How do I get sub 15 on 3x3?

[Ninja Storm]

At this point, you should have a few short pauses between each step. The goal to being sub-15 is being able to increase your TPS while also decreasing the amount of time you're spending in between each step. The best way to do this is to eliminate the pauses first. Try and solve without any pauses in your solve, and then slowly increase your speed. When you do start to turn faster, you'll notice that it'll be harder to stop pausing. Try and find a reasonable compromise between the two, and then try and stop pausing with your new TPS.

Eventually, you'll be able to turn quickly without pausing, but that takes lots of effort and time. Don't worry if it doesn't come within a month or two.

For your last layer, make sure you're able to sub-2.5 every PLL. The OLLs are important to have fast, and RECOGNITION IS KEY. Make sure you can predict the OLL or PLL, and don't do a U2 or y2 to see what case you have.

 

[ben1996123]

practise

 

[googlebleh]

Ninja Storm has some good advice. Work on lookahead first, then increase TPS. To improve your lookahead, I would recommend untimed solves so there is less pressure to rush and so that you don't mess up your averages

 

[mrpotatoman14]

Well first you pick up a cube, then you solve it a lot. Eventually, over time you get faster. Oh and there's these things called algorithms. Those are pretty handy too.

 

[PandaCuber]

YO, I wanna become sub 15 too!! But I use Rewks.
Everyone says practice, but what do i practice? F2B? LSE? And if i know, how do i improve it?
So many questions.

 

[ThePizzaGuy92]

step one: Learn full set of OLL/PLL
step two: solve cube with 7 look system
step three: repeat step two 2000 times.

 

[Czery]

Personally, when I was averaging around 20 seconds I told myself, "there's no way I could break the 20 second barrier!" I slowly became depressed and dropped 3x3 all together. I then took up polishing my square 1 times with both time and a polishing cloth. After 6 months I decided to return to the 3x3 and found out that I can indeed sub 15 Ao12 when necessary. I realized that my improvement came not from practicing the Square 1 but from not practicing 3x3. From then on I tried my best to practice as little as possible but somehow I have always managed to have a 3x3 in my hands. I still enjoy polishing my square 1 but not as much as I used to.

The moral of the story is practice makes perfect.

 

[drewsopchak]

Practice.

 

[brunovervoort]

By training.

 

[Jostle]

It's not as easy as "HERP DERP WHAT DO I DO TO BE FAST" it's different. Look what you suck at, practice it until you become better at it.

It seems that you think people are kidding when people just say "practice". They're not.

 

[Rubiksfreak]

I think theres only one word for it, and thats practice. Learning OLL and PLL helps alot but like i said before just practice, solve after solve after solve.

 

[MostEd]

First of April avg100 sub20, today first avg100 sub15.

 

[Cheese11]

I just practiced really hard all the time. Sadly, I haven't been cubing much lately so I'm back down to 16 seconds.

 

[jla]

"Doing solves over and over again is the only way to practice every aspect of cubing" - Yu Nakajima (sorry, I don't know japanese)

I was at this stage for a long time, I was stuck at 16 seconds for so long I wanted to kill myself. I desperately tried to find different ways to practice and to improve. I think what finally made me sub-15 along solving A LOT was the fact that I made myself think I was sub-15. When you time yourself and you get a 17-18 solve; THAT'S NOT GOOD! Only sub-15 is acceptable, you eventually trick yourself to solve faster. This worked for me, I have no idea if it's just a coincidence that I became sub-15 the very moment I started doing this or if it actually helped, but it might be worth to give a try

Btw: I'm sub-13 now just a few months later

 

[CubeRoots]

maybe take another look at your cross/f2l techniques. get more efficient. if you take of 5 moves or so each solve then you are now sub 17 from sub 19, lookahead better (through practice) and you can get rid of pauses, you're on sub 16. turn a bit faster and then bam sub 15. rough i know but you get the idea

 

[Smiles]

Here are my tips. Since you don't just want 1 great solve, you want consistent solves under 15 seconds, the goal is improving things that are consistent to every solve.
This means that special F2L cases, COLL, Last slot variations, etc. are completely useless. The only algorithms useful from this point on are OLL, and possibly getting better algs for your PLL cases.

That was pretty obvious. Now I was averaging 20 seconds many months ago. How did I change that?
The main thing was consistent practice. You won't notice your times go faster during one session, but, for example, if you look at a session from a week ago you'll notice you've gotten faster (unless you're having a bad day).

The other thing is working on fundamentals. OLL and PLL speed and recognition is harder to work on individually than it is to just solve solve solve.

F2L, on the other hand, can be worked on exclusively, and SHOULD be worked on A LOT. Unless your F2L is magically the fastest part of your solve, you have work to do. When I do lazy slow-turning solves (even for the last layer), I can still consistently sub 17 (my average is 15). Why? Because I'm looking ahead. When you're turning fast, there's this illusion that you're going faster. You're barely. Looking ahead will do more for your times than by turning fast.

Basically what I mean is that, when you are comfortable with all your F2L cases, look around the cube while performing one. They should be like your PLL algs, you don't even have to think. Let your eyes wander and track another piece (preferably a corner) for your next F2L slot and work on that as soon as you finish your current slot. To take things further, you can try to remember where a few corners/edges were if you saw them earlier.

Another thing is the cross. If you cannot consistently sub 3 or 4 seconds at this point, then it should definitely be worked on.
If you cannot do the cross blindfolded at this point, then that's a problem. For sub 15, that part is a given.

 

[KongShou]

i know all oll and pll but i just cant get in sub 15. i tried to practice look ahead, tps, xcross,etc but after almost 4 months i have barely gone down from sub 17. it frustrate me so much that i want to drop cubing. help!

 

[kalyk]

Some people just can't. Maybe you've reached your limit...

 

[ottozing]

Some people just can't. Maybe you've reached your limit...

No. Anyone can get sub 15 with enough practice. I've gotten to a low 11 second average from just practicing and learning algs. Nothing else.

 

[Username]

i know all oll and pll but i just cant get in sub 15. i tried to practice look ahead, tps, xcross,etc but after almost 4 months i have barely gone down from sub 17. it frustrate me so much that i want to drop cubing. help!

Practice fingertricks for Algs and F2L, or try learning some algorithms for other cubes to get your brain into the "learning state" That will probably make you a little bit faster. It helps me, atleast.