Made an interactive Vim practice tool to retain commands – looking for feedback
1•VimDrill•7mo ago
Hey everyone,
I’ve been learning Vim recently and struggling with retaining some of the motions and commands — I realized I needed a way to practice actively, not just read tutorials.
So I built a little web-based trainer for myself with short lessons and interactive drills. It gives immediate feedback and lets you repeat commands until they stick.
The idea is to make it feel like learning to type: small, repetitive practice sessions that build muscle memory over time.
Would love any feedback — especially from others who struggled with Vim at the beginning. What helped you most? What would you add or change?
(Free to try — I can drop the link in a comment if that’s allowed.)
Comments
johncoltrane•7mo ago
Actively using Vim is what makes the subset of commands you need stick, which makes things like this generally pointless. Writing that program with Vim, assuming you actually did, did a much better job for you than the program will do for its eventual users.
Learning Vim is easy.
VimDrill•7mo ago
I agree، nothing beats using Vim regularly in real work.
The issue is that many beginners don't make it that far. They quit before reaching the “aha” moment because they keep forgetting what w, e, gg, or ^ do.
VimDrill isn’t trying to replace actual Vim use. It’s like a flight simulator — a safe space to practice specific commands, get instant feedback, and build confidence before (or alongside) using Vim for real.
Also, yes — I wrote the site itself using Vim :) That part definitely helped me. Now I want others to get that benefit without having to suffer first.
johncoltrane•7mo ago
Learning Vim is easy.
VimDrill•7mo ago