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What to do for a 40-45 second solver?

zachb20

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Feb 4, 2015
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I know intuitive F2L, 2-look OLL, and half of the PLLs, use a stickerless zhanchi (and just ordered a YuLong), but yet i still have a 45 second average :confused:.

Any tips on how to improve quickly?

Thanks!
 

Myachii

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1) Finish learning PLL's
2) DRILL THEM! You want to be solving PLL as fast as possible.
3) Learn some basic dot OLL cases and easy sune cases.
4) DRILL ALL OLL'S YOU KNOW!
5) Speed up F2L, search for easier solutions to cases, improve look ahead.

I use 2-look OLL, but I know 20 of the cases (and those are just the cross cases, the easy dot cases and the rare ones like the yellow H or all corners oriented)

Currently, with 2-look OLL, full PLL, and intuitive F2L I average around 16 seconds.

Also, experiment with other methods such as Roux and ZZ. If you prefer them over Fridrich, now is a great time to switch. If you find Fridrich easier though, stick with it and follow the above advice :)
 

Chree

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At that stage, I was doing slow solves aaaaaallllll the time. Always had a cube nearby or in a coat pocket. Solved on the bus, walking home from work, on break, in the morning, at night. Doing slow solves and thinking about how to solve each case that came up, trying to remember what worked best. Little by little you start to recognize things quicker and execute the solutions faster.

You really don't need to time yourself a whole lot, you just need to learn more about how you're solving and develope some good habits. You can still time yourself fairly often, but take just as much time to sit down with your cube and just drill algs, practice cross, really think about F2L, and get better at case recognition.

tl;dr: Practice.
 
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How long does it take you to do intuitive F2L? There's a big difference between doing it intuitively and having it in your muscle memory. You don't need to go around looking for algorithms but you should be able to see two pieces and haveyour hands work them into the slot while you search for the next pair. You want it into your muscle memory.
 

biscuit

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1) Finish learning PLL's
2) DRILL THEM! You want to be solving PLL as fast as possible.
3) Learn some basic dot OLL cases and easy sune cases.
4) DRILL ALL OLL'S YOU KNOW!
5) Speed up F2L, search for easier solutions to cases, improve look ahead.

I use 2-look OLL, but I know 20 of the cases (and those are just the cross cases, the easy dot cases and the rare ones like the yellow H or all corners oriented)

Currently, with 2-look OLL, full PLL, and intuitive F2L I average around 16 seconds.

Also, experiment with other methods such as Roux and ZZ. If you prefer them over Fridrich, now is a great time to switch. If you find Fridrich easier though, stick with it and follow the above advice :)

I am not as fast as you but I would strongly disagree with you on learning all the PLL's as they will only help by a few seconds. Learn a few of the most common ones but slow solves are what you need IN MY OPINION as I said myachi is faster and more experienced then I am
 

Myachii

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I am not as fast as you but I would strongly disagree with you on learning all the PLL's as they will only help by a few seconds. Learn a few of the most common ones but slow solves are what you need IN MY OPINION as I said myachi is faster and more experienced then I am

After listening to what you've said, I kinda agree.
If you believe that you are good enough at F2L for the time being, and are up for learning full PLL, then go for it.

I delayed full PLL for as long as possible, and I averaged around 20 seconds with 4LLL. It is possible to be sub-20 without full PLL, but I advise that once you start to average around sub-35, that's when full PLL starts to become very useful.

At your speed, it's just practice. With time, you'll be able to sub-40 and then 35 and then 30. But if you're up for learning the algs now, I say go for it, it definitely won't harm your times and you'll be saving yourself a chore in the future :)
 
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I got from 50 to 17 from just practice

true-story-new.png
 

Timbuktu10

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Joined
Feb 22, 2015
Messages
28
1) Finish learning PLL's
2) DRILL THEM! You want to be solving PLL as fast as possible.
3) Learn some basic dot OLL cases and easy sune cases.
4) DRILL ALL OLL'S YOU KNOW!
5) Speed up F2L, search for easier solutions to cases, improve look ahead.

I use 2-look OLL, but I know 20 of the cases (and those are just the cross cases, the easy dot cases and the rare ones like the yellow H or all corners oriented)

Currently, with 2-look OLL, full PLL, and intuitive F2L I average around 16 seconds.

Also, experiment with other methods such as Roux and ZZ. If you prefer them over Fridrich, now is a great time to switch. If you find Fridrich easier though, stick with it and follow the above advice :)

Honestly full PLL isn't necessary until you try to break sub 20
 

Mozart

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Joined
Mar 16, 2014
Messages
10
Location
Denmark
Like everybody said: practice. you simply don't improve without practicing
But that being said, at this stage you really want to know your method like the back of your hand. All algs you currently use should be completely ingrained in your mind (it's not necessary to learn new ones for now), and when you spot a pair during F2L you should be able to solve it right away. Try to be efficient with your cross, plan the whole thing in 6-7 moves if possible
Watch walkthrough solves on youtube, and study them thoroughly.
Practice mostly without timing yourself, and think as much as possible during solves. Good luck!
 
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