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I'm sure that you guys have heard of cases where someone learns to do something the wrong way, and then has to 1) unlearn the wrong way 2)learn it the right way. As you can guess, it's usually harder to learn something correctly after one has learned it the wrong way already.
(Btw, I'm not really talking about Starcraft. It's pretty easy to learn to build a pylon at 9 even after you've been doing it at 7 for a long long time.)
My personal problem is typing. I've been typing incorrectly for as long as I can remember. It was only within the last few years, however, that I figured out that the way I was typing was actually incorrect. While I find my typing speed adequate for the normal high school workload, the way I type leads to an increased number of mistakes. In a very generalized summary, I only use the index and middle fingers of my right hand to type keys not on the resting row. Again, this is just a generalization, or whatever you call it. Some keys I press correctly, and others I press even more incorrectly.
According to this test, my speed is 83 wpm.
This brings me to my questions:
1. What is the best way to unlearn a wrong skill, and relearn a right skill in the right way?
2. Have you had a similar experience? How, if you did, did you fix it?
You're probably just going to tell me to practice typing properly, and I will. However, I was looking to see if there are any addition tips, especially when it comes to (re)learning to type.
P.S. I hate you Mavis Beacon. Load of good you did me in elementary school. (jk, ily)
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play nexus word wars!
ok but seriously habits are hard to break and the only way i see it is to constantly remind yourself and be aware of when you accidentally do it again
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I've unlearned quite a few bad habits, some being technical (having to relearn how to hold my violin bow, etc.), some being personal (not slouching, standing up straight, etc.)
Really there's no real "trick" to it, you just have to make a conscious effort to stop yourself every time you feel yourself doing something wrong and work to fix it. I think the biggest problem is that your brain will naturally want to think "screw it, I'm comfortable with that old thing and it worked well enough, why change it?" Try your best not to fall back into your old habits at all - the moment you consciously let something happen, the more it gets reinforced in your mind.
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Before anyone suggests it, I am NOT playing The Typing of the Dead LOL. Beat that when I was 10, I think.
I can't believe this is my 1000th post. :D
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Go to your trainer, pay 50g, and respec.
In all seriousness...I feel your pain. Not sure how to go about it exactly 
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assess your mistakes, then minimalize them.
i actually type pretty badly now, i press delete button like 30 times a minute. rofl
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The solution to your problem would be to just slow down, think it through and type the correct way until it becomes muscle memory. Or you could try shock therapy treatment 
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On October 11 2010 18:28 IronMonocle wrote:The solution to your problem would be to just slow down, think it through and type the correct way until it becomes muscle memory. Or you could try shock therapy treatment
Isn't that for depression? O_O
But yeah, it'll definitely be hard to override (exactly) 10 years of muscle memory.
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Damned, what did u guys get for the test? im like 54...
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On October 11 2010 18:33 Ixas wrote:
Damned, what did u guys get for the test? im like 54...
I don't think I realized my problem until a facebook application showed that a lot of my friends had wpm around 130.
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I had a baseball coach in high-school who said this:
It takes 200 correct actions to fix a single incorrect one. I think that may be a little bit overkill, but it gets the point across.
Whenever players would develop holes in their swings, or throwing motion, it would be 200 swings, throws, or what-have-you a day until it was fixed.
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On October 11 2010 18:46 MrBitter wrote:
I had a baseball coach in high-school who said this:
It takes 200 correct actions to fix a single incorrect one. I think that may be a little bit overkill, but it gets the point across.
Whenever players would develop holes in their swings, or throwing motion, it would be 200 swings, throws, or what-have-you a day until it was fixed.
That's... 200x10 = 2000 years to correct my mistake. T_T
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On October 11 2010 18:47 Karliath wrote:Show nested quote +On October 11 2010 18:46 MrBitter wrote:
I had a baseball coach in high-school who said this:
It takes 200 correct actions to fix a single incorrect one. I think that may be a little bit overkill, but it gets the point across.
Whenever players would develop holes in their swings, or throwing motion, it would be 200 swings, throws, or what-have-you a day until it was fixed. That's... 200x10 = 2000 years to correct my mistake. T_T
Well... I wouldn't look at it that way.
In the context of typing, think of it like this:
You want to force yourself to use your pinky finger to hit the " : " key. Make yourself hit that key with your pinky 200 times a day until it feels natural.
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you cant really "unlearn" a skill, but you can develop a new habit.
that being said, what's wrong with it now? if it works, it works, right?
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On October 11 2010 19:19 29 fps wrote:
you cant really "unlearn" a skill, but you can develop a new habit.
that being said, what's wrong with it now? if it works, it works, right?
It doesn't work.
There is a much higher chance of me pressing the wrong keys because my hand is flying around. For example, is it easier to hit "j" then " ' " with the index and pinky finger, respectively, or is it easier to hit the buttons with only the index finger? Obviously, I don't type this way cause I'm not THAT bad, but you get the picture.
Since I'm tying with 2 less fingers, it pretty much has to be slower too.
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United States24743 Posts
Research shows that you can't unlearn something that you've established in your brain. You just 'pave over' it. A music teacher was explaining to me that he figured out the wrong way to use his fingers on the piano when he was a kid and had to learn all over again how to position his hands. He can play correctly now but when he gets drunk enough he reverts to the old style which is way inferior :p
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I'd say just force yourself to do it the right way, even though the wrong way seems easier and more natural. It doesn't reap rewards right away, but I don't think you will be able to unlearn something by actually doing something. Just make sure you don't do the things you want to unlearn, because then you'll never unlearn them. I think this applies to addictions and compulsive behaviours as well. You won't be able to stop smoking unless you actually force yourself not to. It all comes down to self-discipline.
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You could try this.
http://www.goodtyping.com/default.htm
I type wrong too. I only use three finger to type: Ring, middle, index. I find I type slow and I make a lot of mistake.
I tried using one of those classes to learn how to type properly, but I find my little finger gets exhausted fast
I haven't put much effort, can anyone confirm that 4 fingers typing style is superior to three fingers?
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On October 11 2010 19:29 micronesia wrote:
Research shows that you can't unlearn something that you've established in your brain. You just 'pave over' it. A music teacher was explaining to me that he figured out the wrong way to use his fingers on the piano when he was a kid and had to learn all over again how to position his hands. He can play correctly now but when he gets drunk enough he reverts to the old style which is way inferior :p
That's pretty fucked up if now he can't drink booze.
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