Brandon True's 3x3 Progression Thread

[Brandonius]

Hi - I'm Brandon.

I've been cubing for 8 years off and on. I'm currently consistently sub-12 with white cross only CFOP, but I really want to finally be able to say that yes, I am in fact sub-10. Maybe faster. I know this will take a while, and I have some commitments over the summer that won't let me cube much at all from June to mid-August, but I want to put this here just to document my progress somewhere and store records, practice footage, practice plans, and more. If you are here following my improvement journey, welcome, and thanks for reading. Advice is always welcome!

Current PBs:
Ao5: 9.74
Ao12: 10.31
Ao50: 11.28
Ao100: 11.42

My idea behind this is to divide my goals into 3 categories: 1) Skills I want to learn, 2) Processes to achieve those skills, and 3) Times I want the skills to result in. My practice time in any given day or session should be 50/50 divided between processes of learning skills and competition style solves trying to implement them. If I have any more than 3 skill goals at one time, I am not really prioritizing anything at once and so I don't think I will make any sort of substantive progress on any of them.

Current Skill Goals
- Optimize all PLL algorithms, with headlights on the left for all of them.
- Optimize all OLL algorithms
- Learn to plan Cross optimally (as opposed to efficiently - know your finger tricks and execute it fast) in inspection every time.

Current Process Goals
- Optimize 3 PLL algorithms per week [Fast algorithm, know finger tricks, recognition, AUF, execute consistently under 1.3]
- Practice 50 cross only solutions (finding efficient and optimal solutions) per week (no more than 25 per day)

Current Time Goal:
- Sub-11.25 Ao50

Skill Goal Backlog:
- Plan Cross+1 in inspection every time
- Predict CP based on OLL
- COLL
- OLL Lookahead during last pair

Time Goal Backlog:
- Sub 11 Ao50
- Sub 10.75 Ao50
- Sub 10.5 Ao50
- Sub 10.25 Ao50
- Sub 10 Ao50

I'm a very busy (9 classes + 15 hour a week job + helping get a start-up off the ground + Church involvement + social life[?] + fitness), college student, so my realistic practice goal is 3 sessions of 1 hour 15 minutes each during a week. Split that as 30 minutes of process practice, and 45 minutes of solving. Just for 3x3. I also enjoy 4x4 and Pyraminx, but I'd like to focus on 3x3 for now. I will update this form each day I do a practice routine, note what my progress is like, and if I've met any goals or if I need to adjust my trajectory. Let's see how this goes!

 

[Gamerwhocubes]

Ok

 

[Timona]

Hi - I'm Brandon.

I've been cubing for 8 years off and on. I'm currently consistently sub-12 with white cross only CFOP, but I really want to finally be able to say that yes, I am in fact sub-10. Maybe faster. I know this will take a while, and I have some commitments over the summer that won't let me cube much at all from June to mid-August, but I want to put this here just to document my progress somewhere and store records, practice footage, practice plans, and more. If you are here following my improvement journey, welcome, and thanks for reading. Advice is always welcome!

Current PBs:
Ao5: 9.74
Ao12: 10.31
Ao50: 11.28
Ao100: 11.42

My idea behind this is to divide my goals into 3 categories: 1) Skills I want to learn, 2) Processes to achieve those skills, and 3) Times I want the skills to result in. My practice time in any given day or session should be 50/50 divided between processes of learning skills and competition style solves trying to implement them. If I have any more than 3 skill goals at one time, I am not really prioritizing anything at once and so I don't think I will make any sort of substantive progress on any of them.

Current Skill Goals
- Optimize all PLL algorithms, with headlights on the left for all of them.
- Optimize all OLL algorithms
- Learn to plan Cross optimally (as opposed to efficiently - know your finger tricks and execute it fast) in inspection every time.

Current Process Goals
- Optimize 3 PLL algorithms per week [Fast algorithm, know finger tricks, recognition, AUF, execute consistently under 1.3]
- Practice 50 cross only solutions (finding efficient and optimal solutions) per week (no more than 25 per day)

Current Time Goal:
- Sub-11.25 Ao50

Skill Goal Backlog:
- Plan Cross+1 in inspection every time
- Predict CP based on OLL
- COLL
- OLL Lookahead during last pair

Time Goal Backlog:
- Sub 11 Ao50
- Sub 10.75 Ao50
- Sub 10.5 Ao50
- Sub 10.25 Ao50
- Sub 10 Ao50

I'm a very busy (9 classes + 15 hour a week job + helping get a start-up off the ground + Church involvement + social life[?] + fitness), college student, so my realistic practice goal is 3 sessions of 1 hour 15 minutes each during a week. Split that as 30 minutes of process practice, and 45 minutes of solving. Just for 3x3. I also enjoy 4x4 and Pyraminx, but I'd like to focus on 3x3 for now. I will update this form each day I do a practice routine, note what my progress is like, and if I've met any goals or if I need to adjust my trajectory. Let's see how this goes!

Good luck!

 

[Deleted member 72142]

As a sub 10 person here is what you should and should not do.

Do:

-Try to plan at least 1 pair (more if the scramble permits). Take unlimited inspection and just do it as much as you can. Not every scramble has a reasonable 1st pair so don't fret if you cant do it every single time ( I still can't do it sometimes).

-Pay attention to EO. This helps with planning first pair and lookahead. Don't take it super seriously but it is worth keeping in mind because in some situations it reduces the mental load by a lot.

-Learn COLL.

Do NOT:

-Optimal crosses. This is exaclty what you dont wanna do. The priority of your cross should be flow into 1st pair. Keep an open mind to doing inefficient crosses that lead into 1st pair well. Flow > efficiency.

-Optimize every single alg. Obviously if you have a couple really bad algs you should replace them but your PLL taking 1.4 seconds instead of 1.1 seconds is not what's keeping you from being sub 10.