Getting Sub 1 min

[Marcus8880]

The fastest I can get is 1:29 secs...

I'm wondering how peopel get like sub 20 or even just sub 1min...

My understanding of getting sub 20 is getting the F2L and then do one of the many top layer allgorithims to get the last layer?

I'm 100% new to the lingo and speedcubing stuff, I only got my cube like a few weeks ago so any tricks of the trade with the lingo and other stuff would help.


Edit:

Whats "y" mean in a list of allgorithms and what's OLL mean?

 

[pcwiz]

Okay, I'll tell you how people get below sub 20 average.

1. Get a cube that spins fast. Lubricate with silicone spray or get a DIY (Do it Yourself Cube) Then it spins like crazy
2. Learn a speedcubing method. The most popular one is the Fridrich method and it consits of the Cross, F2L (First Two Layers), OLL (Orient Last Layer) and PLL (Permute Laster Layer)
3. Learn fingertricks. They are a set of cube turns made by the fingers that are made very fast. Some people can do 8+ turns per second with finger tricks (you need a lubricated cube to do this)

There are plenty of other ways to get really fast but the three I said are the most important (I think)

 

[ShadenSmith]

4. Practice slowly, develop a good look-ahead.

 

[pcwiz]

Oh I forgot one more thing.

y, z, and x are part of notation.

There spin the cube (not the layers around) Go to thia website (by Bob Burton) for full 3x3 notation (and what y, x, and z means)

http://www.cubewhiz.com/notation.html

 

[Dene]

Just practise. It'll come with time. Watch videos on youtube of people doing solves in the 20-30 second region, and you'll get an idea of what to aim for.

 

[Lucas Garron]

We have a Beginner's Forum, you know.

I wouldn't mind so much that you accidentally post your first questions in here, but a lot of newcomers have been doing that lately.

Anyhow, in the Beginner's Forum, people tend to be much more inclined to answer your questions, and less likely to be upset...
And if you look around, you'll get answers to a lot of other questions new cubers have wondered about (and you'd, say, find this)...

Oh, and:
5. Practice

 

[Cerberus]

As said before of course you need a lot of practise and slow down your solve, dont' do that what you know as fast as you can but try to see that part that you are need to do afterwards, so that you don't got long pauses between the segments of your solve.
maybe learning friedrich f2l can help you, but you must know what you aim for and if you are ready to look much more because in layer by layer you can easily look ahead after the first layer because in the second layer you leave your "last layer" the same except for that stone that you exchange.
I hope this helps a bit and you improve fast ;-)

 

[jackolanternsoup]

Yeah basically just keep practicing.. Though it's kinda strange, if i find my times sort of stagnating i stop 3x3x3 for a while and do something else. Then i find i can solve just that little bit faster.

I stopped 4x4x4 solving for about a month because it broke and when I repaired it, I got a new PB on my second solve, that was 30 seconds faster I was so so so happy... A jump from 3:04-ish to about 2:37...

But I'm sure this is relevant for 3x3x3 as well... lol

 

[JU1CYFRU1T]

ONE THING!!!

As someone who is almost as new as you (started in December), make sure that when you practice, that you are doing it correctly. It's harder to stop doing something that you have practiced incorrectly, than it is to start doing something correctly from the beginning.

I have read a few tutorials on how to get fast... and the best one that I have read is on Cubefreak. I'm not saying that any of the others aren't 'good'... but Macky explained everything is terms that were (IMO) 'idiot-proof'. The link is HERE.

An example: My hypothetical average for F2L is ~45 seconds when I am 'timing' myself, but when I am concentrating on going slow and looking ahead, I KNOW that I have gone much faster more often than not... why? because when I first started cubing, I was working on going as fast as possible... and when I 'time myself' I get back into that old habit. Work on looking ahead... know what your next move is before you have finished the move you are doing.

It sounds a lot harder than it really is. SLOW DOWN, and concentrate.

Also:
X = 'whole cube' R
Y = 'whole cube' U
Z = 'whole cube' F

r = 2 right layers (slice)
etc...

Also,

 

[Cubetrooper]

I think this is easier:

x = F --> U (front side becomes up side)
y = F --> L
x' = F --> D
y' = F --> R
z = dunno^^

 

[JU1CYFRU1T]

I think this is easier:

x = F --> U (front side becomes up side)
y = F --> L
x' = F --> D
y' = F --> R
z = dunno^^

I had read this description 3 -4 times on other sites... and I still didn't understand the differences until I saw them written the way that I did.

It wasn't until after I understood that an X turn was a full cube R that The F---> U thing made sense. To each his own I guess.

 

[Rosetti]

I'd reccomend working on your look ahead, it's a very important part of speedcubing. When you watch videos if Sub 20 etc, they barely stop - because they know what they're going to do next.

I'm only 1:00-1:10 atm, but atm, rather than learn a sea of algorithims, I'm trying to nail my look ahead.

 

[Eaudevian]

in my opinion these videos are perfect to learn what to do with fingers. that s a key to get faster :

http://perfectgod.free.fr/rubikscubor/index.php?page=fsc