Phoenix Theory Speed-building Tips 1

QUICK TIP

REMEMBER: There’s no "secret" to the formula for success.

(1) Recognize your priorities: ACCURACY FIRST. Speed without accuracy has no value.

(2) Establish your final goal: I WRITE ACCURATE REALTIME MACHINE SHORTHAND AT X WORDS PER MINUTE. (10-20 wpm above graduation speed—or as high as you want to strive for).

(3) Establish interim goals which break your final goal down into smaller, less intimidating, achievable steps: I INCREASE MY WRITING SPEED BY 10 WPM EACH MONTH.

The person who reaches each goal the fastest and most successfully is the person who cares enough, who has enough pride and sense of self-worth, to challenge himself/herself to do his/her very best at every step toward each goal.

If you follow this formula, THE ONLY SURE WAY TO FAIL WILL BE TO QUIT.

Building speed is NOT a matter of "forcing" your fingers to move faster. It doesn’t make any difference whether you’re writing machine shorthand, or typing, or running a race, or tying your shoelaces—SPEED is the natural result of ELIMINATING HESITATION and streamlining your motions. And always keep in mind that if you make ACCURACY your first priority, you’ll have a lot less hesitation you have to eliminate in order to increase speed.

MENTAL HESITATION: How fast you can write machine shorthand is much more dependent on how fast your brain functions than on how fast your fingers move. So some of the hesitation which needs to be eliminated is mental hesitation—and during every minute you spend writing on the keyboard, you’re training yourself to hear faster, process the information faster, and transmit the necessary information to your fingers faster.

MANUAL HESITATION: Everyone can increase their writing speed by increasing their finger strength, control, and dexterity and eliminating hesitation in moving fingers between stroking positions. As the saying goes, "That’s a no-brainer." But don’t worry about how "fast" you can move your fingers. If you have average manual dexterity, your fingers CAN move fast enough to keep up with whatever your brain can process—and there are finger drills available which are specifically designed to maximize your manual skills and eliminate hesitation.

But first things first. To get off on the right foot towards building speed you have to make sure your keyboard is the right height and distance from your body.

All right already!!! I can hear the groans clear out here in Phoenix: "Another lecture on ‘good posture’! What can that possibly have to do with speed????"

This is much more important than a "Sit up straight! Get those shoulders back!" lecture from mom—and it has ONE HECK OF A LOT to do with speed! No, I CAN’T tell you a "secret position" that will add 30 wpm to your speed—but I sure CAN tell you positions to avoid so you’re not DETRACTING 30 wpm from your speed.

If your keyboard is too close to your body, it creates sharp angles at the wrists—which reduces your finger mobility and dexterity, causes fingering errors, and restricts your speed. (E.g., if strokes such as TKHR-, PWHR- feel awkward, always check to see if your keyboard is too close to your body.) Creating sharp angles at the wrists also makes you a prime candidate for carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, and other physical discombobulations and discomforts, any one of which can certainly limit your speed—but, even worse, could bring an abrupt end to a great career.

If your keyboard is too high, you have to do one of two things: (1) Elevate your arms, which can strain muscles affecting your neck, across the top of your shoulders, and down into your upper arms; or (2) Bend your hands up sharply at the wrist—creating the same problems we just talked about when angles at the wrists are created.

If your keyboard is too far away, you have to (1) lean forward into it, using muscles in your lower back; or (2) extend your arms forward, using upper back and shoulder muscles—a reach which means you also have more of a tendency to write flat-fingered (decreased dexterity, slower movement between fingering positions, more likelihood of dragging unwanted keys into strokes).

Any time you’re "using" muscles (even if you’re not aware that you’re using them), you’re expending energy. Expending energy leads to fatigue and, eventually, discomfort. You can’t write your best or your FASTEST if you’re tired and/or uncomfortable.

Everyone’s body is different, plus you sit in all different types and heights of chairs when writing. So it’s NOT possible to say: "The front of your keyboard should always be X inches away from your belt buckle or Y inches from the floor." Sooooo—sit comfortably in your chair with both feet flat on the floor. Let your arms hang straight down naturally from your shoulders—not scrunched against your body or held away from your body; just hanging comfortably. Without moving your upper arms, bend your arms at the elbows and raise your forearms until they are at or slightly below a 90 degree angle (parallel) with the floor—then move your forearms closer together horizontally until your hands are positioned in relationship to each other as they would be for writing on the keyboard. Your keyboard should be at a height and distance from your body so that it is directly under your fingers (in home position) with your body and arms in this posture.

This is a natural body position which can be maintained for long periods of time without stress or strain to muscles and with the minimum possible discomfort or fatigue. And that means you’re more alert and have better concentration, comprehension, and retention—all of which translates into less hesitation, MORE SPEED.

Every time you sit down to write, follow the steps given above and CHECK YOUR BODY/KEYBOARD POSITION. It takes 30 seconds—and the physical problems it can avoid, plus what it adds to your stroking dexterity and writing speed, are well worth every one of those seconds a thousand times over.