Hit a Plateau...

[jcuber]

I have a problem. I've been cubing since april 2008 and can't get any faster. I practice anytime I can. I am using intuitive F2L, 2-look OLL, and 3-4 look PLL (I think). I have lubed my cube, am using finger tricks for u-face and d-face turns, and am using a storebought cube. I have tried going slow, and it seems to be helping, but not enough. Should I learn 2-look PLL? Or just get better at my look-ahead?

 

[Vulosity]

Work on Look ahead and learn 1-2 Look PLL.

Oh yeah... PRACTICE!!

 

[jcuber]

Thanks.
(message was too short)

 

[cookingfat]

yes, learn the 4 look last layer, badmephisto has some good vids on youtube. I learnt it after week 2 and it helps. my averages are about the same as yours as I'm only just starting to learn intuitive f2l.

Learning the 4 look last layer automatically teaches you 6 of the 21 PLL algs anyway.

 

[Escher]

yep, its universally applicable advice... PRACTICE.
that does not mean solve over and over again. it means... find something you know that you can improve (thats everything atm - not trying to shoot you down or anything), and WORK AT IT. i'd suggest working at the cross first, then f2l, then last layer. you know the old advice - the cross cannot be done in more than 9 moves - you're being inefficient otherwise. however i'll make some allowances if you go for finger trick friendly at any rate, a cross of at least sub 10 is what you want. memorize the pieces you want, and then solve the cross with your eyes closed. that definitely has helped me...
Theres plenty of advice around in this forum on improving times (pretty much all of which is good). just use the search function often - lots of people on this forum (me included) get frustrated with new members not using it...

 

[rjohnson_8ball]

When I was around 60 seconds solve, I decided to learn all the PLLs because I wanted to learn them all eventually anyway. Just one or 2 per week is fine. Until you learn them all, you can combine some to do 2 look PLL. Your times might go bad for awhile but later improve just a bit. Not a lot, just a bit. But at least you completed a goal of learning the PLLs. This can be done at the same time you are trying to improve your Cross or F2L.

 

[adragast]

Hello ! Your message was a bit short, we need to know more about your times to help you usefully. For example, if you use 2s in average for the cross, the advise "practice cross" would be stupid... Hitting a "plateau" as you said was what happened to me when I reach 3x s in average. I was fed up with cubing and thought I would never get better. What I clearly managed to improve since then is cross (but without practicing it, it just naturally came as I solved a lot of cubes) and F2L (less cube rotations, more fluent, ...). But again I don't know your times and you may happen to be a sub20 and then I don't know why I would try to help you

 

[rjohnson_8ball]

@adragast, His signature indicates he takes about a minute for 3x3.
@jcuber, change 47:00 to 47.00 in your signature for your 3x3 PB.