How to relax during a solve?

[Ewks]

I think my biggest problem now is that always when I solve the cube I get kinda "stressed". My look ahead is crappy and sometimes my hands even start to tremble a bit which makes my execution crappy. I would really like to get sub-15 in the next six months. So how can I get myself to relax a bit during solves, so I don't ruin my look ahead and execution?

 

[Berry]

Close your eyes and take a deep breath in and a long breath out. repeat.

 

[cookingfat]

Close your eyes and take a deep breath in and a long breath out. repeat.

But if you close your eyes, you can't see what you're doing.

 

[qazefth]

Close your eyes and take a deep breath in and a long breath out. repeat.

But if you close your eyes, you can't see what you're doing.

before solving it perhaps??

 

[MichaelErskine]

Close your eyes and take a deep breath in and a long breath out. repeat.

But if you close your eyes, you can't see what you're doing.

BLD technique

 

[Berry]

before solving it perhaps??

BLD technique

Would work both ways, maybe even OH or With feet

 

[Enter]

solve it with the force

 

[Logan]

Yeah. To relax you just....relax

This gets way worse in comps (especially if your in the first group with people who are all sub-15 and your at 1:40(this was a long time ago)) so you better figure it out now.

 

[JTW2007]

You could try:

...attending a Vipassana meditation camp. I have experimented with several different kinds of meditation, and they all have some benefits. I believe this particular technique, however, to be unique and profoundly effective. Vipassana is sanskrit for, approximately, "seeing clearly." The technique is surprisingly simple: one trains the conscious mind to be aware of all sensory input, and then one simply relaxes while observing said input. In practice, this is not as easy as it sounds. The amount of raw data streaming into the brain at any given time is enormous--every single nerve in the body is constantly sending sensory signals to the brain. The subconscious or "reptile" portion of the brain monitors these inputs 24 hours per day, but filters out the vast majority before passing only a few signals on to the conscious or "intellectual" portion of the brain. The problem, according to teachers of Vipassana, is that the subconscious is constantly reacting to these signals using very primal and irrational instincts. The subconscious tends to over-react, causing stress and anxiety, but the conscious brain is helpless to intervene. With Vipassana, one brings the conscious mind down to the same level of perception as the subconscious, and then coaxes the subconscious into a calmer behavior pattern. The changes can be significant and permanent.
The best way to learn Vipassana is by attending a 10-day course at one of many centers around the world. The courses are free, and are supported by donations made by previous students. If you are considering going to a course, please feel free to contact me for more information.
After attending one 10-day course, my cube times dropped immediately. Vipassana helped me re-train my subconscious to be more calm and relaxed. This has helped my speedcubing in that when I get nervous, the physiological effects (shaky hands, fast heartbeat, impaired cognition) are much less severe. I am also able to concentrate better while speedcubing, because my mind is less apt to wander.

[/Dan Knights]

 

[Ewks]

You could try:

...attending a Vipassana meditation camp. I have experimented with several different kinds of meditation, and they all have some benefits. I believe this particular technique, however, to be unique and profoundly effective. Vipassana is sanskrit for, approximately, "seeing clearly." The technique is surprisingly simple: one trains the conscious mind to be aware of all sensory input, and then one simply relaxes while observing said input. In practice, this is not as easy as it sounds. The amount of raw data streaming into the brain at any given time is enormous--every single nerve in the body is constantly sending sensory signals to the brain. The subconscious or "reptile" portion of the brain monitors these inputs 24 hours per day, but filters out the vast majority before passing only a few signals on to the conscious or "intellectual" portion of the brain. The problem, according to teachers of Vipassana, is that the subconscious is constantly reacting to these signals using very primal and irrational instincts. The subconscious tends to over-react, causing stress and anxiety, but the conscious brain is helpless to intervene. With Vipassana, one brings the conscious mind down to the same level of perception as the subconscious, and then coaxes the subconscious into a calmer behavior pattern. The changes can be significant and permanent.
The best way to learn Vipassana is by attending a 10-day course at one of many centers around the world. The courses are free, and are supported by donations made by previous students. If you are considering going to a course, please feel free to contact me for more information.
After attending one 10-day course, my cube times dropped immediately. Vipassana helped me re-train my subconscious to be more calm and relaxed. This has helped my speedcubing in that when I get nervous, the physiological effects (shaky hands, fast heartbeat, impaired cognition) are much less severe. I am also able to concentrate better while speedcubing, because my mind is less apt to wander.

[/Dan Knights]

That sounds amazing I'll have to do some reseach and maybe contact Dan to get some more info. Thank you

 

[Yoshikee]

IT may help to do some truly very slow solves that you don't time to get you into the feel of things then go at it. this helps me relax but it will be hard to get rid of the exciting feeling of seeing an ez pll and going after it just slow down a bit.

 

[Erik]

There is a lot to gain for most cubers on training their mind to be clear, calm, relaxed and focussed. I train myself in this too and it helps, though I have my own methods of doing that which I'll not explain here. Maintaining pure focus on the goal only will let you forget about the other things around you..

 

[vvtopkar]

It's always a good idea to just close your eyes and meditate for a few minutes before doing some serious speedcubing, but the the prime mental state will vary from individual to individual. Try it out, and see what mental "feeling" generates the best results.

 

[V-te]

Bump.
I have recently gained better dexterity with my fingers, and during my solves, everything goes well until the LL. I typically mess up on the Plls which really pisses me off because that is the CFOP part that I practice the most.

Cube gets all locked up, I miss 3 seconds, I get mad. Grr... any help?

 

[JLarsen]

Focus as hard as you can on being smooth and not locking up rather than going as fast as possible. Smoothness = speed.

 

[V-te]

Solving slow is kinda boring. Lol. I guess that's what it is.... Grr.....

 

[4Chan]

From my understanding, some criminals use calming drugs so that they are less likely to mess up and execute their objective most accurately.

I think they're called barbiturates?
I think if it calms down a man who is about to rob a bank, defy the law, and risk his life; then I think it can calm down someone who is about to solve a cube,

 

[StachuK1992]

Salvia is the answer.

 

[Daniel Wu]

From my understanding, some criminals use calming drugs so that they are less likely to mess up and execute their objective most accurately.

I think they're called barbiturates?
I think if it calms down a man who is about to rob a bank, defy the law, and risk his life; then I think it can calm down someone who is about to solve a cube,

Haha. That might be a bit of an overkill.

 

[V-te]

From my understanding, some criminals use calming drugs so that they are less likely to mess up and execute their objective most accurately.

I think they're called barbiturates?
I think if it calms down a man who is about to rob a bank, defy the law, and risk his life; then I think it can calm down someone who is about to solve a cube,

Haha. That might be a bit of an overkill.

It worked! Lol. My new PB is now 14.53! Yes!