Beginner competing in a week. Any pointers?

[boingyman]

My 7 year old son has a tournament coming up in a week. He's solved his first cube about 5 weeks ago using the beginner method. Over the past 2 weeks he's been practicing intuitive F2L and just today he said he was trying something new to solve some part of the last layer faster. My guess he was watching tutorials on either OLL or PLL, but I told him he should probably hold off on that until after the tournament. At the same time I I try not to get too involved in what he tries to learn on his own.

I asked him to time himself using intuitive F2L and he averaged about 58-59 sec averaging 10 solves. Then this morning I told him to just focus on speed and his average for 10 solves was 54 sec using intuitive F2L partially with the rest beginner method. His all time best is 35 sec and he hit 36 sec two separate times. Anyway any recommendations to help him prepare being a week out? How often or how many solves he should practice daily? Should he keep practicing intuitive F2L or just solely focus on speed doing whatever he feels may be the fastest? Any other suggestions or tips you wish you knew at your first tournament?

Thank you!

 

[Cuber2s]

My 7 year old son has a tournament coming up in a week. He's solved his first cube about 5 weeks ago using the beginner method. Over the past 2 weeks he's been practicing intuitive F2L and just today he said he was trying something new to solve some part of the last layer faster. My guess he was watching tutorials on either OLL or PLL, but I told him he should probably hold off on that until after the tournament. At the same time I I try not to get too involved in what he tries to learn on his own.

I asked him to time himself using intuitive F2L and he averaged about 58-59 sec averaging 10 solves. Then this morning I told him to just focus on speed and his average for 10 solves was 54 sec using intuitive F2L partially with the rest beginner method. His all time best is 35 sec and he hit 36 sec two separate times. Anyway any recommendations to help him prepare being a week out? How often or how many solves he should practice daily? Should he keep practicing intuitive F2L or just solely focus on speed doing whatever he feels may be the fastest? Any other suggestions or tips you wish you knew at your first tournament?

Thank you!

I recommend not learning anything new the week before a competition.

Usually, I just solve the entire week, trying to focus on my nerves.

Other than that I would just say to have fun and meet new people. I've met a ton of great people through cubing comps.

 

[bldcuber314]

He shouldn't stress too much about his times, as long as he enjoys the comp

 

[m.ipg21]

Does he have a timer?
It’s good practice simulating the comp experience.

Skim over the regulations… 1st comp attendees can be given leniency (extra scramble)for timer issues … I wish I knew this at my son’s first comp

WCA Regulations | World Cube Association

The World Cube Association governs competitions for mechanical puzzles that are operated by twisting groups of pieces, commonly known as 'twisty puzzles'. The most famous of these puzzles is the Rubik's Cube, invented by professor Rubik from Hungary. A selection of these puzzles are chosen as...

www.worldcubeassociation.org

Watch a video about comps:

Have fun and meet other cubers / parents … and help him calm his nerves… or a routine for him to do so.

 

[That0newe1rdo]

My 7 year old son has a tournament coming up in a week. He's solved his first cube about 5 weeks ago using the beginner method. Over the past 2 weeks he's been practicing intuitive F2L and just today he said he was trying something new to solve some part of the last layer faster. My guess he was watching tutorials on either OLL or PLL, but I told him he should probably hold off on that until after the tournament. At the same time I I try not to get too involved in what he tries to learn on his own.

I asked him to time himself using intuitive F2L and he averaged about 58-59 sec averaging 10 solves. Then this morning I told him to just focus on speed and his average for 10 solves was 54 sec using intuitive F2L partially with the rest beginner method. His all time best is 35 sec and he hit 36 sec two separate times. Anyway any recommendations to help him prepare being a week out? How often or how many solves he should practice daily? Should he keep practicing intuitive F2L or just solely focus on speed doing whatever he feels may be the fastest? Any other suggestions or tips you wish you knew at your first tournament?

Thank you!

As someone who had their first comp 2 weeks ago, i may not be the best person to trust for this.

Personally, Id work on my weak points WITHOUT learning anything new.
E.g PLL recognition.

If im doing multiple events, Id spend 1 or 2 days for each event just practicing my weak points (once again, without learning anything new)

Id also do some comp simulations if i have the time.

I would reccomend he practices his intuitive F2L as that takes the most time - by doing untimed/slow solves he can work on things such as efficiency for each kind of pair - tbh sounds odd considering his current level but it stops bad habits.

Hope he does well !

 

[ILCubing]

My 7 year old son has a tournament coming up in a week. He's solved his first cube about 5 weeks ago using the beginner method. Over the past 2 weeks he's been practicing intuitive F2L and just today he said he was trying something new to solve some part of the last layer faster. My guess he was watching tutorials on either OLL or PLL, but I told him he should probably hold off on that until after the tournament. At the same time I I try not to get too involved in what he tries to learn on his own.

I asked him to time himself using intuitive F2L and he averaged about 58-59 sec averaging 10 solves. Then this morning I told him to just focus on speed and his average for 10 solves was 54 sec using intuitive F2L partially with the rest beginner method. His all time best is 35 sec and he hit 36 sec two separate times. Anyway any recommendations to help him prepare being a week out? How often or how many solves he should practice daily? Should he keep practicing intuitive F2L or just solely focus on speed doing whatever he feels may be the fastest? Any other suggestions or tips you wish you knew at your first tournament?

Thank you!

I think he should try and do untimed solves and practice his fingertricks and recognition, and try to be more efficient instead of turning faster. Another thing I see a lot of beginners doing is that they rotate during cross and insert 1 cross piece at a time, and that is super inefficient and bad. Overall, I think he should practice his fingertricks and recognition and try to work on his cross because cross is one of the most important parts of the solve. Overall, I hope he does well, and I think you should try to stay for the entire competition because that way you meet a lot more people than when you just leave after all of your rounds. Hope this helped!

 

[Cubist-Guitar]

Comps (in all fairness) are a very stressful environment for a first time competitor. I remember being at my first comp and being overwhelmed by the noise and the movement. I’d recommend you and your son watching a new competitor tutorial before the comp just to be prepared. Have a plan for the noise with earplugs or non electronic headphones. Bring snacks, I know I get tired from solving all day, so having a bit of a calorie boost before every round is essential for me. Finally (and most importantly for a younger competitor imo) is to help your son find people to make friends with. Friends are the only reason I haven’t burnt out of cubing after over two years, and why I still try to go to as many comps as I can

 

[abunickabhi]

Good luck yo

Hope you have a great time at the competition!

 

[Tabe]

The big thing I recommend, besides making sure to talk to other cubers, it's too keep track of your/his cubes. Everyone's cubes look alike and they can easily get misplaced or switched.

Have fun!

 

[Caleb Valenzuela]

My 7 year old son has a tournament coming up in a week. He's solved his first cube about 5 weeks ago using the beginner method. Over the past 2 weeks he's been practicing intuitive F2L and just today he said he was trying something new to solve some part of the last layer faster. My guess he was watching tutorials on either OLL or PLL, but I told him he should probably hold off on that until after the tournament. At the same time I I try not to get too involved in what he tries to learn on his own.

I asked him to time himself using intuitive F2L and he averaged about 58-59 sec averaging 10 solves. Then this morning I told him to just focus on speed and his average for 10 solves was 54 sec using intuitive F2L partially with the rest beginner method. His all time best is 35 sec and he hit 36 sec two separate times. Anyway any recommendations to help him prepare being a week out? How often or how many solves he should practice daily? Should he keep practicing intuitive F2L or just solely focus on speed doing whatever he feels may be the fastest? Any other suggestions or tips you wish you knew at your first tournament?

Thank you!

so here's my advice as someone who is very competitive
Do not learn anything new. Chances are that your won't be able to use what he learned or he will freeze trying to remember what he learned. He should try and master what he has already learned first before learning anything new (general rule if a cuber wants to get faster). Learn new things after the competition. However, if he still has time, your son could learn some finger tricks. I suggest he uses inspection time on CSTimer or whatever timer app/website he uses. Another thing to note is to read the rules and regulations, as well as a WCA competition tutorial. Lastly, have fun! He should have some fun and make some friends as it might encourage him to push his skills.

Good luck!

 

[boingyman]

Thanks everyone for your advice. He is using a timer when he practices and he will sometimes watch people compete on youtube so he has a pretty good gist of the process. I will watch the competitor tutorial with him later. Today his best average (mid 3 out of 5) was either 47 or 48 sec and was close to a PR at 36 sec so he's definitely making some progress on his average times.

I personally don't know much about cubing besides the rabbit hole I went down a month ago. Many mentioned finger tricks. Can anyone share a good video to watch finger tricks he could possibly practice?

Also some mentioned working on recognition? I'm guessing that means working on recognizing things quicker so he pauses less? He spends most of his day at summer camp on the weekdays with his older brother. I let him bring his beat up cube (I think it's one of those cheap nexcubes) to summer camp. I know he plays with it, but since he has a lot of time there what are some things he could practice untimed?

Thanks again. I definitely hope he meets a lot of other cubers there too!

 

[Arcanist]

2 videos I used for finger tricks:

Jperm generally has good video tutorials for many things (cross, algs, f2l, etc) though some of his stuff is outdated. Learning OLL/PLL algs from a different source would probably be ideal.

Untimed solves can definitely be very useful and are something that I need to do more of myself. You can work on planning more during inspection, like going for 2 to 3 cross pieces at once. Also, it can be a good time to focus on f2l and work on different solutions or ways to rotate less.

 

[That0newe1rdo]

Thanks everyone for your advice. He is using a timer when he practices and he will sometimes watch people compete on youtube so he has a pretty good gist of the process. I will watch the competitor tutorial with him later. Today his best average (mid 3 out of 5) was either 47 or 48 sec and was close to a PR at 36 sec so he's definitely making some progress on his average times.

Noice, the progress so far is obvious !

Also some mentioned working on recognition? Im guessing that means working on recognizing things quicker so he pauses less? He spends most of his day at summer camp on the weekdays with his older brother. I let him bring his beat up cube (I think it's one of those cheap nexcubes) to summer camp. I know he plays with it, but since he has a lot of time there what are some things he could practice untimed?

Some things he can do untimed are slow solves, in which he can work on involving new concepts he has learnt (so intuitive F2L in this case), which helps him to include them in fast, timed solves.
Also in slow solves, he can look at what better solutions (makes them more efficient) and what to look for in certain f2l situations to recognise cases faster.

I personally don't know much about cubing besides the rabbit hole I went down a month ago. Many mentioned finger tricks. Can anyone share a good video to watch finger tricks he could possibly practice?

2 videos I used for finger tricks:

These are the best videos for the job (imo), already said by @Arcanist

Thanks again. I definitely hope he meets a lot of other cubers there too!

No problem !
I hope he has fun, and makes some friends who also enjoy the puzzle !

 

[L4NC3_D4_AS14N]

I let him bring his beat up cube(I think it's one of those cheap nexcubes) to summer camp.

I have tried a nexcube that hasn’t been cleaned in weeks and it turned horribly. Make sure to clean your cubes with a cloth or hand towel (something like that). Personally I would get a different cube like the RS3M Super as a replacement but it’s your choice. Cleaning your cube can make a huge impact in times (might just me tho )

 

[boingyman]

I have tried a nexcube that hasn’t been cleaned in weeks and it turned horribly. Make sure to clean your cubes with a cloth or hand towel (something like that). Personally I would get a different cube like the RS3M Super as a replacement but it’s your choice. Cleaning your cube can make a huge impact in times (might just me tho )

His nexcube is so bad because he would bring it to summer camp and take it outside and other kids would play with it too. I ended up taking it apart and there was dust/dirt caked all over it and scratched up inside. I cleaned it, put it back together and added some lube (I have no idea if I even did that properly or the amount lol). So it's basically his play around cube outside of the house. I'm guessing competitions have vendors that sell cubes? I have no idea, but I may let him buy one if there are many options at a reasonable price. He currently uses a Weilong V10 Magnetic Ball-Core UV that he seems to like, but I'm guessing any new cube would have been better than his nexcube lol.

 

[boingyman]

So I just found out about csTimer a few days ago and my son has a qiyi timer. Luckily I had a old 3.5mm jack that I found so I just hooked it up, chose stackmat and it works! I think he is going to be stoked once I show him tomorrow and now he doesn't have to write it down on his notebook when he is getting averages for his solves.

With that being said I noticed cstimer has options to do their scrambles. Would it be beneficial if he tries their scrambles rather than just randomly doing it on his own? The reason I ask is because I really don't think he even knows all the move notations. Do you think I should encourage him to memorize all of them? I know he's familiar with some notations, but definitely not all of it.

 

[stoic]

So I just found out about csTimer a few days ago and my son has a qiyi timer. Luckily I had a old 3.5mm jack that I found so I just hooked it up, chose stackmat and it works! I think he is going to be stoked once I show him tomorrow and now he doesn't have to write it down on his notebook when he is getting averages for his solves.

With that being said I noticed cstimer has options to do their scrambles. Would it be beneficial if he tries their scrambles rather than just randomly doing it on his own? The reason I ask is because I really don't think he even knows all the move notations. Do you think I should encourage him to memorize all of them? I know he's familiar with some notations, but definitely not all of it.

Yes, timer scrambles will be better than hand scrambling. You’re more likely to give yourself an easy scramble if you don’t mix it up fully, especially when starting out.

And yes, ideally he should learn notation. He’s improving really quickly, and he’s 100% going to need it. I know it looks daunting, but honestly: it’s a lot easier than you think!

Try working through a scramble, it will have just the six different faces (UFLRBD) moving in each direction. Worry about rotations (xyz) and slice moves (MES) etc. later (sorry Rouxers lol).

 

[That0newe1rdo]

His nexcube is so bad because he would bring it to summer camp and take it outside and other kids would play with it too. I ended up taking it apart and there was dust/dirt caked all over it and scratched up inside. I cleaned it, put it back together and added some lube (I have no idea if I even did that properly or the amount lol). So it's basically his play around cube outside of the house. I'm guessing competitions have vendors that sell cubes? I have no idea, but I may let him buy one if there are many options at a reasonable price. He currently uses a Weilong V10 Magnetic Ball-Core UV that he seems to like, but I'm guessing any new cube would have been better than his nexcube lol.

Most competitions have vendors where you can get cubes, idk if he has any other puzzles but maybe he can get those there too.
E.g, 4x4, 5x5, Pyraminx, Skewb

So I just found out about csTimer a few days ago and my son has a qiyi timer. Luckily I had a old 3.5mm jack that I found so I just hooked it up, chose stackmat and it works! I think he is going to be stoked once I show him tomorrow and now he doesn't have to write it down on his notebook when he is getting averages for his solves.

Hahaha i used to do that when i didnt know cubedesk.io existed (i didnt like cs timer since it isnt good on my mobile device - i didnt have a pc then)

With that being said I noticed cstimer has options to do their scrambles. Would it be beneficial if he tries their scrambles rather than just randomly doing it on his own? The reason I ask is because I really don't think he even knows all the move notations. Do you think I should encourage him to memorize all of them? I know he's familiar with some notations, but definitely not all of it.

It would be beneficial he learns notation (if he doesnt know already) as hand scrambles, especially if you do them alot, are very similar to one another as you start to repeat the same moves sub consciously when scrambling - which can result in easy scrambles which you dont really get often in comp, making him less prepared in the event he is met with a bad one.

Notation, in my opinion, isnt that hard, and until he gets to the point where he learns alg sets such OLL/PLL , he can easily get away with learning the R, U, L, F, D, B (which are the easiest ones to learn).
You barely use E moves, so those arent even needed imo.
S moves are used in Full OLL, so those srent needed for a while (about the Sub 20/15 mark is when he should ideally learn it)
M moves are used in 2 Look PLL, something he will probably start learning on after his comp, but imo this is the easiest of the silce moves.
x y z are rotations.

Note - I just realised im making them sound hard to learn, they are not, its just imo slice moves and rotations are a tiny bit harder then normal moves.

Also hes probably already aware of the R U F L, possibly D depending on what tutorial he used to originally learn, so learning full notation shouldnt be hard at all.

Thanks for taking note of my very weird (imo) way of showing which notation to learn, and not so weird reason as to why he should learn notation and use the generated scrambles.

 

[Arcanist]

So I just found out about csTimer a few days ago and my son has a qiyi timer. Luckily I had a old 3.5mm jack that I found so I just hooked it up, chose stackmat and it works! I think he is going to be stoked once I show him tomorrow and now he doesn't have to write it down on his notebook when he is getting averages for his solves.

With that being said I noticed cstimer has options to do their scrambles. Would it be beneficial if he tries their scrambles rather than just randomly doing it on his own? The reason I ask is because I really don't think he even knows all the move notations. Do you think I should encourage him to memorize all of them? I know he's familiar with some notations, but definitely not all of it.

Cstimer is quite nice and there are many features that he could explore and take advantage of. For example, the cross solver could be good to help him improve his solutions in that area. I added a photo of my cstimer below. The color scheme is atrocious and I need a new background, but for example you can add more averages or draw the scramble.

 

[boingyman]

Thanks everyone. Tomorrow is the big day for him and you've all been helpful!