New to speed cubing... Where to start?

[ArgusStrong]

I know how to solve a cube and have done it a hundred times probably, but it takes me 2-3 minutes to solve (my cube hasn't been loosened or lubricated, but for know I'm focusing on improving my actual solve patterns). However all I know is (what I presume to be) the most basic step-by-step solve:

(top) Make the cross, place the corners
(middle) Place the sides
(bottom) Build a cross, swap the sides, position the corners, rotate the corners

This always takes me somewhere around 75-100 moves depending on luck. I understand there are much more efficient shortcuts that require advanced pattern recognition and algorithms. Of course these will take a lot longer to learn, so I'm not expecting some easy solution. But I've grown bored of doing it this traditional way, and want to try to learn some of these concepts. Can someone point me in the right direction on where I should go from here?

Thanks

 

[Bunyanderman]

I know how to solve a cube and have done it a hundred times probably, but it takes me 2-3 minutes to solve (my cube hasn't been loosened or lubricated, but for know I'm focusing on improving my actual solve patterns). However all I know is (what I presume to be) the most basic step-by-step solve:

(top) Make the cross, place the corners
(middle) Place the sides
(bottom) Build a cross, swap the sides, position the corners, rotate the corners

This always takes me somewhere around 75-100 moves depending on luck. I understand there are much more efficient shortcuts that require advanced pattern recognition and algorithms. Of course these will take a lot longer to learn, so I'm not expecting some easy solution. But I've grown bored of doing it this traditional way, and want to try to learn some of these concepts. Can someone point me in the right direction on where I should go from here?

Thanks

If that is a true number, than you can become sub 15 with your method very easily. Work on timed solves, and developing finger tricks. Don't worry about your cube, for last layer i highly recommend that you put some time into learning 2-look OLL and 2-look PLL, that cuts down a lot of time for a beginner, but look into better methods like F2L when you are close to sub-1.

 

[Samster779]

It might help if you watch a few YouTube Tutorials/Videos by speedcubers such as cyubx, and crazybadcuber. Good Luck

 

[waffle=ijm]

Hi. Hardware comes later, but it doesn't hurt to have a decent cube. Even just lubricating your cube will make a difference. As for speedsolving methods...http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/s...ner-s-Guide-to-Choosing-a-Speedsolving-Method

 

[ArgusStrong]

I definitely appear to have underestimated, as I just counted two more solves and got 124 and 105 moves.. oops. I'm also counting a 180-degree rotation as only one move (I believe that's correct).

Can you recommend a good site with the 2-look OLL and PLL algorithms and explanation?

 

[Bunyanderman]

I definitely appear to have underestimated, as I just counted two more solves and got 124 and 105 moves.. oops. I'm also counting a 180-degree rotation as only one move (I believe that's correct).

Can you recommend a good site with the 2-look OLL and PLL algorithms and explanation?

http://www.speedsolving.com/wiki/index.php/2-Look_OLL
http://www.speedsolving.com/wiki/index.php/2-Look_PLL
I just searched this on the Speed solving Wiki. there is a lot of videos on youtube explaining and showing algorithms.

 

[TDM]

If that is a true number, than you can become sub 15 with your method very easily.

You sure? I average 60 moves and can't get sub-15 easily.

 

[kcl]

You sure? I average 60 moves and can't get sub-15 easily.

Wat.. I'll trade you TPS for movecount, I'm usually higher than 70.. My TPS is usually high 6.

 

[Bunyanderman]

You sure? I average 60 moves and can't get sub-15 easily.

I average ~72 in a speed solve, and i average sub 12. What i was trying to say is that if his move count was that low he does not need to change his method.

 

[Das Cubing]

I started out learning that exact method on a Rubiks brand 3x3, and with alot of practice and a brand new Dayan Panshi, I was able to get my times down to 30 seconds. As soon as I was happy with my times, I went on to learn CFOP and have gotten my averages sub-25. So all you really need is practice.
Best of luck! :tu

 

[TDM]

I average ~72 in a speed solve, and i average sub 12. What i was trying to say is that if his move count was that low he does not need to change his method.

Depends how long you've been cubing for. You've been cubing for at least three years, so for you getting sup-6 TPS isn't difficult. It'll be easy for you, but not for him or many other people.

Wat.. I'll trade you TPS for movecount, I'm usually higher than 70.. My TPS is usually high 6.

Maybe... does your TPS also come with lookahead?

 

[kcl]

Depends how long you've been cubing for. You've been cubing for at least three years, so for you getting sup-6 TPS isn't difficult. It'll be easy for you, but not for him or many other people.

Maybe... does your TPS also come with lookahead?

It does
Observe, 8.30, 65 moves with a PLL skip. 7.83 TPS
http://youtu.be/7_Dn4gNoLY8

I've been Cubing for less than a year though so idk how I have TPS but evil movecount

 

[TDM]

It does
Observe, 8.30, 65 moves with a PLL skip. 7.83 TPS
http://youtu.be/7_Dn4gNoLY8

I've been Cubing for less than a year though so idk how I have TPS but evil movecount

Wow, no pauses until OLL. My cross+1 is so bad; it's often ~6 seconds. I'd definitely be interested in that trade
I've been cubing for about 11 months and 4 weeks. Not quite a year yet for me either. Iirc, it was the 19th when I started (a day after school finished).

 

[kcl]

Wow, no pauses until OLL. My cross+1 is so bad; it's often ~6 seconds. I'd definitely be interested in that trade
I've been cubing for about 11 months and 4 weeks. Not quite a year yet for me either. Iirc, it was the 19th when I started (a day after school finished).

Let's do this trade then XD
I started in the first week of January 2013. Boy my school life has been hell ever since but so worth it.

 

[ArgusStrong]

Alright so I stumbled upon the "Petrus method" which claimed to be better because there was less overwriting of previous progress. I was able to solve using it, but it seems a lot slower to solve the first 2 rows, and put me in a barely better situation for the last layer. Is there any real advantage to this method?

I'm interested now more in the CFOP, because it seems similar to what I was already doing.

 

[elrog]

I think this is starting to get away from the original topic.

I know how to solve a cube and have done it a hundred times probably, but it takes me 2-3 minutes to solve (my cube hasn't been loosened or lubricated, but for know I'm focusing on improving my actual solve patterns). However all I know is (what I presume to be) the most basic step-by-step solve:

(top) Make the cross, place the corners
(middle) Place the sides
(bottom) Build a cross, swap the sides, position the corners, rotate the corners

This always takes me somewhere around 75-100 moves depending on luck. I understand there are much more efficient shortcuts that require advanced pattern recognition and algorithms. Of course these will take a lot longer to learn, so I'm not expecting some easy solution. But I've grown bored of doing it this traditional way, and want to try to learn some of these concepts. Can someone point me in the right direction on where I should go from here?

Thanks

First off, it will make things much much easier in the future if you do your cross on the bottom. For people who never intend to become speedsolvers, it is not a big deal, but If you care about getting faster, make the change. You won't regret it. It helps you see pieces around the cube becaues your not having to look at the bottom of it. It is also easier to do U moves quicker than D moves.

I would recommend learning fingertricks, but on some cubes this is impossible. I've used cubes that were impossible to finger trick before. If your cube allows it, it would be good to learn some.

Your move count is pretty good for a using the beginners method. When I first started cubing, within a day or so, I was getting 1 and a half minutes, but I would not have had a low movecount at all. Since your movecount is pretty low, and your time isn't this makes me wonder weather you are not approaching solves with a speedcubing mindset, or if your cube is just so hard to turn that its better to find a more efficient path through the solve. If it is not you cube, you could either train yourself to a speedcubers mindset, or you could look into more move efficient methods such as Petrus and Heise. To train yourself to solve like a speed cuber, don't worry about your movecount at all and don't necessarily turn fast, but never take a break from turning. Your hands should never stop moving. You will eventually get used to this and be able to see where the pieces your looking for are before you get to the step of the solve. This is called look ahead and you can never get enough of it.

If your interested in speedsolving more than doing FMC (fewest moves competition), you should look into the CFOP, Roux, and ZZ methods, pick the one you like most, and learn it.

 

[penguinz7]

Heres a fairly good site for plls and olls, try 4LLL http://www.cubewhiz.com/4lll.php That will give you a good start to full OLLs/PLLS which are also on that site. also check out intuitive F2L on monkeydude1313's tutorial on youtube is how I learned, it is a great tutorial. ~ http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=monkeydude1313+intuitiv&sm=3

 

[ArgusStrong]

Thanks for the responses guys.

elrog - As I mentioned in one of my earlier replies, I did a bad initial estimation of my move count. I counted 6 so far and they were like 84, 95, 124, 112, 104, 109. Thanks for the tip on putting the cross on bottom, I kept reading that but I think I will try it now. I don't really have the mentality of doing it fast, because my cube is pretty difficult to turn using fingertricks.. all my turns use both a finger and thumb grip. I'm not sure if I'm ultimately more interested in speed cubing or FMC; my mentality was originally to decrease my move count just because that seems fun and I figure that would help in either case.

To be completely honest I simply find it enjoyable to solve the cube when I'm bored, but after doing it so many times I want to learn some new routes to keep things fresh. It's just fun turning initially complicated algorithms into second nature.

penguinz - thanks for the links i'm going to check those out right now

 

[brian724080]

Thanks for the responses guys.

elrog - As I mentioned in one of my earlier replies, I did a bad initial estimation of my move count. I counted 6 so far and they were like 84, 95, 124, 112, 104, 109. Thanks for the tip on putting the cross on bottom, I kept reading that but I think I will try it now. I don't really have the mentality of doing it fast, because my cube is pretty difficult to turn using fingertricks.. all my turns use both a finger and thumb grip. I'm not sure if I'm ultimately more interested in speed cubing or FMC; my mentality was originally to decrease my move count just because that seems fun and I figure that would help in either case.

To be completely honest I simply find it enjoyable to solve the cube when I'm bored, but after doing it so many times I want to learn some new routes to keep things fresh. It's just fun turning initially complicated algorithms into second nature.

penguinz - thanks for the links i'm going to check those out right now

Instead of the popular CFOP, you may want to take a look at ZZ, Roux, or Petrus, this thread is very helpful: http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/s...ner-s-Guide-to-Choosing-a-Speedsolving-Method

 

[GuRoux]

It does
Observe, 8.30, 65 moves with a PLL skip. 7.83 TPS
http://youtu.be/7_Dn4gNoLY8

I've been Cubing for less than a year though so idk how I have TPS but evil movecount

70 moves average, that's crazy. Im pretty sure even i can do better with 2 look oll. Good thing is that it probably will be easy for you to improve just by improving movecount.