This is similar to how I learned the DVORAK layout actually. I switched to DVORAK, made sure that I had a couple of essays pushed off til the last minute, and bam! I knew it like the back of my hand by 3AM.
Dvorak was a long process for me. It took me about 3 months to get to 70 wpm (was 120 qwerty). Online gaming had a lot to do with the delay: switching keybindings for every game was annoying, and I needed to quickly communicate with teammates (or smacktalk opponents ;P)