Touch typing home row: where to put your fingers
Short answer: rest your left fingers on A S D F and your right fingers on J K L ;, with your index fingers on the bumps of F and J and your thumbs on the space bar. Every other key is reached from here, and you return here after each key.
Finger placement
Left: pinky A, ring S, middle D, index F. Right: index J, middle K, ring L, pinky ;. Thumbs rest on the space bar.
Which finger hits which key
Each finger owns a diagonal column. The index fingers also cover the middle columns: left index takes R T F G V B, right index takes Y U H J N M.
Beginner drill
Start with F J D K only, then add S L A ;, then G H. Type slowly without looking until accuracy stays above 95%, then move to the top row, bottom row and number row.
Common mistakes
Looking down, letting the hands drift off the home row, and using only two or three fingers. Fix these early; they cap your speed later.
Doing it with Typestride
Typestride's 12 lessons start on F J D K and move to the top, bottom and number rows, with up to 3 stars per lesson for finishing, 95% accuracy and the target speed.
FAQ
Why do F and J have bumps?
So you can find the home row by touch without looking down.
Which finger presses the space bar?
Either thumb. Most people use the thumb of the hand that did not type the last letter.
How long until I stop looking at the keyboard?
About 1 to 2 weeks of daily practice for the letter rows.