Centers on 4x4 how to Sub-20.

[Cyrok215]

Hi, I'm working on 4x4 and am consistently get 25 second times for the centers, Is there any other order besides Bottom, top, finish the rest. That will get me faster times? Or a whole new center method?

 

[waffle=ijm]

pochmann centers

 

[blah]

I average 12 with Pochmann centers.

 

[waffle=ijm]

I average 12 with Pochmann centers.

SO DO I!!!!

 

[4Chan]

Hmmmm, im sure that theres a way for optimum last 3 centers...
I wonder how many algs...

 

[fanwuq]

Practice, practice, practice.
I've had my fair share of solves with sub-20 edges, sub-20 3x3x3 and sup-20 centers (on the simulator anyway).
Nowadays, my centers are around 14s.

 

[Jake Gouldon]

Just practice. I get around 10s centres on a decent solve, and I use the opposite, then finish the rest.

 

[rachmaninovian]

i average 12-13 with traditional centres and i don't even use reduction

it's just about turning fast..and looking ahead..

 

[vuaquyen92]

pochmann centers

Can you give me the link?
I ave about 15s--> want to sub-10><

 

[Novriil]

pochmann centers

Can you give me the link?
I ave about 15s--> want to sub-10><

http://www.stefan-pochmann.de/spocc/speedsolving/4x4_centers/

 

[cubedude7]

Hey, can you give me the link for a 4x4 pochmann centers vid? I really wanna get faster at 4x4 centers

 

[enigmahack]

http://www.stefan-pochmann.de/spocc/speedsolving/4x4_centers/

No videos - you'll have to do this old-school thing called "reading"

I know it'll be scary, but it's not as hard as it sounds. You just need to practice it LOL

Just in case though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjavZ__Mz58

There's a link to a youtube tutorial for centers. (If you google'd it, you'd find it)

 

[AvGalen]

Pochmann centers is just layer by layer centers. It uses slightly more moves than "bottom-top-4xadjacents" and doesn't have very good lookahead but it can still be fast. I don't really recommend it but it isn't very bad.

You should really count how many moves you use. I would say anything above 30 is horrible. So in order to get sub 20 for centers all you need is the ability to turn at 1.5 tps.

 

[vuaquyen92]

I've just tried pochmann method, it rotates cube a lot. So I think I will stick to my method, but I still wonder how to sub 10 for centers any tips than practice

 

[Mike Hughey]

You should really count how many moves you use. I would say anything above 30 is horrible. So in order to get sub 20 for centers all you need is the ability to turn at 1.5 tps.

I was curious how I do. So I did an average 10/12:
21.23 (27), 20.12 (29), 17.26 (28), 23.33 (27), 14.08 (23), 14.22 (20), 16.98 (22), 24.23 (33), 23.36 (30), 23.92 (32), 24.61 (37), 18.53 (29)

Time average throwing out high and low: 20.32 seconds
Move count average throwing out high and low: 28 moves

So I'm just barely better than "horrible" on move count by your standard, and I'm just barely over 20 seconds. Which also means I'm not managing 1.5 tps. How embarrassing.

 

[AvGalen]

Maybe "anything above 30" was a bit strict for "horrible". I will try for myself

Counting moves would slow me down though, so maybe you are faster when not counting?

And in order to move into the "sub 10 for centers" range you just have to:
* Be color neutral so you will see at least the first center and some part of the second center during inspection
* Turn fast and fluent (and with fast I do mean fast!)
* Not rotate the cube as much as you certainly do know

 

[Mike Hughey]

Counting moves would slow me down though, so maybe you are faster when not counting?

I suspect you're right about counting, but I doubt it cost me more than a second or so. Meaning I'm probably sub-20, but barely. They felt a little slow, too.

Color neutrality has seemed like a good idea to me for a while, but I've never bothered to really try. In fact, about 80% of the time, I solve blue first, then white (blue opposite white, you know) - for some reason I'm more comfortable solving blue first. I always see the first center during inspection, and probably see at least half of the second center about 50% of the time. I'm very slow turning, though, and as you guessed I rotate the cube way too much.

Then again, I pretty much only do 5 4x4x4 solves per week. (Most of the time, I'd rather be doing a bigger cube than 4x4x4.)

 

[Sa967St]

Is there any other order besides Bottom, top, finish the rest. That will get me faster times? Or a whole new center method?

you don't have to do 2 opposite centres first
I do 2 adjascent ones first, then work on the rest in whatever order I want (depends on which happen to mostly solve themselves after the first 2 centres). I average ~12 for centres too.