Improving my average...

[comface]

(Moderators: I average about 40 seconds, so if you'd class me as a beginner, please move this to the beginners section)

I have made a video of my talking my way through 5 solves and I'm looking for advice.

The video can be found in the post below.

Hope to get some good tips!

 

[Berry]

 

[comface]

Cheers for the direct video Berry, I didn't know whether embedding was allowed on this site!

 

[cmhardw]

The biggest thing I can see, from watching your video, is that during F2L you're turning the sides WAY too quickly. I cannot over emphasize how much so too quickly you're turning the sides. Your solving is very choppy during F2L and this is caused, again, by turning the sides so incredibly quickly. When you turn that fast it doesn't allow you to look ahead to the next pair at all.

The analogy I am going to use is speed chess. In speed chess, the players have always thought a couple, if not several, moves ahead of what the board is showing. Speedcubing is exactly the same way. Your mind should always be a couple, if not several, turns ahead of your hands.

As an example, try one exercise. I want you to go to www.metronomeonline.com and set the metronome for 40 beats per minute. Every time the metronome beats you have to do a turn. If you miss a beat, then you have to quite literally stop your solve, rescramble, and start all over again. Try to finish the F2L doing this. Do this 20 times in a row. After doing that, do a regular speed solve and see what your time is. I guarantee that it will be a fast solve for your average. I really am not joking. Try this out and see, you'll be surprised. I'm not trying to come across as harsh, but you asked the question of how to improve your solving time and I am giving you the answer that will help you most.

One last thing, the turning speed you use for OLL and PLL is fine. Keep that up! Only slow down during your F2L! I want you to let the following phrase become your mantra during F2L: "Slow is fast". I'm really not joking that making just this one small change will improve your average by 10 seconds or more, easy.

Hope this helps,
Chris

 

[Berry]

If it's embedded people don't have to leave the site to view your video.
http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1230

I'm at the same level you are, and I just started using the metronome a few days ago, and already I have noticed an improvement. Chris is right "slow is fast"

 

[comface]

That does make sense, because I have done slow controlled solves before and got 40-45 seconds. I understand that look ahead is important, but I never realised how to incorparate it in my f2l. I shall try the metronome practice regimen and see if that helps!

(Might use it for guitar practice too!)

 

[pjk]

In addition to what Chris said, I have this to say.

Firstly, work on your cross. Be able to plan out the entire thing in your head. To practice this, take as long as you need to plan it out, and then close your eyes and do it. If it takes you 10 minutes to plan it out, fine. Keep working on this until you can plan out the entire cross in under 15 seconds. Your cross greatly affects the rest of your solve because a slow cross ruins your initial lookahead and that can have an affect on the rest of your lookahead.

Once you have that down, work on finding your first pair while solving the cross. Then work on finding your second pair while solving your first pair, and so on. Also, make sure you make the best of every situation. If you are using too many moves to solve a particular pair, look up a better way to solve it. If your F2L (counting cross) is over 40 moves, you need to optimize it more. Eventually work on getting it down under 35 moves.

Best of luck to you.

 

[comface]

On the topic of counting 'moves' does a U2 count as 1 or 2 moves?

 

[miniGOINGS]

2 QTM
1 HTM

 

[waffle=ijm]

On the topic of counting 'moves' does a U2 count as 1 or 2 moves?

one in Half metric turn

 

[miniGOINGS]

@Waffle: Nice sig thats what I'm doing right now, I'm done sune and antisune

 

[comface]

I understand that it is 2 quarter turns or 1 half turn.... but when I'm counting to see if my f2l (including cross) is less than 40 moves, am I counting it as 1 or 2 moves?

 

[waffle=ijm]

@Waffle: Nice sig thats what I'm doing right now, I'm done sune and antisune

lolz. I have to get better anti-sune cases before making the anti-sune video

 

[miniGOINGS]

I understand that it is 2 quarter turns or 1 half turn.... but when I'm counting to see if my f2l (including cross) is less than 40 moves, am I counting it as 1 or 2 moves?

Let's say I did (U2 R L2 R F) for no reason, I count it as 7,5.

Seven Quarter Turns, Five Half Turns.

 

[comface]

Okay, I follow.... so logically, my next question is:-

Am I using QTM, HTM or STM when counting the number of moves it takes to do my f2l (including cross).

*phew*

 

[JLarsen]

HTM is more commonly used.

 

[comface]

Thankyou PandaMan. I prefer straight answers to simple questions!

 

[rjohnson_8ball]

As PandaMan says. Half Turn Metric is generally used by the WCA, especially at http://www.worldcubeassociation.org/regulations/#fewestmovessolving