How long did it take you to get fast?

[jms]

I picked up my first speedcube about 10 days ago.

My recent average is about 2 minutes. My PB is 1.42.

I feel I've stalled already. Is this a normal kind of progression?

How fast did you get fast?

 

[Hssandwich]

It took less than 16 months to get sub 20s for me, but some people progress ridiculously fast or quite slowly. My friend TVN is 8 and is sub 14 officially and is rediculously fast, and it has been about a year since he started. I'm currently sub 14, after 21 months or so

 

[TDM]

It took about 6 months to average 21-22, and I then stayed there for 3ish months, and then got a decent cube and got sub-20 immediately. About a year after I started I was averaging 17. Another year later, I average 14 with CFOP, but I've switched to Roux so now I average 16.
You haven't been cubing long, so you can expect to improve very quickly. Your improvement will slow down eventually though. I doubt you will have stopped improving just yet.

 

[sfgiantsfan]

I would say I was globally sub-20 in about 6 months, and in a year now I average about high 12's. At your stage, you'll improve incredibly quickly

 

[jms]

Thanks for the replies.

There are so many areas that I am weak: cross, F2L, general turning speed, finger-tricks, etc.

Would you say it's best to concentrate on a particular area first, or just practise solving till it's more obvious which areas I am plateauing in?

 

[jms]

What's your last layer like?

Better than my cross and F2L, but not great.

I'm doing 4LLL, using T and Y perms on the PLL.

I kind of finger-trick but If I go too fast I mess up the algs.

 

[jms]

Also I'm having trouble tensioning my cubes.

They seem to stick a lot. And I end up turning much slower than I am thinking - on the last layer anyway.

 

[Hypocrism]

You're never fast enough.. :'(

 

[jms]

You're never fast enough.. :'(

I'm feeling that!

 

[XTowncuber]

I think that you are over-thinking this. Let me put it this way: Back when I was a beginner, I learned the beginners method, no more no less. Then I practiced. I got down to 30 or so seconds before I was doing anything other than beginners method on a vaseline-filled Rubik's brand cube. Then I got down to low 20 seconds with 4LLL and a Alpha I cube (which is pretty much a slightly improved Rubik's brand). Only then did I finally start to learn F2L and other "advanced" stuff. Sure, this progression took me several months, but that was because I didn't practice all that much.

Just practice for a while. You will improve.

 

[Artic]

It took everyone here years to get fast, and it will take you years to get fast. Don't be impatient. It's a super long journey you've just begun. Keep practicing and don't give up, and eventually after a long time you'll get there.

 

[Rocky0701]

Yeah, don't expect to get fast over night. It took me a year to get sub 20.

 

[cashis]

It took me 11 months to get sub 20 from when I first got a cube

 

[nalralz]

I learned how to solve one on 20th December 2013. After 2 months, I was averaging 41 seconds on my lubricated Rubik's Cube. In March, I bought my first speed cube which was a Black Dayan Zhanchi. I then was at 26.72 seconds shown on my first video I have uploaded on March 21st 2014. In July 2014, I had my first sub-20 unofficial average of 5. It was 19.74 seconds. In September, I was sub-17. In November, I got my first sub-15 average. On December 21st, I recorded my first sub-14 average after one year and one day of learning how to solve it. Early January 2015, I got a 12.40 average of 5. I am hoping to get my first sub-10 average of 5 within the next 4-6 months. I still need a sub-15 official average at a competition though. (my last average was a fail and it was 23.35 seconds in September. It should have been a sub-20 average)

 

[pdilla]

You're progressing way better than I did.

I started off with the infamous Dan Brown method (LL = EO, EP, CP, CO) and it took me about 4 months to get to be sub-60.

After I transferred to badmephisto's beginners' method, it took me only a few weeks to drop to sub 40.

That being said, I've been cubing since 2008 and am still only barely sub-15.

 

[nalralz]

Was that addressed to me?

 

[theROUXbiksCube]

Have fun breaking pb's every hour soon :O
I got my first cube in June 2014, I used Beginners & CFOP for 2 months then switched to Roux, I am now sub-20 and almost sub-15 with Roux.
Seven months total, but about 5 with Roux.
People progress on different levels, a friend of mine on the forums, who also uses Roux, got sub-17 in 3-4 months and is now currently sub-14/13,
I didn't really practise thus leading to my long period of stay in Hotel 21 Average.
PPPRACTISE!

 

[lerenard]

I'm not fast yet (only recently got sub30) and I've been cubing for 6 months. That may be because I started with Petrus, though, which is a method that takes a lot of work to be good at, and even then isn't the best for speed cubing. I now do FreeFOP, which basically means I don't really have a set method, I just do whatever I feel like. It seems like the best way to get fast is just to use something really simple and do it so much that it becomes an unconscious process. I don't see how this could be fun, and in fact I think one of the reasons for my slower progress is that I'm always doing things that challenge me and make me pause and think instead of something easy and mindless.

 

[TraciAG]

I just started cubing in either September or October, one of them. And when I first started recording my times I averaged 1 min 20 sec.

If I were to do an ao5 right now it would be somewhere between 21 and 26 seconds. It took me 3-4 months to drop my time a whole minute. The hardest stage for me was surpassing sub-30! Took me forever! Sub-20 solves were easy to get after that though.

ps Krieger FTW

 

[jms]

Thanks for the replies - some good info there!

I think maybe I've moved a bit fast. I solved using BM on a Rubiks brand 2 weeks ago and 3 days later I'm using a Dayan Guhong, learning F2L and 4LLL. I probably should have just practised the basics first. Still... it's all good. I'll just keep on practising till I stop improving naturally, and then I'll start critiquing my technique properly and doing advanced F2L, 2LLL etc.

ps Krieger FTW

Indeed!