What is the most common speed plateau?

[KenBrace]

I think most of us more or less plateau at a certain point. Some of it has to do with how much time we spend and some of it is just based on our raw talent.

So with 3x3, what do you think is the most common speed range to plateau at?

 

[Y2k1]

Sub 20

 

[biscuit]

I'd agree with Sub 20. I know I was stuck there for ever

 

[JustinTimeCuber]

I don't really like this question, because it is way too general. For one, define plateau. A lot of times, when you are getting stuck, you start getting inconsistent. Then, you cut down on the bad times and your average improves. That's how it's been for me. It's completely different for everyone. I did not get stuck at 20 seconds. At Indiana 2014, I remember averaging around 21-22 and getting a mid 20 average, better than I expected. 2 months later, I was easily sub-20, and I got a high 18 and a high 16 average at my next comp, Lawrence 2014.

 

[cuberkid10]

My biggest plateau was the 10's. I was stuck in the 10's for about a year before I dropped a little bit.

 

[KenBrace]

I don't really like this question, because it is way too general. For one, define plateau. A lot of times, when you are getting stuck, you start getting inconsistent. Then, you cut down on the bad times and your average improves. That's how it's been for me. It's completely different for everyone. I did not get stuck at 20 seconds. At Indiana 2014, I remember averaging around 21-22 and getting a mid 20 average, better than I expected. 2 months later, I was easily sub-20, and I got a high 18 and a high 16 average at my next comp, Lawrence 2014.

Everyone does their fastest solve. I think it's always possible to get better but the rate at which you can improve definitely reaches an almost stopping point.

 

[Slowto Speedy]

I was stuck on the 18s for quite a while.

 

[RhysC]

Hmm. Maybe 12-13 for me?

 

[KenBrace]

Hmm. Maybe 12-13 for me?

Yeah same here. I only do casual solving here and there but I used to be pretty ambitious about it. Got down to 15 quickly, struggled and finally broke through to the 12-13 level, then started spending less time. My average at the moment is 11-14 and it seems almost impossible to break through. I'd have to put in some serious hours to start breaking below 10 second mark.

 

[tx789]

Sub 15 for me, I guess, but I haven't really practised very consistently in the last 3 and a half years. Sub 20 took a while, and sub 30 felt the like it took ages as well at the time, however switching from the F-II to GuHong slowed me down by a few seconds in that case.

 

[FastCubeMaster]

30 seconds. Huge one! Maybe cos I didn't get any food cubes or methods

 

[DGCubes]

Hmm. Maybe 12-13 for me?

Same. Probably closer to the 13 side though. Sub-20 was also a big one, and I remember at the very start it took me forever to get a sub-1 single.

 

[Torch]

I've been stuck at 11-11.5 for over 6 months now, which is longer than I've been at any other plateau.

 

[JustinTimeCuber]

The real reason I don't particularly like this question is that it assumes all cubers to be about the same. Everyone improves differently, so even if getting stuck at 18 seconds is common, it doesn't mean you will get stuck at 18 seconds. Putting that aside, I've been stuck in the mid 13s for a while, and now again in the mid 11s. You just never know when you'll improve. As I said before, for me, most improvement doesn't come from getting more good solves but from getting fewer bad solves. What'll happen is my average will stay about the same for a while, but instead of getting a st.d. of, say, 0.7, it will go up to 1.2. In other words, I'll get the same average, but more good solves and bad solves instead of more normal solves. Then, the bad solves go away, my consistency increases, the good solves don't really go away, and I get better, the same way if the WCA did an Ao4 system where first the worst solve was eliminated, then the best and the next worst, and the middle two averaged, peoples' averages would be faster- {10, 11, 13, 14, 18} would be a 12 average and not a 12.67 average.

 

[PenguinsDontFly]

The biggest plateau occurs whenever life gets busy or you stop trying to improve. Anyone who practises a decent amount and practises WELL should not get stuck.

 

[mafergut]

Well, I think there's a limit about how fast anyone can be. Feliks, for example, seems to still be improving but very slightly after so many years at the top. For me, age (46 years old), dexterity, etc. are limiting factors that will NEVER let me get to sub-10, I'm afraid, but right now I'm in mid-to-high 18s average and two years ago I thought I could never make it to globally sub-20. I know people my age that are close to sub-15 global average and I think I still can improve a bit so that's a good motivation.

In my case, the longest plateau has been at like 19-20 sec average. Now, progress is just a continuous plateau with a very slight slope down

 

[adimare]

The real reason I don't particularly like this question is that it assumes all cubers to be about the same. Everyone improves differently, so even if getting stuck at 18 seconds is common, it doesn't mean you will get stuck at 18 seconds.

That's like saying that asking what the average height of US citizens is implies that everyone in the US has the same height.

 

[pglewis]

That's like saying that asking what the average height of US citizens is implies that everyone in the US has the same height.

I don't agree there. Average times do not imply that every solve takes you the same amount of time. The question is asking what it's asking: what's the average.

 

[mark49152]

Usually a plateau means that whatever practice we're doing is not working and to break through it requires doing something not only different, but often difficult or uncomfortable. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what we need to do differently, or how to do it.

Everyone hits that at different levels depending on talent and practice, but sub-20 seems to be a common one. My theory is that most people can improve down to about 20 seconds with routine practice, but below that requires us to push ourselves harder in ways that are difficult or uncomfortable for many people. And that's why many people start to plateau about then.

Examples: pushing TPS, lookahead, using inspection better, etc.

 

[pglewis]

I don't agree there. Average times do not imply that every solve takes you the same amount of time. The question is asking what it's asking: what's the average.

And now I realize you're saying the same thing