Cubing Under Pressure!?

[PandaCuber]

So I went to my local hardware store to find some silicone for my cube and I asked the guy that worked there. Well after not finding the can, he asked me what it was for. I told him im a cuber and I need some for my cube...Next thing I know i was surrounded by workers. They asked my to solve it...

I started to shake so much that at the end of my solve I messed up the easiest perm i knew and had to restart an F2l pair and Oll. Finishing time? 1 minute 20 seconds....:fp

Even for a newb like me thats a bad time.

They let me go at it again, but the crowd was bigger and my hands were shaking even more! I did it 1 minute 2 seconds.:fp

Does anyone know how I can stop this from happening!?

Please help!

 

[Zbox95]

Just try to relax, try to feel relaxed by the solving itself. That's what I do.

 

[RNewms27]

Cube in public more often and try to ignore the fact that there's anything there other than you and your cube.

 

[qqwref]

Concentrate on the lookahead and solving; don't worry about the people. Having some experience in competitions helps with this, but it still takes a bit of conscious effort for me.

 

[PandaCuber]

Thanks! Ill keep that in mind next time.

 

[tozies24]

One of the better things to do when cubing in a crowd of people would be to maybe even talk to the people who are watching you. For example, saying, "Now I am going to finish the first two layers, and now I will get the top, and now I will finish." This way you take the pressure of the solve off a little bit and you just let yourself solve the cube. If you worry about messing up, then you probably will mess up a little bit.

EDIT: this idea is only for non-competitive solving when you are in a store or a public place.

 

[Vinny]

I'm usually fine, except if I pause or mess something up, I'm afraid I'll get a bad time and get shaky.

 

[Kirjava]

I find that caring a lot less helps ^_^

 

[RNewms27]

I find that caring a lot less helps ^_^

This. Remind yourself that your just matching up pretty colors on a shape and try to believe that it won't impress anyone, whether it does or not.

 

[timelonade]

I do what tozies suggests, I tell people what I am doing as I am doing it, if you know your OLLs and PLLs by muscle memory people think you're magic sometimes if you can do the OLL and PLL while saying "now I make the whole top one colour" and then "now I just swap all the pieces around.."

 

[5BLD]

Urgh. I find exposing yourself to such situations is very good. I'm now comfortable with crowds on on the bus and the usual stupid comments.

But I have had a terrible experience with pressure. A couple months ago at school, I was averaging like 30 sec btw.
I was cubing with some of my other friends in our usual classroom, then a teacher came in. Next thing I know I'm surrounding by many teachers and one wanted to time me.
My hands were so tense I dropped the cube and it popped.

Final solve 2:18. That was horrible. However now I don't care about people crowding around me. I just pretend they are not there, or just think as if I'm showing my friends.

 

[PandaCuber]

Urgh. I find exposing yourself to such situations is very good. I'm now comfortable with crowds on on the bus and the usual stupid comments.

But I have had a terrible experience with pressure. A couple months ago at school, I was averaging like 30 sec btw.
I was cubing with some of my other friends in our usual classroom, then a teacher came in. Next thing I know I'm surrounding by many teachers and one wanted to time me.
My hands were so tense I dropped the cube and it popped.

Final solve 2:18. That was horrible. However now I don't care about people crowding around me. I just pretend they are not there, or just think as if I'm showing my friends.

Oh wow sorry. Atleast im not the only one xD

 

[5BLD]

Yeh I get tense easily.
Related: do other people in your year (assuming you still go to school) tend to mock you about cubing?
This is another thing that can contribute to tenseness IMO.
People who do this IMO of course, are (idi--s) who get their fun out of making fun of others which is a stupid hobby.

Edit: oh yeh. It's censored. Forgot bout that.

 

[RNewms27]

Just tell them how pointless it is to do what they do. Ex.- Playing soccer could be reduced to an acting class since they fake injury to win.

 

[PandaCuber]

Yeh I get tense easily.
Related: do other people in your year (assuming you still go to school) tend to mock you about cubing?
This is another thing that can contribute to tenseness IMO.
People who do this IMO of course, are (idi--s) who get their fun out of making fun of others which is a stupid hobby.

Edit: oh yeh. It's censored. Forgot bout that.

Um yeah im about to finish 10th grade(southern hemisphere, flipped year) and no, not really. Some say I cube wayyy too much, but thats about it.

 

[Thompson]

Forget about the time. Just turn really fast, that's what people want to see anyway.

 

[PandaCuber]

Forget about the time. Just turn really fast, that's what people want to see anyway.

Lmao true true. I did a lot of 'sexy moves' for the f2l.

 

[somerandomkidmike]

I don't tense up when I am in front of people anymore. I just tense up when they try to capture video. Just cube in front of people as much as you can.

 

[Cheese11]

Justcube alot around friends, then it becomes normal.

 

[iEnjoyCubing]

This happens to me at school all the time. I average around 24 seconds and got two 38 second times in a row :fp

I just try to relax even though it's difficult.