only	O
person	O
using	O
touch	B-Device
typing	I-Device
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
won	O
a	O
decisive	O
victory	O
over	O
Louis	O
Traub	O
(	O
operating	O
Caligraph	O
with	O
eight-finger	O
method	O
)	O
in	O
a	O
typing	B-Application
contest	O
held	O
in	O
Cincinnati	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
McGurrin	O
won	O
US$500	O
(	O
equivalent	O
to	O
$	O
13,304	O
in	O
2019	O
USD	O
)	O
and	O
popularized	O
the	O
new	O
typing	B-Application
method	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whether	O
McGurrin	O
was	O
actually	O
the	O
first	O
person	O
to	O
touch	B-Device
type	I-Device
or	O
simply	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
be	O
popularly	O
noticed	O
,	O
is	O
disputed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Speeds	O
attained	O
by	O
other	O
typists	B-General_Concept
in	O
other	O
typing	B-Application
competitions	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
suggest	O
that	O
they	O
must	O
have	O
been	O
using	O
similar	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1985	O
,	O
Touch	B-Device
Typist	I-Device
Typing	I-Device
Tutor	I-Device
,	O
developed	O
and	O
released	O
by	O
Sector	O
Software	O
is	O
an	O
early	O
example	O
of	O
typing	B-Application
tutor	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Touch	B-Device
typing	I-Device
is	O
contrasted	O
to	O
search	O
and	O
peck	O
,	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
hunt-and-peck	O
or	O
two-fingered	O
typing	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
method	O
is	O
considered	O
inferior	O
as	O
not	O
only	O
is	O
it	O
slower	O
than	O
touch	B-Device
typing	I-Device
,	O
the	O
typist	O
would	O
have	O
to	O
have	O
their	O
fingers	O
travel	O
a	O
greater	O
distance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Various	O
other	O
styles	O
in	O
between	O
those	O
two	O
exist	O
—	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
using	O
a	O
search-and-peck	O
method	O
,	O
but	O
with	O
an	O
increased	O
number	O
of	O
fingers	O
;	O
typing	B-Application
without	O
looking	O
at	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
but	O
using	O
fewer	O
than	O
the	O
eight	O
fingers	O
that	O
the	O
home	O
row	O
method	O
uses	O
(	O
commonly	O
,	O
the	O
omission	O
of	O
the	O
little	O
finger	O
as	O
the	O
weakest	O
finger	O
that	O
many	O
will	O
find	O
difficult	O
to	O
hit	O
keys	O
with	O
due	O
to	O
either	O
less	O
strength	O
,	O
less	O
dexterity	O
,	O
or	O
both	O
)	O
;	O
moving	O
their	O
entire	O
hand	O
to	O
reach	O
for	O
the	O
desired	O
key	O
;	O
or	O
only	O
moving	O
when	O
a	O
key	O
needs	O
to	O
be	O
pressed	O
instead	O
of	O
always	O
returning	O
to	O
home	O
row	O
after	O
every	O
keystroke	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Touch	B-Device
type	I-Device
training	O
can	O
improve	O
an	O
individual	O
's	O
typing	B-Device
speed	I-Device
and	O
accuracy	O
dramatically	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Speeds	O
average	O
around	O
30	O
–	O
40	O
WPM	B-Device
(	O
words	B-Device
per	I-Device
minute	I-Device
)	O
,	O
while	O
a	O
speed	O
of	O
60	O
–	O
80	O
WPM	B-Device
is	O
the	O
approximate	O
speed	O
to	O
keep	O
up	O
with	O
one	O
's	O
thoughts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Microsoft	O
survey	O
suggested	O
that	O
many	O
managers	O
expect	O
employees	O
to	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
type	O
at	O
a	O
minimum	O
of	O
50	O
WPM	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Professional	O
career	O
typists	B-General_Concept
can	O
exceed	O
100	O
WPM	B-Device
repeatedly	O
and	O
continuously	O
(	O
secretarial	O
,	O
data	O
entry	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Routine	O
practice	O
is	O
required	O
to	O
maintain	O
a	O
high	O
typing	B-Device
speed	I-Device
and	O
accuracy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
touch	B-Device
typist	I-Device
does	O
not	O
need	O
to	O
move	O
the	O
sight	O
between	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
(	O
that	O
is	O
obscured	O
with	O
fingers	O
and	O
may	O
be	O
poorly	O
lit	O
)	O
and	O
other	O
areas	O
that	O
require	O
attention	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Touch	B-Device
typing	I-Device
helps	O
improve	O
posture	O
and	O
reduce	O
neck	O
pain	O
by	O
keeping	O
one	O
's	O
eyes	O
focused	O
on	O
the	O
display	O
and	O
avoiding	O
a	O
constant	O
need	O
to	O
glance	O
at	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
many	O
other	O
typing	B-Application
styles	O
in	O
between	O
novice-style	O
"	O
hunt	O
and	O
peck	O
"	O
and	O
touch	B-Device
typing	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
many	O
hunt-and-peck	O
typists	B-General_Concept
have	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
layout	O
memorized	O
and	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
type	O
while	O
focusing	O
their	O
gaze	O
on	O
the	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
study	O
examining	O
30	O
subjects	O
,	O
of	O
varying	O
different	O
styles	O
and	O
expertise	O
,	O
has	O
found	O
minimal	O
difference	O
in	O
typing	B-Device
speed	I-Device
between	O
touch	B-Device
typists	I-Device
and	O
self-taught	O
hybrid	O
typists	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
study	O
,	O
"	O
The	O
number	O
of	O
fingers	O
does	O
not	O
determine	O
typing	B-Device
speed	I-Device
...	O
People	O
using	O
self-taught	O
typing	B-Application
strategies	O
were	O
found	O
to	O
be	O
as	O
fast	O
as	O
trained	O
typists	B-General_Concept
...	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
fingers	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
other	O
factors	O
that	O
predict	O
typing	B-Device
speed	I-Device
...	O
fast	O
typists	B-General_Concept
...	O
keep	O
their	O
hands	O
fixed	O
on	O
one	O
position	O
,	O
instead	O
of	O
moving	O
them	O
over	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
and	O
more	O
consistently	O
use	O
the	O
same	O
finger	O
to	O
type	O
a	O
certain	O
letter.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
quote	O
doctoral	O
candidate	O
Anna	O
Feit	O
:	O
"	O
We	O
were	O
surprised	O
to	O
observe	O
that	O
people	O
who	O
took	O
a	O
typing	B-Application
course	O
performed	O
at	O
similar	O
average	O
speed	O
and	O
accuracy	O
as	O
those	O
that	O
taught	O
typing	B-Application
to	O
themselves	O
and	O
only	O
used	O
6	O
fingers	O
on	O
average	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
study	O
has	O
been	O
criticised	O
for	O
only	O
selecting	O
subjects	O
with	O
average	O
typing	B-Device
speeds	I-Device
up	O
to	O
75	O
words	B-Device
per	I-Device
minute	I-Device
,	O
thus	O
lacking	O
generalizability	O
for	O
faster	O
typists	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
touch	B-Device
typist	I-Device
starts	O
by	O
placing	O
their	O
fingers	O
on	O
the	O
"	O
start	O
position	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
middle	O
row	O
and	O
knows	O
which	O
finger	O
to	O
move	O
and	O
how	O
much	O
to	O
move	O
it	O
for	O
reaching	O
any	O
required	O
key	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
important	O
to	O
learn	O
placing	O
fingers	O
into	O
the	O
start	O
position	O
blindly	O
as	O
the	O
hands	O
are	O
frequently	O
raised	O
from	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
to	O
operate	O
the	O
line	O
feed	O
lever	O
(	O
in	O
the	O
past	O
)	O
or	O
(	O
more	O
recently	O
)	O
the	O
computer	O
mouse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
keys	O
F	B-Language
and	O
J	B-Language
frequently	O
contain	O
some	O
surface	O
features	O
that	O
allow	O
the	O
typist	O
to	O
recognize	O
them	O
by	O
touch	O
alone	O
,	O
thus	O
removing	O
the	O
need	O
to	O
look	O
down	O
at	O
the	O
keys	O
to	O
reset	O
the	O
fingers	O
at	O
the	O
home	O
row	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
typing	B-Device
speed	I-Device
can	O
be	O
increased	O
gradually	O
and	O
speeds	O
of	O
60	O
WPM	B-Device
or	O
higher	O
can	O
be	O
achieved	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
websites	O
and	O
software	O
products	O
are	O
available	O
to	O
learn	O
touch	B-Device
typing	I-Device
and	O
many	O
of	O
these	O
are	O
free	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Learning	O
touch	B-Device
typing	I-Device
can	O
be	O
stressful	O
both	O
to	O
the	O
fingers	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
mind	O
in	O
the	O
beginning	O
,	O
but	O
once	O
it	O
is	O
learned	O
to	O
a	O
decent	O
level	O
,	O
it	O
exerts	O
minimal	O
stress	O
on	O
the	O
fingers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
individuals	O
with	O
past	O
typing	B-Application
experience	O
,	O
learning	O
to	O
touch	B-Device
type	I-Device
is	O
particularly	O
difficult	O
due	O
to	O
motivational	O
reasons	O
:	O
the	O
initial	O
performance	O
level	O
in	O
touch	B-Device
typing	I-Device
is	O
far	O
lower	O
than	O
in	O
visually	O
guided	O
typing	B-Application
;	O
therefore	O
it	O
does	O
not	O
initially	O
seem	O
worthwhile	O
to	O
study	O
touch	B-Device
typing	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Typing	B-Device
speed	I-Device
generally	O
improves	O
with	O
practice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Typing	B-Device
speed	I-Device
is	O
typically	O
determined	O
by	O
how	O
slow	O
these	O
weak	O
keys	O
are	O
typed	B-Application
rather	O
than	O
how	O
fast	O
the	O
remaining	O
keys	O
are	O
typed	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
a	O
stage	O
is	O
reached	O
where	O
irrespective	O
of	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
practice	O
,	O
typing	B-Device
speed	I-Device
is	O
not	O
increasing	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
advisable	O
to	O
let	O
some	O
time	O
pass	O
and	O
continue	O
serious	O
practice	O
thereafter	O
as	O
typing	B-Device
speeds	I-Device
typically	O
tend	O
to	O
increase	O
with	O
time	O
even	O
when	O
no	O
serious	O
practice	O
is	O
done	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
home	O
row	O
"	O
is	O
the	O
center	O
row	O
of	O
keys	O
on	O
a	O
typewriter	O
or	O
computer	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
most	O
common	O
type	O
of	O
English	O
language	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
the	O
QWERTY	O
layout	O
,	O
"	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
"	O
are	O
the	O
home	B-Device
keys	I-Device
on	O
the	O
home	O
row	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
middle	O
row	O
of	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
is	O
termed	O
"	O
home	O
row	O
"	O
because	O
typists	B-General_Concept
are	O
trained	O
to	O
keep	O
their	O
fingers	O
on	O
these	O
keys	O
and	O
return	O
to	O
them	O
after	O
pressing	O
any	O
other	O
key	O
that	O
is	O
not	O
on	O
the	O
home	O
row	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
keyboards	B-Device
have	O
a	O
small	O
bump	O
on	O
certain	O
keys	O
of	O
the	O
home	O
row	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
helps	O
returning	O
the	O
fingers	O
to	O
the	O
home	O
row	O
for	O
touch	B-Device
typing	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
instance	O
,	O
to	O
type	O
the	O
word	O
poll	O
on	O
a	O
QWERTY	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
one	O
would	O
place	O
all	O
of	O
one	O
's	O
fingers	O
on	O
the	O
home	O
row	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Experienced	O
typists	B-General_Concept
can	O
do	O
this	O
at	O
speeds	O
of	O
over	O
100	O
words	B-Device
per	I-Device
minute	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
right	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
:	O
index	O
—	O
and	O
,	O
middle	O
—	O
,	O
ring	O
—	O
and	O
the	O
little	O
—	O
all	O
other	O
keys	O
on	O
the	O
right	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
upper	O
row	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
exist	O
special	O
ergonomic	O
keyboards	B-Device
designed	O
for	O
both	O
typing	B-Application
methods	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
keyboard	B-Device
is	O
split	O
between	O
the	O
keys	O
and	O
or	O
and	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
specialized	O
high-end	O
computer	B-Device
keyboards	I-Device
are	O
designed	O
for	O
touch	B-Device
typists	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
many	O
manufacturers	O
provide	O
blank	O
mechanical	O
keyboards	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
trained	O
touch	B-Device
typist	I-Device
should	O
not	O
mind	O
using	O
a	O
blank	O
keyboard	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
kind	O
of	O
keyboard	B-Device
may	O
force	O
hunt	O
and	O
peck	O
users	O
to	O
type	O
without	O
looking	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
Braille	O
keyboards	B-Device
used	O
by	O
the	O
visually	O
impaired	O
.	O
</s>
