so ive been trying to get more serious about CW lately and finally broke down and bought a decent set of paddles (Begali Traveler, used, got a good deal) and im running them through my K3's built-in keyer. the thing is no matter what i do with the weight and speed settings it just doesnt feel natural when im sending. like i know what i want my fist to sound like in my head but what comes out sounds kind of choppy or rushed, especially on letters like C and Y where you need that dit-dah rhythm to flow.

ive been practicing with the keyer set around 18 wpm because thats about where i want to operate but maybe thats too fast for where im actually at right now? i dunno. also been using Just Learn Morse Code on the computer for copy practice and thats going okay but the sending side is where i feel lost. anyone been through this and have advice for a guy whos been licensed for 3 years but only really started taking CW seriously this winter?

yeah 18 wpm for practicing your sending when youre still ironing out muscle memory is probably doing you more harm than good honestly. i went through the exact same thing a few years back. what helped me was dropping way down, like to 12 or even 10 wpm, and just focusing on making each element crisp and even before cranking the speed back up. the Koch method people always talk about this but it applies to sending too not just receiving.

also on the weight setting — a lot of guys set it and forget it at 50% but depending on your paddles and how you hold tension you might actually want to bump it slightly toward heavier dashes, maybe 52-53%. sounds minor but you'd be suprised how much smoother things feel once that rhythm clicks. give yourself a few weeks at slower speed and then bring it back up gradually, your sending will thank you.

Begali paddles on a K3, that's a nice combo. I'm kind of jealous actually. I'm still on a cheap MFJ that I keep meaning to replace.

One thing that helped me with the choppy feeling was just making QSOs, even short ones, instead of just practicing into a dummy load. Something about the pressure of an actual exchange where someone's listening makes you slow down and be deliberate. Try calling CQ on 40m around 7.055 or wherever your regional watering hole is and just do slow casual contacts. People are generally pretty patient with someone who's obviously still developing their fist.