[Help Thread] Colour Neutral Discussion and Help

[Diving Cuber]

I normally average 16 with cfop with only white and yellow cross. I have been doing colour neutrality for just over a week and i average about 21 seconds with full cn. I haven't been practicing any colour in particular. I just choose the best cross each solve. Any tips?

 

[cubeshepherd]

I normally average 16 with cfop with only white and yellow cross. I have been doing colour neutrality for just over a week and i average about 21 seconds with full cn. I haven't been practicing any colour in particular. I just choose the best cross each solve. Any tips?

You sound like me when I switched to full CN last year. My tip would be to keep practicing on all colors and overtime you will get back to 16, 15, 14etc.

Something else that I would say to try is solve on any side other then White and Yellow, and once you get to 16 or so on the four other colors, then go to solving with White and Yellow again, especially since (at least for me) I would gravitate back to White and Yellow since I was more comfortable with those and I did not start my solve on other colors as much.

 

[MarkA64]

Tip for CN solving that helped me: during F2L, spot corner pieces already in the top layer that have the cross color facing up, as they more often have to be manipulated in some way.

Also examine the whole cube to pick the best cross to F2L transition.

 

[Micah Morrison]

I'm a sub 9 3x3 solver who solves on white and yellow cross. I've tried to become color neutral several times but I don't see my times improve with different cross colors and I lose motivation and go back to white and yellow. Can anyone help give me motivation, or any tips in general?

 

[Owen Morrison]

I can: Your little bro is becoming color neutral. There is no way you can let your little bro be better than you by becoming color neutral first.

 

[cubeshepherd]

I'm a sub 9 3x3 solver who solves on white and yellow cross. I've tried to become color neutral several times but I don't see my times improve with different cross colors and I lose motivation and go back to white and yellow. Can anyone help give me motivation, or any tips in general?

I was the same for a while (solving only white and yellow), but what really motivated me was every time I scrambled cube and saw a better start on a different color I then really wanted to be able to solve that color and get the same times I could on White/yellow.

What I did to get full CN in a few weeks was scramble the cube, and only pick a color other then White/yellow. After about 500-600 solves of that I was averaging 1-2 seconds slower then white/yellow, and after a few more weeks I was getting the same times.

I would for sure say that it is more then worth it it to become CN and knowing that you can get sub 10/9 within a month or two is all the motivation that I would need...if I could get sub 10 to begin with right now.

 

[Micah Morrison]

I was the same for a while (solving only white and yellow), but what really motivated me was every time I scrambled cube and saw a better start on a different color I then really wanted to be able to solve that color and get the same times I could on White/yellow.

What I did to get full CN in a few weeks was scramble the cube, and only pick a color other then White/yellow. After about 500-600 solves of that I was averaging 1-2 seconds slower then white/yellow, and after a few more weeks I was getting the same times.

I would for sure say that it is more then worth it it to become CN and knowing that you can get sub 10/9 within a month or two is all the motivation that I would need...if I could get sub 10 to begin with right now.

Thanks for the tips. Do you think it would take less time to learn every cross color at the same time or learn them one at a time?

 

[cubeshepherd]

Thanks for the tips. Do you think it would take less time to learn every cross color at the same time or learn them one at a time?

I honestly think that would come down to how you best learn things. Like if you learn anything by breaking in down in to small sections and doing one step at a time then I think you would benefit from doing one cross/side at a time. However if you learn things better my repeating the whole thing/steps over and can do that (like I do) then I would say to start on whatever side you seem fit.

And although at first it may be a little annoying to be getting slower times and you may want to start on a color you are familiar with, I would say to try and stay focused on becoming full CN and don't let "slower times" at first discourage you from doing what it takes to become full CN.

Also, depending on when you next have a competition, I would try to be fully CN before your next comp, especially since you can easily be full CN in less then 1 month (or even less then 2 weeks with a bit of practice).

 

[Micah Morrison]

I honestly think that would come down to how you best learn things. Like if you learn anything by breaking in down in to small sections and doing one step at a time then I think you would benefit from doing one cross/side at a time. However if you learn things better my repeating the whole thing/steps over and can do that (like I do) then I would say to start on whatever side you seem fit.

And although at first it may be a little annoying to be getting slower times and you may want to start on a color you are familiar with, I would say to try and stay focused on becoming full CN and don't let "slower times" at first discourage you from doing what it takes to become full CN.

Also, depending on when you next have a competition, I would try to be fully CN before your next comp, especially since you can easily be full CN in less then 1 month (or even less then 2 weeks with a bit of practice).

Thanks a lot. As of now, I don't have a comp for over 2 months so I think I'm really going to try hard to be full CN

 

[OreKehStrah]

Thanks a lot. As of now, I don't have a comp for over 2 months so I think I'm really going to try hard to be full CN

Try picking a corner and learn to solve on those colors. I use the white red green corner. You get most of the benefits from CN with less work needed to learn just 2 colors if you pick a corner that already has a cross you solve on, between each set of opposite colors you’ll be able to do one of the crosses, and it’ll make going full CN later easier since you then work on the colors of the opposite corner.

 

[Llewelys]

You become demotivated because you're slower, but think about it: is there a reason you time your solves?
An easy way to not get discouraged is to not time your solves. You can go as fast or as slow as you want it doesn't matter, the goal here is to get familiar with new orientations. Give yourself time to practice without pressure.

Most beginners don't transition to a faster method for the same reason: they learn F2L, get slower, and give up.
Don't be like them.

 

[Micah Morrison]

Try picking a corner and learn to solve on those colors. I use the white red green corner. You get most of the benefits from CN with less work needed to learn just 2 colors if you pick a corner that already has a cross you solve on, between each set of opposite colors you’ll be able to do one of the crosses, and it’ll make going full CN later easier since you then work on the colors of the opposite corner.

That's a good idea, but I already solve on white and yellow

 

[WarriorCatCuber]

Honestly, I just quit timing myself for a week when I became y, because I didn't want to ruin my average.

 

[OreKehStrah]

That's a good idea, but I already solve on white and yellow

That’s fine. You can still do this corner neutrality to learn say green and red. Then you can do orange and blue. That’s my approach and it’s been working fine.

 

[yourmotherfly]

is there any other way that makes you full CN other than simply solving on different crosses?

 

[ProStar]

is there any other way that makes you full CN other than simply solving on different crosses?

No, assuming you use CFOP. Much like getting faster, there's no magical trick that will allow you to skip the grinding of color neutrality

 

[ari(a cuber)]

after 500 solves of doing random crosses ( i assume you use cfop) and you will be full cn

 

[ProStar]

after 500 solves of doing random crosses ( i assume you use cfop) and you will be full cn

Not always, it depends on who you are. It took Weyer(don't remember which one) a month of doing a bunch of solves. The faster you are, the harder it is to transition. Take Owen Morrison, a sub-10 solver: he's done over 600 CN solves and is 3 seconds away from his normal average, and has improved about 2 seconds since he started. It all depends on the solver for how long it takes to become CN

 

[Filipe Teixeira]

is there any other way that makes you full CN other than simply solving on different crosses?

yes

Spoiler

actually no

 

[Owen Morrison]

after 500 solves of doing random crosses ( i assume you use cfop) and you will be full cn

I did 750 solves being color neutral, and I never got very close to my normal average, I gave up for about half a year but now I decided to start again. 750 more solves, and I am about 2.6 seconds away from normal. I have improved quite a bit, but definitely not color neutral yet. I think it would take more like 5000 solves to become fully CN.