basic techniques in typing

The point of touch-typing is in having your hands dangle in the middle of the keyboard while your fingers rest on certain keys (home keys). To enter a letter you need to reach the appropriate key with the closest finger. The thumbs take care of the space bar. Now, let me spell this out r e a l - s l o w - f o r t h o s e w h o h a v e n ' t g r a s p e d i t. Your eight fingers (thumbs don't count) rest in the center of the keyboard (on the predefined home keys), from which they move only to satisfy a serious (or less so) need i.e. to peck some other key. While doing this only one finger moves - the nearest. After having completed the action the finger returns to its home key.

There are two finger layout variations in existence - regular and alternative. These variations differ somewhat in their choice of the eight home keys. Your first task is to select the more comfortable option. That is the question!

The choice of one or the other may be dictated by each concrete individual (fingers, hands, body, tail), as well as the work area - desk, stool (btw this can be a personal feature as well), keyboard positioning, etc. If you are well versed in the regular method than readjusting to the alternative way probably doesn't make sense, especially since it may seem strange and awkward.