Inconsistency

[FU]

I have this problem with my 3x3x3. Currently I use CFOP or more commonly known as the Fridrich method. I do intuitive F2L and 3-Look Last Layer. I know all PLLs and 35 OLLs as of now. I will probably be finishing OLLs in the near future.

The problem is that I am quite inconsistent in terms of my solves. For example, my usual average 10 of 12 is about 26-28s but my best is 23.85s. Also, sometimes I get a couple of single solves in a row that are above 30, which is kind of demoralizing.

I'm not sure if it is a psychological effect or something, but everytime I get a slow timing, I almost always get a poor timing for the next solve as well.

Has anyone encountered something similar?

Any idea on how to work on consistency? It is really bothering me a lot.

P.S. I did a search and couldn't find any threads on inconsistency in timings, I only found one on inconsistency of notation for 3x3x3 and larger cubes.

 

[Todd]

If i cube when i get up in the morning my average is like 28 or 29... If i cube later int he afternoon (usually after dinner) my average is usually 25 or 26 with some very low 20 (or sub 20 solves)...

..

 

[jackolanternsoup]

i have the same problem quite commonly.. I have my streaks of 1:40+ times sometimes when i'm supposed to be getting 1:20s. Just take a break it helps.

You could find out how long your concentration lasts by cubing till your times start to drip (normally this is 45 mins or something) and just take a five-ten minute break and your brain should have had sufficient rest to be focused again for another session of that time.. (applied here from some study technique)

 

[TheBB]

Psychology does play its part. Not sure how you best can eliminate it.

 

[Johannes91]

I've always had that "problem", although I don't see what's wrong with inconsistency. The best explanation I remember was something like "cosistency means you have low SD and low SD means you are cosistent, so it's a good thing".

 

[TheBB]

I like to think that if I'm inconsistent it means I have a large scope for improvement only with practice. If you're consistent I tend to interpret that to mean you need to learn something new, like expanding your method, in order to improve significantly.

So for instance I want to learn ZB or something similar, but I'm not going to do that until my times are more consistent than they are now, because until then I can improve more by practising my current method, developing my look-ahead and PLL, for example.

 

[Lofty]

If some of your solves are slower than others there has to be a reason. An alg that is performed slower look ahead not as good or something to make it worse. That something can be improved so that all your times are that fast.

 

[Killer128]

i average around 1:03 but when im trying to get a sub minute time i usually get like 1:17. Probably because im going to fast and dont have any time to look so just start out slow then build up your speed cause most of my slow times are do to when im mess up on F2L cuz im trying to go to fast =)

 

[dRaGoN]

Wow that's hilarious. I know EXACTLY the same number of algorithms as you. And my average is 26-28 too. LOL. Anyway I do about 20-22 as fastest solves and I still do probably two 3x solves in a 12 solve session. It's just that sometimes I spot F2L a lot slower than other times where it's sitting right in front of me. I think it's normal, for our level atleast.

 

[FU]

Thanks for the replies. I will work on some of my PLL algos and finish OLLs so I have a more consistent OLL timing. Maybe some metronome practice on F2L And dragon, you no longer know the same number of algorithms as me because I just learnt another OLL

 

[TimMc]

I don't have that problem. If I do a bad solve then I just ignore it and do another solve.

I tend to keep my scrambles random and if I happen to do a bad solve I just keep in mind "Go fast, Don't hesitate". I don't need to tell myself to think ahead because that's something you should do intuitively

Tim.

 

[Skrato]

I got that, and just by practising algorithms and going slowly a few times I improved on consistency. Lars Petrus' site has a good section on the mental aspects of cubing, as well as grrroux.free.fr, in the last section of his method.