The travel distance while typing using the Kruti Dev layout is greater than that of more current phonetic layouts. Since typing Kruti Dev involves reaching for more of the top and bottom rows, it is essential that the Kruti Dev typing posture is impeccable in order to avoid strain for even a short duration of typing. Poor posture impacts health, but it also creates a technical limitation. When the wrist is positioned at the wrong angle, reaching and maintaining sufficient speed to strike the ‘Q’ and ‘Z’ keys is extremely difficult, and not being able to do so creates a typing experience that is rife with mistakes and is frustratingly ‘clumsy’.

Principle One: The 90-Degree Principle

For typing continuously at a speed greater than 3 characters per second, the body must be stable and provide a firm base. The first task is to ensure your feet are flat on the ground. This is the basis of everything else that follows. The next element is the height of your chair, and from it down to your elbows, your elbows should be at the same height as your desk. This horizontal alignment of elbows is always 90 degrees with respect to the vertical part of the arm, and it will ensure that your forearms are completely horizontal and your wrists can be in a straight position. A straight wrist is not flexed in either direction, and it is the position that affords the least resistance to the tendons in your hand to move, and this is the optimal position for typing using Kruti Dev.

Understanding the Harm of Wrist Resting

A dangerous habit that many fall prey to is the base of the palms or the rest of the wrist being engaged with the desk or a wrist rest. Although it may seem comfortable, this position “locks” your fingers in certain positions. Take for example, the top row in Hindi typing that has a lot of important half letters, to access them, an entire hand shift is a requirement. If the hand’s wrist position is desk anchored, what comes next is a finger crash, that is, a forced stretch to achieve that. Instead, what you should aim for, is to achieve a hand position that is wrist float, this way, the fingers get to move freely across the entire keyboard, this means accessing the Home Row keyboard letters and all the others in the row with much greater ease and fewer interruptions.

Eye-Level Synchronization

The 2-minute test needs you to keep your eyes moving all over the screen. If your monitor is placed low, you will have to extend your neck down (doing the ‘Turtle Neck’ position). This posture leads to compression of neck nerves that extend down to the arms, resulting in ‘heavy fingers’ syndrome. Placing your screen at eye level will help you keep your chin down and your back straight. While in Lesson 23, try to keep your entire body still, and only your fingers and, at most, your hands, should be allowed to move. The less movement you make with your arms and head, the more available ‘budget’ you have for fast Kruti Dev execution.