Help to get sub-30 average

[Fishcake]

I've been speed cubing for 2 months now, using the Fridrich's method. I just got a sub-40 average like 2 weeks ago, and now I'm trying to get sub-30 average. I've been following a guide somewhere on this forum (I got the link from the wiki) to get a sub-15 average. I've learned 21 cases of PLL but still I can't get a sub-30 average.

Cross+F2L is around 20 seconds average, and the rest (around 15 seconds) for the last layer. So do I improve my F2L, my last layer, or I just need to get a DIY cube, because I'm currently using a cube I bought from Toys 'R Us, lubricated with silicon spray. It tends to get stuck when cutting corners, and it doesn't turn that fast .

 

[Ellis]

So do I improve my F2L, my last layer, or I just need to get a DIY cube

And why can't you do all of those?

Just practice, read around yourself if you need to. 2 months is nothing by the way, to think you went from 40 seconds to 33 seconds in ~2 weeks... you shouldn't be worried about sub-30, it will happen.

 

[JTW2007]

Get a diy and work on lookahead. I will say no more.

 

[a small kitten]

But while you still have your storebought you can work on stuff like recognition. That is what usually slows people down if they take more than two steps for last layer.

 

[Fishcake]

So do I improve my F2L, my last layer, or I just need to get a DIY cube

And why can't you do all of those?

I've been trying to do that, but it never improved. So I wonder is it the cube that's limiting my speed, or I just need to practice more on F2L and PLL. xD I guess I just need to practice using my store bought cube, because I don't think I can buy a DIY cube, since I have to get it from the Internet (I have never bought anything on the Internet, and I don't think my parents will allow me to T.T).

 

[IamWEB]

15 seconds for the Last Layer? That really doesn't too well.

Recognition and Execution. Practice, Practice.

 

[Ellis]

So I wonder is it the cube that's limiting my speed, or I just need to practice more on F2L and PLL.

Well they all will help. You cant point to a specific area that can be improved and think that its the only way to get faster. DIY cubes can help lower your times a little bit, but there isn't some 30 second limit on storebought cubes, and also don't expect to automatically get sub-30 second averages right when you get your first DIY. If you have no way of getting a DIY, then just keep practicing everything on your store cube. By the way, I think they usually sell DIY's at competitions, so if you're really unable to order anything from the internet, maybe check around for a nearby competition in the next few months: http://www.worldcubeassociation.org/results/competitions.php If you went that route I'd suggest getting in contact with an event organizer before you go to make sure that they will have DIY's for sale.

 

[4weeksAndImSub60]

I'm averaging at 45 seconds now... so I don't know if you'll consider what I give you some advice. But this stuff certainly helped me. BTW, i haven't began learning PLL or OLL yet... I just do it old fashioned way... as in no 4look or 3 look. So I'm just practicing my F2L untill I can get it in sub20.

Anyway. This is helping me right now

Recognition-Recognizing which case I have for the F2l from all angles
Intelligence-As in knowing what moves to make inorder to solve a f2l pair.
Looking ahead-So I know which case I have next
Fluency-So I'm not solving too fast inwhich I don't know what case I have

All this has helped. Once I get the f2l in sub 20.. I'll move to OLL and PLL, then once I learn that... I'm gonna jump to multi-slotting and hopefully get sub20 alltogether

 

[darkzelkova]

Just... practice. Simple as that. Practice a lot. And it isn't your cube, there are plenty of things you can do to make it better.

 

[Ellis]

Once I get the f2l in sub 20.. I'll move to OLL and PLL, then once I learn that... I'm gonna jump to multi-slotting and hopefully get sub20 alltogether

You won't need multislotting or even full OLL to reach sub-20. In my experience those two will just shave small fractions off your time. Not to mention that many top cubers don't use multislotting frequently and its probably hard to get really good at.

 

[elfie]

wow your exactly like me..i also started 2 months ago or less like that..and now im avg about sub-35..now i get no more than 35 secs with a PB of 21.87

well i myself have a storebought which cant cut corners and extremely stiff(maybe even worse than urs)..and i thought that having a smoother cube would help a lot, so i borrowed my friend's cube which is a little smoother it did help but just lowered down my time for about 3-5secs or even more(yes my cube really is those suckish one)
i think for a 3LLL 15 secs can be improved - its either your recognition time or fingertricks? (i learnt most of the pll except 2 because the algos use left hand xD) and i avg about 10 secs although is slow
now im learning to look ahead more for f2l and improve my cross

 

[IamWEB]

wow ur exactly like me..i oso started 2 months ago or less like that..and now im avg about sub-35..now i get no more than 35 secs with a PB of 21.87

well i myself has a storebought which cant cut corners and is extremely stiff(maybe even worse than urs)..and i tot that having a smoother cube would help a lot, so i borrowed my fren's cube which is a little smoother it did help but just lowered down my time for about 3-5secs or even more(ya my cube reli is those 'suckish' one)
i think for a 3LLL 15 secs can be improved - its either ur recognition time or fingertricks? (i learned most of the pll exept 2 bcoz the algs use left hand xD) and i avg abt 10 secs altho is slow
now im learning to look ahead more for f2l and improve my cross

When giving advice, please make sure what you say is understandable.

Hate being a mod, but I'm not, it just seems that way but it's 3 AM and my brain's all .

 

[Ellis]

When giving advice, please make sure what you say is understandable.

Man, c'mon. Just because your brian shuts of when you see the words "ur" and "ya", it doesn't mean you should start being the speedsolving.com grammarz police. If you're going to use the internet you have to understand that not every single person is going to spell everything correctly or in the same way that you do. What if he's only been learning english for a month, I might say that it's rather commendable. Or what if he speaks fluent english but never types on the computer so it really took him like 15 minutes to type all that.. I could understand the mistakes and shortcuts. Please don't be rude and over exaggerate something as not being understandable for a few misspelled words.

 

[Fishcake]

By the way, I think they usually sell DIY's at competitions, so if you're really unable to order anything from the internet, maybe check around for a nearby competition in the next few months: http://www.worldcubeassociation.org/...mpetitions.php

Last time I checked, there are no competitions in Malaysia, with the closest being in Singapore. Plus, the chance of my traveling out of Malaysia is very slim, I guess I'll be stuck with this cube for a very long time. T.T

Recognition-Recognizing which case I have for the F2l from all angles

I think that will help improve my F2L, because most of the time I use cube turns for solving F2L pairs. When I used the beginner corner-then-edge method, knowing to solve them in 2 different angles (front and back) really helped me in getting faster (I got sub-60 because of that). I guess I'll work on my F2L until I can get sub-20 average on cross+F2L (currently around 20-23 seconds).

Oh, and about the cross, is it okay that I averagely solve it around 4-6 seconds?

 

[Ellis]

and about the cross, is it okay that I averagely solve it around 4-6 seconds?

That isn't horrible. You'll probably want to be shooting for < 3sec average at some point though. Good crosses will come naturally with a lot of gereral practice, so it's not something that you really need to be worrying too much about improving on its own.

 

[cookingfat]

I'm also struggling to get sub-30.

I'm currently at about 35 now, sometimes creeping up to 40. I get offended when I get singles over 40. my pb is 22.79.

I do full PLL and 2look (sometimes 3look) OLL. I really should learn dot OLLs.

However I know that I'm only going to get better if I practice a lot, which is what I do, but times don't come down very fast for me. I try and watch a lot of tutorial videos. Even basic ones sometimes give me ideas. I also do averages of certain stages of the solve too, which seems to help.

 

[Escher]

I've been speed cubing for 2 months now, using the Fridrich's method. I just got a sub-40 average like 2 weeks ago, and now I'm trying to get sub-30 average. I've been following a guide somewhere on this forum (I got the link from the wiki) to get a sub-15 average. I've learned 21 cases of PLL but still I can't get a sub-30 average.

Cross+F2L is around 20 seconds average, and the rest (around 15 seconds) for the last layer. So do I improve my F2L, my last layer, or I just need to get a DIY cube, because I'm currently using a cube I bought from Toys 'R Us, lubricated with silicon spray. It tends to get stuck when cutting corners, and it doesn't turn that fast .

i would recommend trying to persuade your parents to get you a DIY. internet shopping is very safe nowadays and i know of people who almost exclusively buy things off the internet. setting up a paypal account is also very easy to do, and the DIYs only cost about 8$ anyway cheaper than storeboughts (at least in the UK)!

anyway, i would work on your LL recognition - getting a cross on top should be sub 3 at worst(maybe sub 4 if you have to do two algs), as it is very easy to recognise.

your second orientation stage should also be pretty quick - there are only 7 cases, and all of which are pretty fast.

all of your PLLs should be <5s at worst, and your recognition should only take a second or two.

for your f2l, do as many solves as you can to get familiar with all of the different cases. instead of solving with your usual 'method', when doing the f2l, try not to rotate, and look for the most optimal solution you can for each case.

the most important advice that anyone can give, for f2l, is GO SLOW, AND LOOK AHEAD. smooth and steady wins the race, at least when you're against someone who turns fast, but is sloppy and keeps pausing

with the cross, try and solve it blindfolded every time. doing this loads really helps with execution - you can just spend a couple of seconds memo'ing the cross, then execute the moves as fast as you can while looking for the first pair you want to start on. considering you should be doing around 7 moves, sub-3s cross becomes surprisingly easy

i know im essentially reiterating what everyone else has said, but oh well...

good luck.

 

[Micael]

Since LL take 15 sec, your finger tricks for OLL and PLL may be not the best.