Why are my times so random

[RaresB]

Hey guys I've been cubing for about a year now and throughout i've had a major problem. I never really know what I average or what I'm capable of doing. Let me explain. One day I can do really well and get constant 15's,14's and the often sub 14. I feel that i can turn effortlessly, i rarely lock up and lookahead is just a second nature I don't have to think about and everything goes pretty well. However other days its quite the opposite, i always lockup i feel like im turning very sloppy i cant lookahead no matter how hard I try and my times end up being 17-19 mostly with the occasional sup 20 and sub 15. This absolutely drives me insane. I hate getting all these bad times when i know I could do so much better, it's so frustrating. I want to know that when i go to nationals I will get like say 15 or 20 i just want to be able to predict what my times will be. Its so random I don't even know how to control it. Is there anything i can do or is this something controlled by a power much greater then us. Anyway thanks for reading and any help is appreciated.

 

[cyoubx]

It happens to me from time to time as well. It's usually a bad pair of LL cases that screws me over. If you think it's F2L that's slowing down some solves, try optimizing your pairs. You might see two pairs at once. Try going for one with the intention of setting up the next. Little things like this help keep my F2L in check. If it is LL...it's just bad luck. The best thing you can do in this case is to make all of your algorithms the same speed so that they have a minimal affect on your times.

 

[teller]

It happens to me from time to time as well. It's usually a bad pair of LL cases that screws me over. If you think it's F2L that's slowing down some solves, try optimizing your pairs. You might see two pairs at once. Try going for one with the intention of setting up the next. Little things like this help keep my F2L in check. If it is LL...it's just bad luck. The best thing you can do in this case is to make all of your algorithms the same speed so that they have a minimal affect on your times.

Something like this. In poker, they say you are "running bad" when you can't catch any cards.

I've often wondered if it's really me doing well, or if I'm just getting some "run good" on a given day of low times when cubing. Not having anything good in the U layer during F2L is a sure recipe for a sup-20 for me, and it can happen a lot during a session...probability is clumpy that way.

 

[Andrew Ricci]

Because you're human, obviously.

 

[ThumbsxUpx]

Well sometimes lube will wear out and screw around with the performance of your cube. Also as dumb as this sounds, stretching your hands helps.

 

[Jorghi]

Well... its kind of hard to say if there are problems in your solve.. or if its just unlucky. Do this happen for 2x2 too???

But everyone has a bad soccer game too.

 

[RaresB]

Well... its kind of hard to say if there are problems in your solve.. or if its just unlucky. Do this happen for 2x2 too???

But everyone has a bad soccer game too.

You make me think, for 2x2 and oh it seems as if I'm much more consistent but for 3x3 it's all over the place like I said.

 

[emolover]

I know how you feel. When I use to know about 35 OLLs(last week) I would sometimes get times of 16 and 17 and other times of 19 and 20. This was because the lower times I didn't have to do that extra step and it made my times that much slower. Earlier when I was doing avgs at one point I went 23 solve without a single sup 16 because I was getting the all the OLLs.

Learn the rest of the OLLs if you have not.

 

[uberCuber]

But everyone has a bad soccer game too.

NOT THOSE WHO DONT PLAY SOCCER LOLOLOLOLO-



But seriously, this is almost exactly what I opened the thread to say:

Because you're human, obviously.

 

[Jorghi]

You make me think, for 2x2 and oh it seems as if I'm much more consistent but for 3x3 it's all over the place like I said.

time each phase of your 3x3 solve to see which part to fix.

 

[Escher]

Something like this. In poker, they say you are "running bad" when you can't catch any cards.

I've often wondered if it's really me doing well, or if I'm just getting some "run good" on a given day of low times when cubing. Not having anything good in the U layer during F2L is a sure recipe for a sup-20 for me, and it can happen a lot during a session...probability is clumpy that way.

I run super hot in poker
Speedcubing is very case based, I think the vast majority of people don't put enough work into analysis in that sense... I smell a future thread xD

OP: I've been 'sub 10' for nearly 2 years now (with relatively steadily improving PBs) and I still occasionally get averages sup 10 and really terrible days. The only thing I've found that helps is going and getting a drink of water and being away from the place where you cube for a little while, and coming back to it with a fresh attitude.

 

[aminayuko]

take cubing breaks every 10 minutes, by doing some stretching, drink water, anything relaxing. then go back and you find yourself refreshed.

 

[teller]

Speedcubing is very case based, I think the vast majority of people don't put enough work into analysis in that sense... I smell a future thread xD

Yes, please.