Posture first
Before you type, sit like a superhero: back tall, feet flat, shoulders relaxed. Your hands float over the keys like they're hovering over a piano.
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) recommends:
- Keyboard directly in front of you, near the front of the desk but not right at the edge.
- Shoulders relaxed, elbows close to your body.
- Elbows at about 90 degrees (within roughly 90 to 110 degrees), forearms level with the floor.
- Neutral wrists: wrists in a straight line with your forearms. Avoid resting your wrists on the hard desk edge while typing.
- Take short breaks to stretch, because hands, arms, shoulders and back get tired during long typing sessions.
- If typing causes pain that doesn't go away, stop and talk to a doctor or other licensed health professional.
- Sit in a chair with your back tall and your feet flat on the floor.
- Put the keyboard directly in front of you, near the front of the desk but not at the edge.
- Relax your shoulders and keep your elbows close to your body.
- Adjust the chair or desk so your elbows are about 90 degrees and your forearms are level.
- Keep your wrists in a straight line with your forearms and do not rest them on the hard desk edge.
- Take a photo from the side and check your elbow angle and wrists.
- Check: your elbows are near 90 degrees and your wrists are straight. If typing hurts and the pain stays, stop and see a doctor.
Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.
Read the video script
[Host] "Fast typing starts before you touch a key. It starts with how you sit."
[Screen: side view of a person at a desk, elbow angle marked] "Keyboard in front of you. Elbows close, about a right angle."
[Screen: close-up of straight wrists] "Wrists straight, in line with your arms. Don't bend them up or down."
[Text on screen: Break, stretch, repeat] "And take short breaks. Your hands will thank you."
Set up your desk using the checklist above. Take a photo of your setup from the side and check your elbow angle and wrists.
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For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.
I'm learning "Touch Typing" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "Posture first". What the lesson teaches: - Keyboard directly in front of you, near the front of the desk but not right at the edge. - Shoulders relaxed, elbows close to your body. - Elbows at about 90 degrees (within roughly 90 to 110 degrees), forearms level with the floor. - Neutral wrists: wrists in a straight line with your forearms. Avoid resting your wrists on the hard desk edge while typing. - Take short breaks to stretch, because hands, arms, shoulders and back get tired during long typing sessions. - If typing causes pain that doesn't go away, stop and talk to a doctor or other licensed health professional. The exercise I'm working on: Set up your desk using the checklist above. Take a photo of your setup from the side and check your elbow angle and wrists. I'm stuck. Please: 1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example. 2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step. 3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.
I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "Posture first" from the course "Touch Typing". Here's what the lesson says: Before you type, sit like a superhero: back tall, feet flat, shoulders relaxed. Your hands float over the keys like they're hovering over a piano. The activity: Set up your desk using the checklist above. Take a photo of your setup from the side and check your elbow angle and wrists. Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words. Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.
Sources
- CCOHS, Office ergonomics: keyboards: www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/office/keyboard.html
The home row and the magic bumps
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Which finger presses which key
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Measuring speed and accuracy
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Editing at the speed of thought
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A 4-week practice plan
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Final project
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Quiz
Which keys make up the home row for the left and right hand?
A S D F and J K L ;
Why do F and J have bumps?
So your index fingers can find the home row without looking.
Which hand should press Shift for a capital letter typed with the left hand?
The right hand (opposite hand).
In typing tests, how many characters count as one word?
Five, including spaces and punctuation.
You type 300 characters in one minute. What is your WPM?
60 WPM.
Windows shortcut to delete the previous word? Mac?
Ctrl+Backspace; Option+Delete.
What angle should your elbows be at, according to CCOHS?
About 90 degrees (roughly 90 to 110).
What matters first: speed or accuracy?
Accuracy.
Final exam
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Certificate
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