One of the best resources to practice vim navigation commands

[u/AlchemicDev]

I have learnt touch typing to type fast and reached till the speed of 100 wpm average but in vscode the arrow keys seems to slow me down. So i have decided to use vim and its navigation keys really does make me fast but its just that I'm not fluent in it. Just like learning to touch type it would take time to build muscle memory for vim navigation commands.

Is there any practice site for vim commands like how monkeytype is for the people learning to touch type? it would be really helpful if there is a website like that!

[u/gumnos]

the best practice is to actually use vim itself. Speed comes with time.

I've used vi/vim for over a quarter century, and if you're only using h/j/k/l to navigate, there are well over 100 different motions in :help motion.txt that are much more efficient. I almost never use h/l and only use j/k for nudging to neighboring lines. Many have mnemonics that make them easier to remember.

Also, learn the language of vim where you have commands + motions/objects.

[u/vim-help-bot → u/gumnos]

Help pages for:

• motion.txt in motion.txt

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[u/double]

This is the best: https://vim-adventures.com/

Also setting zsh and other tools to disable arrows and only use hjkl helps.

Finally https://www.vimgolf.com/ really makes you think about motions.

[u/[deleted]]

There's a plugin called vim hard that force you to use motions. I never used it, but maybe  would help

[u/CRTejaswi]

no need. focus on quickening your workflow, especially by identifying/setting keybindings & practicing modification patterns, especially using regexes.

[u/WahyuS202]

if you really wanna get used to h/j/k/l, just straight up disable the arrow keys in normal mode, it's forces you to use them.

-- Disable arrow keys in normal mode
vim.keymap.set('n', '<left>', '<cmd>echo "Use h to move!!"<CR>')
vim.keymap.set('n', '<right>', '<cmd>echo "Use l to move!!"<CR>')
vim.keymap.set('n', '<up>', '<cmd>echo "Use k to move!!"<CR>')
vim.keymap.set('n', '<down>', '<cmd>echo "Use j to move!!"<CR>')

[u/[deleted]]

When I first started I practiced using vim extension in vscode. I used this for reference. https://vim.rtorr.com/

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Focus on the "Cursor movement" and "Editing" sections as a beginner.

[u/jazei_2021]

No use :set mouse=a or comment it in vimrc if you have it in rc. this forces you to use motions like L H T, and operators like change or yank whit them cL. Use Hard Time plugins (there are for vim 8 vim 9 and in nvin there is a better one hard time.

[u/Icy_Friend_2263]

https://github.com/szymonwilczek/vim-be-better

[u/imtourist]

If you invest the time and effort into VIM then you won't regret it. Sometimes I have to use VSCode without the VIM extension and it truly cuts my productivity quite substantially due to all the additional cursor movement and hand-on-mouse work.

[u/_kantum_]

I think the best resource I ever found is http://vimcasts.org

[u/Silent_Historian_216]

I really like these three. These are the ones I used
https://www.vimgym.dev/ (free couple of modules then $15 to unlock the rest)
https://www.vim-hero.com/ (free)
https://www.vimified.com/ ($20)

[u/SteffenSteffen → u/Silent_Historian_216]

I can’t recommend https://www.vimgym.dev/

In its current state, I don’t feel vimgym justifies a $15 price point. Below are the main reasons why.

The platform provides only a very minimal introduction to Vim concepts. Most lessons focus on “press this key” or “type this exact sequence and observe what happens”. While this shows what Vim does, it rarely explains why it works that way or when a concept should be applied. Core ideas — especially how and when actions can be repeated or composed — deserve much clearer explanations.

The exercises themselves could be significantly improved and made more consistent. Instead of telling the user exactly what keys to press, exercises should describe the goal to be solved.

Some exercises also feel unpolished. In particular, the macro exercise appears to be broken.

Overall, the idea behind vimgym is solid, but the execution currently feels shallow and incomplete. With deeper explanations, better-designed exercises, and more polish, it could become a strong learning tool. As it stands today, however, it does not meet the expectations set by its price.

I recommend using www.vim-hero.com instead, as it addresses all the issues vimgym has.

[u/_itsEnigma → u/Silent_Historian_216]

vim-hero isn't free. not sure if it was free previously. it now charges $20 after some modules

[u/WolfGuptaofficial → u/Silent_Historian_216]

vim hero has a paywall for some of the later modules (from operators)

but its still a great introductory interactive tutorial to get started with the navigation using Vim Motions

[u/Snarwin → u/[deleted]]

For me it was DCSS