nvim-config/docs/vim-mastery/week-01-motions.md

🎯 Week 1: Motion Basics

Master efficient navigation - the foundation of Vim proficiency.

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🎓 Learning Objectives

By the end of this week, you will:

• Navigate without arrow keys
• Move by words, not characters
• Jump to specific characters on a line
• Understand the power of count + motion
• Be faster than mouse + arrow keys

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📚 Core Commands

Basic Directional Movement

h  " Left  ←
j  " Down  ↓
k  " Up    ↑
l  " Right →

Practice Goal: Use only hjkl for one full day. Unmap arrow keys if needed!

Word Movement (Most Important!)

w   " Next word (start)
e   " Next word (end)
b   " Previous word (start)
ge  " Previous word (end)

W   " Next WORD (whitespace separated)
E   " Next WORD (end)
B   " Previous WORD

Difference:

• word: Stops at punctuation (my-function → 3 words)
• WORD: Whitespace only (my-function → 1 WORD)

Line Movement

0   " Start of line
^   " First non-whitespace character
$   " End of line
g_  " Last non-whitespace character

Character Search (Super Powerful!)

f{char}   " Find next {char} on line →
F{char}   " Find previous {char} on line ←
t{char}   " Till next {char} (stop before)
T{char}   " Till previous {char}

;         " Repeat last f/F/t/T forward
,         " Repeat last f/F/t/T backward

Pro Tip: f and t are game-changers for editing!

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💪 Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Word Navigation (5 minutes)

Open any code file:

:e ~/.config/nvim/init.lua

Practice:

1. Use w to move forward 10 words
2. Use b to come back
3. Use e to jump to word ends
4. Compare speed: wwwww vs 5w (count!)

Exercise 2: Line Precision (5 minutes)

In the same file:

" Jump to line start
0

" Jump to first character
^

" Jump to line end
$

" Try this combo: Move to end, then back to start
$^

Exercise 3: Character Hunting (10 minutes)

Find a line with multiple parentheses or quotes:

local function test(arg1, arg2, arg3)

Practice:

f(    " Jump to first (
;     " Jump to next (
;     " Jump to next (
,     " Go back one (

Try these scenarios:

• Jump to the closing quote: f"
• Delete till comma: dt,
• Change till closing paren: ct)

Exercise 4: Combine Motions (10 minutes)

Real-world scenarios:

Scenario 1: Change the word "function" to "method"

" Position cursor on 'f' in function
cw      " Change word
method<Esc>

Scenario 2: Delete from cursor to end of line

d$      " or D

Scenario 3: Change from here to next underscore

ct_

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🎯 Daily Challenges

Monday: Basic hjkl

• Disable arrow keys: Add to init.lua:

  vim.keymap.set('n', '<Up>', '<Nop>')
  vim.keymap.set('n', '<Down>', '<Nop>')
  vim.keymap.set('n', '<Left>', '<Nop>')
  vim.keymap.set('n', '<Right>', '<Nop>')
  

• Navigate only with hjkl for the entire day

Tuesday: Word Motions

• Practice w, b, e every time you move
• Count your keystrokes: www = 3, 3w = 2
• Use counts!

Wednesday: Line Jumps

• Every time you need line start/end, use ^ or $
• Stop using 0 (except when you really need column 0)

Thursday: Character Search

• Find 10 opportunities to use f or t
• Practice ; and , for repeating
• Try dt, and ct) patterns

Friday: Combinations

• Combine everything: d3w, c$, vf), etc.
• Edit entire lines without arrow keys
• Feel the power!

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🔥 Real-World Patterns

Pattern 1: Change Till Character

" Change from cursor to next comma
ct,

Use when: Editing function arguments

Pattern 2: Delete Word Forward

" Delete from cursor to end of word
dw

" Delete 3 words
d3w

Use when: Removing variable names

Pattern 3: Jump and Edit

" Find opening paren, then change till closing
f(ct)

Use when: Changing function parameters

Pattern 4: End of Line Operations

" Append at end of line
A

" Delete to end of line
D

" Change to end of line
C

Use when: Adding semicolons, removing trailing code

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📊 Progress Checklist

Track your mastery:

Day 1:
[ ] Used hjkl instead of arrows at least 50% of time
[ ] Felt uncomfortable (this is good!)

Day 2:
[ ] Used w/b/e consciously 20+ times
[ ] Started thinking in "words" not "characters"

Day 3:
[ ] Used ^ and $ instead of Home/End
[ ] Comfortable with 0/^/$ distinction

Day 4:
[ ] Used f/t successfully 10+ times
[ ] Discovered one "aha!" moment with dt or ct

Day 5:
[ ] Combined motions (d3w, c$, etc.)
[ ] Hjkl feels natural
[ ] Ready for Week 2!

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🎮 Speed Drills

Drill 1: The Word Race (2 minutes)

" Open a file
" Start at top: gg
" Goal: Get to word "function" on line 50

" Slow way: jjjjjjjjwwwwwwww
" Fast way: 50G/function<CR>
" Week 1 way: 50G (jump to line) then use w/e

Drill 2: Line Ninja (2 minutes)

" Create test line:
" the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

" Tasks (as fast as possible):
0       " Line start
$       " Line end
^       " First char
fb      " Find 'b'
;       " Next 'b'
e       " End of word

Drill 3: Edit Marathon (5 minutes)

-- Start with:
local result = calculate(arg1, arg2, arg3, arg4)

-- Tasks:
-- 1. Change "calculate" to "compute"
--    Solution: /calc<CR>cw compute<Esc>
--
-- 2. Delete ", arg4"
--    Solution: f4 (on '4') then dF, (delete back to comma)
--
-- 3. Change "result" to "output"
--    Solution: 0 (start of line) cw output<Esc>

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💡 Pro Tips

Tip 1: Think in Motions

Don't think: "I need to move 5 characters right" Think: "I need to move to the next word"

Tip 2: Use Counts

5w is faster than wwwww and requires less thought.

Tip 3: f/t Are Superpowers

Once you master f and t, you'll never want to use arrow keys for horizontal navigation.

Tip 4: Learn the Difference

• w stops at punctuation: my-word = 3 stops
• W only stops at whitespace: my-word = 1 stop

Tip 5: Combine with Operators

Motions are 10x powerful with operators (d, c, y):

• dw = delete word
• ct. = change till period
• y$ = yank to end of line

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🎯 Week 1 Goal

By end of week, you should prefer hjkl + word motions over arrow keys.

If you catch yourself reaching for arrows or mouse, that's your cue to practice more!

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🔗 Quick Reference Card

Print this or keep it visible:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│        Week 1: Motion Basics        │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ hjkl      - Directions              │
│ w/b/e     - Word motions            │
│ ^/$       - Line start/end          │
│ f/F       - Find character          │
│ t/T       - Till character          │
│ ;/,       - Repeat find             │
│                                     │
│ Combos:                             │
│ dw        - Delete word             │
│ dt,       - Delete till comma       │
│ c$        - Change to end           │
│ 5w        - Move 5 words            │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

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❓ Common Questions

Q: Why not use arrow keys? A: They're far from home row. Hjkl is faster once trained.

Q: When should I use w vs W? A: Use w for code (stops at punctuation). Use W for prose (whitespace only).

Q: I'm slower with hjkl! A: Normal! Stick with it for 3 days. Speed comes after correctness.

Q: Do I really need to learn f/t? A: YES! They're the secret weapon. Worth the practice.

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🎊 Graduation Criteria

You're ready for Week 2 when:

• ✅ hjkl feels natural (no conscious thought)
• ✅ You use w/b/e more than arrow keys
• ✅ You've used f/t successfully in real work
• ✅ You can navigate without looking at keyboard
• ✅ You feel frustrated when using arrow keys

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Congratulations on completing Week 1!

Practice these daily, and they'll become second nature.

← Back to Vim Mastery | Week 2: Text Objects →