[batperson]

I found the opposite when I went through a split keyboard phase and did Colemak-DH layout. As far as english goes I found that a lot of words had a smoother "flow" when it comes to finger location.

In the end I went back to a regular qwerty because my WPM on split keyboards/colemak-DH was considerably worse even after many months of practice.

[karmakaze]

My WPM also dropped, but I kept with it because (1) I actually do very little typing compared to thinking (and had to resort to online typing practice to build up muscle memory), (2) my hands are far more comfortable and don't experience cramps or pains anymore.