Applying Deliberate Practice to Cubing

[jonlin]

How would I do that generalwise? Like HOW do you have to stretch your limits? HOW do you make yourself uncomfortable?

 

[Escher]

How would I do that generalwise? Like HOW do you have to stretch your limits? HOW do you make yourself uncomfortable?

Can you predict the locations of 2 pieces after solving one f2l pair blindfolded?

How about 3? 4? 5?

How many pieces can you predict if you do two pairs instead? Can you do 2 pairs blindfolded at all?

You get the drift. When something starts to feel hard, do it enough so it doesn't.

 

[Cheese11]

Pushing your limits past your comfort zone is often hard.

I would have to disagree. In fact, the only way I've ever been able to get better is just casual solves while I'm at school or on the bus. If I try to sit down and apply deliberate practice, then I will get distracted and just not cubes.

I gues if you practiced in front of a crowd that could be coming out of your comfort zone.

 

[MWilson]

I would have to disagree. In fact, the only way I've ever been able to get better is just casual solves while I'm at school or on the bus. If I try to sit down and apply deliberate practice, then I will get distracted and just not cubes.

I gues if you practiced in front of a crowd that could be coming out of your comfort zone.

That's a whole different kind of comfort zone.

The one being discussed here is more like a guitarist who only ever uses three fingers on the fret board, and then tries to play with four. It will feel "uncomfortable" because they're trying to do something they're not yet capable of doing. Most importantly, they're attempting the new ability while they continue other still familiar abilities, which create an awkward feeling of contrast. This example guitarist can practice casually for decades if they like, at no point will they just wake up and suddenly, magically, be able to use four fingers.

The most powerful changes in a person's ability come from a lack of complacency, which drive them to push beyond what they would achieve through normal, repetitive practice.

 

[jeff081692]

I would have to disagree. In fact, the only way I've ever been able to get better is just casual solves while I'm at school or on the bus. If I try to sit down and apply deliberate practice, then I will get distracted and just not cubes.

I gues if you practiced in front of a crowd that could be coming out of your comfort zone.

Casual solves are a valid way to practice and if it works that's great, but it is not the only way possible to practice hence the title of this post. Different things work for different people but deliberate practice can work for anyone if you use it to systematically eliminate specific weaknesses. I am just opening up this idea to people who may be interested and if that isn't you then that's fine.

 

[5BLD]

I would have to disagree. In fact, the only way I've ever been able to get better is just casual solves while I'm at school or on the bus. If I try to sit down and apply deliberate practice, then I will get distracted and just not cubes.

I gues if you practiced in front of a crowd that could be coming out of your comfort zone.

Actually this is another very important comfort zone to push. I find myself shaking at competitions, especially at my last comp where after a pop 12 i was so nervous not to get a counting thingy to give myself a sup10 avg. My hands shook and I got an 11. Cubing in front of large crowds and just practising like it's no big deal is rather hard for me, but I've been doing it more often. Just at the bus stop, casually cubing while a crowd forms in front of me.
Another example of this was today where this comfort zone made me not able to do deliberate practice where I wanted to- they're sorta linked. As I type this I feel ridiculous, but on the bus lots of people were staring at me as I was finishing learning the EG1 algs for 2x2. I couldn't bear the anticipation of comments like "your're cheating", "the 4 one is easy" etc. So I took out my 3x3 and practised that instead. Guess what, the people didn't say a thing. Just stared :/

 

[Escher]

I would have to disagree. In fact, the only way I've ever been able to get better is just casual solves while I'm at school or on the bus. If I try to sit down and apply deliberate practice, then I will get distracted and just not cubes.

I gues if you practiced in front of a crowd that could be coming out of your comfort zone.

I don't want to sound mean or disrespectful to you in any way at all, this is more of a general attack of the attitude that you're displaying, but:

I believe this type of thinking isn't apparent in 99% of people at the top end of cubing. Sure there are people who don't do 'specific' deliberate practise but I can assure you that in the majority of top cubers every single one will notice many many mistakes throughout their sessions and work to improve them - either consciously within solves or consciously out of solves.

Deliberate practise is an attitude, not a set of actions. Perhaps doing 'casual solves' might be the route which you have improved at the most, but I have a feeling that if you paid a lot more attention during these solving sessions, and identified weak spots and worked on them outside of solves you would improve at a much faster rate.

The only reason my f2l is at all efficient compared to others is because I spent a bunch of hours doing untimed, slow solves, basically doing linear FMC for f2l, and I identified what 'made' my pairs more efficient.

Try not to get distracted when you do deliberate practise, put on the Pokemon theme tune and think about being the best you can be

On another point, practising in crowds or in front of other people has really helped me become much more able to consistently produce better times and made it much easier to get into a 'flow state' at home than before, I really recommend it

 

[lilKriT]

Thanks for the post. Very interesting read

 

[UnknownCuber]

This example guitarist can practice casually for decades if they like, at no point will they just wake up and suddenly, magically, be able to use four fingers.

Well, that has happened to me before when pen-spinning was popular in school and somehow I managed to (finally) spin a pen... (not exactly cube related)

(To justify the above) I would also like to share an experience of mine which I seem to get good times when I'm relaxed and solving mindlessly. (Got my first and only sub 20 single at 2am)