3D 89 Maltron - Finger positions
Maltron Layout Training Course - 89 Series Keyboards
Instructions for working through the exercises.
Finger Positions
When you put your hands onto the keyboard to key your fingers should bend at the first knuckle - as shown here:
Instructions for working through the exercises.
Finger Positions
When you put your hands onto the keyboard to key your fingers should bend at the first knuckle - as shown here:
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The tips of your elbows should be in a horizontal line with the tips of your fingers when they are resting on the home keys, which are:
Never rest the palms of the hands while keying. If you rest your hands keying involves more work for the muscles in the hand and prevents the small hand movements needed to reach some of the keys.
Also - because the underside of the wrist is a conduit for tendons, nerves and blood supply - resting on the underside of your wrists can add to the wear and tear and fatigue experienced by your hands and wrists.
When resting between keying any of the exercises, you should aim at all times to rest all eight fingers on the home keys shown above. The thumbs should be on the Return and Space keys. You must use your thumbs for typing the Space and the Return keys. If you use the index finger for the Space - for example - then that finger will have to move too far from its home key.
The thumb pad areas require you to use your thumbs more and slightly differently from before - so using your thumbs on the MALTRON keyboard will feel strange for the first few days. The thumb has several more muscles than any finger and many times more neurological connections than any finger so it is definitely able! BUT: See note below if you have any history of RSI pain in your thumbs.
Note:
If you have had any hand, finger or thumb pain from any accident or RSI then we recommend that you only try these exercises gently and for short periods (say 15 minutes at a time at most, and no more than a hour a day at first), maybe less.
If the exercises cause pain then stop, take your hands off the keyboard and let them hang by your sides and shake them gently to encourage the blood supply and relax the fingers, thumbs, hands, wrists, arms and shoulders. If you are tired or nearly tired take a bigger break. We have many reports of people getting over their pain with our keyboard but you should not overtire your thumb or fingers with this keyboard while training.
If you must work then you must nonetheless take frequent breaks. Switching back to a flat standard keyboard is also not recommended. The static strains associated with the flat keyboard are in our opinion the root cause of RSI pain and disability.
Also - because the underside of the wrist is a conduit for tendons, nerves and blood supply - resting on the underside of your wrists can add to the wear and tear and fatigue experienced by your hands and wrists.
When resting between keying any of the exercises, you should aim at all times to rest all eight fingers on the home keys shown above. The thumbs should be on the Return and Space keys. You must use your thumbs for typing the Space and the Return keys. If you use the index finger for the Space - for example - then that finger will have to move too far from its home key.
The thumb pad areas require you to use your thumbs more and slightly differently from before - so using your thumbs on the MALTRON keyboard will feel strange for the first few days. The thumb has several more muscles than any finger and many times more neurological connections than any finger so it is definitely able! BUT: See note below if you have any history of RSI pain in your thumbs.
Note:
If you have had any hand, finger or thumb pain from any accident or RSI then we recommend that you only try these exercises gently and for short periods (say 15 minutes at a time at most, and no more than a hour a day at first), maybe less.
If the exercises cause pain then stop, take your hands off the keyboard and let them hang by your sides and shake them gently to encourage the blood supply and relax the fingers, thumbs, hands, wrists, arms and shoulders. If you are tired or nearly tired take a bigger break. We have many reports of people getting over their pain with our keyboard but you should not overtire your thumb or fingers with this keyboard while training.
If you must work then you must nonetheless take frequent breaks. Switching back to a flat standard keyboard is also not recommended. The static strains associated with the flat keyboard are in our opinion the root cause of RSI pain and disability.