"Cursor keys are not the way to move around in VIM"
That's why it's lame. You most certainly CAN. I don't care that other functions combine with hjkl in vim. They're useful but using hjkl for left/right/up/down is annoying and the restriction in this "tutorial" makes it that much worse.
Yes, you can, but there is a benefit to maintaining your fingers on the home row and not requiring a shift elsewhere. So while it might be an annoyance to you, other people disagree.
You're better off going through the pain of learning the hard way.
It's like cheating and looking at your hands when learning to type. You'll never really learn to type properly and it slows you down a lot. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and do it right. I wouldn't be able to hit 80 WPM if I had to stare at my hands.
That's why it's lame. You most certainly CAN. I don't care that other functions combine with hjkl in vim. They're useful but using hjkl for left/right/up/down is annoying and the restriction in this "tutorial" makes it that much worse.