3x3 Speed Solve Help?

[ex4ll]

Hi - this is my first real post and I think this forum is excellent and very informative. So with the wealth of knowledge you possess I hope you can help me!

Firstly I solve using an Aolong v2 and use Friedrich Method with 2 look OLL and full PLL.

I really want to get sub 30 but I am basically stuck at 40 sec average and have been for 2 months now, I practice for a min of an hour a day but my average is not moving!

I am sending myself crazy looking through old posts videos etc and find I have been given conflicting advise. Some saying I need to turn faster with finger tricks, some saying that I need to turn slower and learn look ahead and another saying you dont need to learn look ahead till your sub 30 and just practice will get you there.

I wasn't sure if I needed to learn full OLL to get there but I don't spend and extra 10secs doing 2 look OLL.

Please help because I'm getting a bit disponded with it!

Many thanks!

 

[PenguinsDontFly]

Wait to learn oll, maybe start pll at 30 seconds. For now, spend your time getting comfortable with cross and f2l and turn really slowly.

 

[waffle=ijm]

lol Fried rice method.

As a beginner try to eliminate pausing while looking for pieces, and in between steps. Smooth overall solve leads to better times. Choppy Fast < Smooth Fast. When solving turn as slowly as possible to look ahead for the next piece, the next step, predicting what happens next. All these are good habits and when you develop them, that's why you can start turning fast.

 

[lerenard]

lol Fried rice method.

As a beginner try to eliminate pausing while looking for pieces, and in between steps. Smooth overall solve leads to better times. Choppy Fast < Smooth Fast. When solving turn as slowly as possible to look ahead for the next piece, the next step, predicting what happens next. All these are good habits and when you develop them, that's why you can start turning fast.

I don't know if it's reasonable to eliminate pauses. I know when I was at 40 seconds I was still trying to figure out how to solve a case once I had found the pieces, so I had pauses no matter what. I would say that if the op is still in that stage, they should just do slow solves until they feel comfortable with all the cases, and then work on recognition, slow turning, etc.

 

[Scruggsy13]

My advice:

I am currently averaging around 20 seconds with 2-look OLL, so don't worry about learning full OLL yet. Since you have been stuck for a while, I would suggest that you do plenty of untimed solves where you work on efficiency (e.g. working on rotationless F2L, smooth turning, looking ahead, etc.). If you're stuck, you can always watch example solves on Youtube. That helped me quite a bit.

 

[waffle=ijm]

I don't know if it's reasonable to eliminate pauses. I know when I was at 40 seconds I was still trying to figure out how to solve a case once I had found the pieces, so I had pauses no matter what. I would say that if the op is still in that stage, they should just do slow solves until they feel comfortable with all the cases, and then work on recognition, slow turning, etc.

Elimination of pauses reinforces the following
1) Recognition
2) Fluidity
3) Tracking
4) Getting used to Algs

and above all

5) Getting to know to the cube better overall.

By eliminating pauses you achieve the those 5. You spend less time trying to figure out how to solve a case. I don't see the problem here when you're just trying to get rid of pauses. Trying being the key word. You can't get it perfect by just saying, I AM GETTING RID OF PAUSES NOW. It takes practice.

 

[Smiles]

Cross: plan during inspection. do not start until you know what to do for the entire cross.
F2L: turn fast to make each case into a finger trick that you can memorize. once you can do that, switch to slow turning. IF YOU CAN ALREADY DO THAT, SWITCH TO SLOW TURNING.
OLL: turn fast and watch your corners between look 1 and look 2 to minimize pausing
PLL: turn fast

 

[Seanliu]

The AoLong might be messing up your turning style? Also, yea. Get to know your cube, and eliminate pauses.

 

[lerenard]

Elimination of pauses reinforces the following
1) Recognition
2) Fluidity
3) Tracking
4) Getting used to Algs

and above all

5) Getting to know to the cube better overall.

By eliminating pauses you achieve the those 5. You spend less time trying to figure out how to solve a case. I don't see the problem here when you're just trying to get rid of pauses. Trying being the key word. You can't get it perfect by just saying, I AM GETTING RID OF PAUSES NOW. It takes practice.

But I don't think it's a reasonable goal to have no pauses if you're currently at 40 seconds. I still have pauses in my 18 second solves; they're short, but they're there. Maybe this is a matter of semantics, but I would say you should work to reduce pauses. For example, the op should film himself and determine how long his pauses total in a normal solve. Let's say this is 15 seconds. He should try to reduce that to 10 seconds. But going from 15 seconds to 0 is an unreasonable goal at this point. It would be like telling me to shoot for 8 tps during my solves with no more pauses than I already have. That may be possible for me eventually, but not right now.

I think pauses derive from the following places:
1. Poor inspection
2. Poor recognition
3. Poor lookahead/finding pieces
4. Time spent figuring out how to solve a case intuitively if you're not familiar with it
5. Lack of fluidity.

Someone averaging 12 seconds might have issues with 5 or 3, but probably does fine with 2 and 4. Someone averaging 40 seconds likely has trouble with all of these, but IMO the most crucial at that point is 4, because all the others are easier once you have it down. You can't track your next pair if you're still trying to figure out how to solve the one you're working on. In my experience, speed solves don't work very well for 4, because you're feeling pressured by the clock and so you're likely to put pieces together inefficiently instead of a better way, and if you practice doing it that way it will be hard to undo those habits later. It's better to work on slow solves at this point and practice solving each case efficiently so that you don't panic and do something stupid when you time yourself. I totally agree that you should eliminate pauses, but I don't think that should be an immediate goal for someone at 40 seconds. /end rant

 

[guysensei1]

The AoLong might be messing up your turning style?

Gosh stop saying this.

 

[waffle=ijm]

/end rant

I'm saying you should try to eliminate pauses because you become for crucial in your solves. And while you attempt to eliminate pauses you also eliminate the problems you've suggested. I'm saying you should develop this habit now rather than later. Because you still turn slowly, it's easier to track, its easier to recognize, it's easier to make habits that will only be helpful in the long run.

No pauses is the end result. Practice is the journey. And practice is helps you get rid of

1. Poor inspection
2. Poor recognition
3. Poor lookahead/finding pieces
4. Time spent figuring out how to solve a case intuitively if you're not familiar with it
5. Lack of fluidity.

The end result. Less pauses. So work for less pauses.

EDIT - Yes it's not reasonable to have no pauses for 40sec solves. I agree, but working towards not pausing helps one progress. It's the journey man, not the destination that's important. That's why I say try to eliminate pauses.

EDIT 2 - Also I never said it's an immediate goal hence my wording from my first post.

As a beginner try to eliminate pausing

 

[pdilla]

Gosh stop saying this.

Over reliance on corner cutting is a real thing.

 

[ex4ll]

Wow guys thanks for all the quick responses! Slow practicing until I have no pauses it is.

Much appreciated!

Also I love my Aolong v2 - it moves so nice and having learnt for so long on a normal rubiks cube my corner cutting isn't a problem!