Older cubers discussions

[mark49152]

Maybe it's like baseball players swinging with a weight on the bat in the warmup time.

That analogy would better fit something like doing 3x3 on 4x4. If it worked for Marcel, great, but I'm curious why it would work. I'd have to get used to spotting different colours and ignore the ones I'm used to spotting, right? I can imagine that would take a lot of concentration. Maybe that's exactly how it helps. I'll try an average later and see how it goes.

Practicing today I've droped my (5x5) Ao5 like 12 seconds after 15 solves, it now stands at 2:57. What do you guys think Do I have any chance of making the cutoff?

Is that a hard cut or average cut? I'm at a similar level, and average cut at UK comps is 2:30. I entered just to get a single result and enjoyed doing so, but I don't think I'd bother if the hard cut were 2:30. That's the reason I don't do 6x6+.

I've done a fair amount of 5x5 practice and am finding it hard to progress down to 2:30. According to Mike's analysis it's equivalent to 1:15 on 4x4 or 15 seconds 3x3. I did some analysis of 5x5 splits which I will share when I get home.

 

[moralsh]

Fortunately is an average cut, I just need a single good enough

About Your equivalences, my 4x4 single is better that 1:15 and my 3x3 one isn't. guess I'll have to practice to see how this turns out, and yes please, share that analysis

 

[Logiqx]

About Your equivalences, my 4x4 single is better that 1:15 and my 3x3 one isn't.

The analysis used competition averages so you'd be better off comparing your global averages, rather than singles.

 

[moralsh]

The analysis used competition averages so you'd be better off comparing your global averages, rather than singles.

Then I am definitely doomed

But I will try

 

[mafergut]

I'm trying to get back into OH and managed to capture a 31.99 Ao5 on film today. I'm still about a second off my best but it's the fastest I have on film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEdgvp8qC1U

Impressive how you can get a low 16 while seemingly turning so slowly during F2L. You have great lookahead but also your LL is quite fast.

 

[mark49152]

Here's a 17.53 Ao5 from earlier today and ending with a couple of 16's.

Yeah impressive how the times are good despite the solves looking slow - I noticed more pauses than in your earlier video too. Your cross looks pretty fast, have you timed it alone?

Fortunately is an average cut, I just need a single good enough

It's still nice to have a single result, even if you only get a couple of attempts and no average. I'm pleased with my official 3x3 and 4x4 results now and am making 5x5 my focus event for UK Champs next month (along with BLD). So I'm using these splits to work out a specific practice plan and goals. If after two weeks I haven't cut my average to ~2:40, I may well change that plan .

...yes please, share that analysis

I included all the 5x5 solves on cubesolve.es that have time splits data (18 solves). Most of these were Feliks, sub-1, and pure reduction. The average splits were:-
- F4C 27.0%
- L2C 4.3%
- F8E 32.1%
- L4E 14.1%
- 3x3 22.5%

What method do you use?

 

[moralsh]

I use reduction and by those splits I need a lot of work on my centres and a little on everything else, I'll try to film me tomorrow to check if my splits are really what I think they are.

Thanks!

 

[Logiqx]

Yeah impressive how the times are good despite the solves looking slow - I noticed more pauses than in your earlier video too. Your cross looks pretty fast, have you timed it alone?

It's still nice to have a single result, even if you only get a couple of attempts and no average. I'm pleased with my official 3x3 and 4x4 results now and am making 5x5 my focus event for UK Champs next month (along with BLD).

I've never timed my cross alone and yes, I was pausing more than usual in the video. I was also doing unnecessary AUFs on several occasions... U U' for example. I think the camera was affecting me slightly. Definitely plenty of room for improvement!

My 3x3 result was ok at ABHC but I'd like to do better next time. My OH was by far my worst result and I definitely want to do better! Lack of 3x3 and OH practice in the lead up to ABHC seemed to bite me. I kind of knew I was in trouble when I did some solves the night before and was averaging much slower than normal.

 

[mark49152]

My 3x3 result was ok at ABHC but I'd like to do better next time. My OH was by far my worst result and I definitely want to do better! Lack of 3x3 and OH practice in the lead up to ABHC seemed to bite me. I kind of knew I was in trouble when I did some solves the night before and was averaging much slower than normal.

Your performances were very consistent and composed for a first comp, especially your 2x2 . What are you focusing on for UKC, apart from OH?

My 3x3 averages at home are around 1.5-2 seconds better than my comp average, so to break my comp average I feel like I need better composure rather than faster times at home, which is why I'm going back to cross practice and not worrying about the rest. I decided to focus on 5x5 because out of all the non-BLD events that's the one that feels like I have most room for short-term improvement through practice alone. Making average cut is a nice goal and should not be insanely out of reach (my PB single is 2:33).

 

[MarcelP]

OK, so you're saying that practising different colour crosses helps improve look ahead on white cross solves? I wonder how that works?

It's easy. When I was solving only white cross, when I was looking for pairs, I could recognise an edge because it did not contain white/yellow, So in the F2L process I could find and edge and an corner. Or find a corner and then look for edge. When you start CN, that does not work.. LOL So lets say you want to solve orange cross, do you recognise a green/yellow edge as part of your F2L? NO. Your brain does not know 6 color schemes. So when solving CN and you start on orange, so must look for orange corners and then find corresponding edge. Before I started CN I had no Lookahead. But by practising CN I developed a system of finding pairs by corner first and edge next. This does wonders to your normal cross color. After a CN session your white cross solves feel like a breeze and will go faster. I promise you. It's a bit like solving in bad light for an hour, and then go solving in bright daylight.

It's been a little while since I filmed myself practicing 3x3.

Here's a 17.53 Ao5 from earlier today and ending with a couple of 16's.

Awesome. I love watching your video's. Textbook slow solving right there, I noticed that your OLL and PLL are very smooth. You seem to have fingertricks for even all OLL's. Very cool. The 16s are sweet. I notice that I get many 13 and 14's lately.

 

[h2f]

I've realized that my weakest point in solving is my cross+1. My f2l, oll and pll are decent but cross+1 is painfull. I can plan whole cross in preinspection, but i execute it too slow and finding first pair takes me sometimes few seconds. I was trying to do blind crosses, tracking first pair, doing slow solves etc. My ability of doing cr+1 has improved a little. Any suggestions or shall I drill blind crosses till I'm decent?

 

[Isaac Lai]

I've realized that my weakest point in solving is my cross+1. My f2l, oll and pll are decent but cross+1 is painfull. I can plan whole cross in preinspection, but i execute it too slow and finding first pair takes me sometimes few seconds. I was trying to do blind crosses, tracking first pair, doing slow solves etc. My ability of doing cr+1 has improved a little. Any suggestions or shall I drill blind crosses till I'm decent?

You might want to try tracking a corner first. After that, you could also try tracking your first pair.

 

[mark49152]

I've realized that my weakest point in solving is my cross+1. My f2l, oll and pll are decent but cross+1 is painfull. I can plan whole cross in preinspection, but i execute it too slow and finding first pair takes me sometimes few seconds. I was trying to do blind crosses, tracking first pair, doing slow solves etc. My ability of doing cr+1 has improved a little. Any suggestions or shall I drill blind crosses till I'm decent?

Blind cross practice definitely helped me. Like you, cross+1 is still the weakest part of my solve, but being able to solve cross without watching it so I can look around the cube for pairs is a fundamental step forward.

 

[h2f]

I see. I don't like this kind of practice but of course I start to practice it. Shall I do moves as soon as I can or slowly? I mean shall I plan the cross and do moves without thiknking or imagine the cube and apply the moves? I think the first way is better.

 

[mark49152]

I see. I don't like this kind of practice but of course I start to practice it. Shall I do moves as soon as I can or slowly? I mean shall I plan the cross and do moves without thiknking or imagine the cube and apply the moves? I think the first way is better.

Yes I agree, but the second way is a stepping stone to that if it seems difficult at first.

 

[h2f]

Ok. Thanks Mark and Isaac.

 

[mark49152]

Before I started CN I had no Lookahead. But by practising CN I developed a system of finding pairs by corner first and edge next.

First attempt at a CN ao12 - 34.55 with best 29.53. I went for any cross except white or yellow. Cross, OLL and PLL were all pretty easy, only F2L was hard. I found myself doing what you said, systematically finding a corner then an edge. I had to do it that way because I was picking out my cross colour first. I wasn't doing any of it by looking ahead though, it was all pause-and-search. I'm still not sure it's the same skill as look ahead, as in regular solves (when look ahead is working! ) I don't search systematically but just "see" the pairs emerge as the cube is moving. But it was fun anyway and I might do it again.

 

[moralsh]

I remember when Marcel started training CN I was way faster than him, but he improved and I didn't. I don't think I ever had any good look ahead when solving CN but I think I have some kind of ability looking for pieces, as I'm sure I search for both corner and edge, Maybe I should try focusing on searching corner first like you do and see how that turns out. I just did an Ao12 and it was 26.7 with a 23.something, but I usually get sub 25 when doing some more solves.

On 5x5x5 practice I think I've found a wall, five sub 2:54 but sup 2:50 today, I'll be happy next week with a sub 3, getting 2:30 doesn't seem likely at all.

 

[Logiqx]

Awesome. I love watching your video's. Textbook slow solving right there, I noticed that your OLL and PLL are very smooth. You seem to have finger tricks for even all OLL's. Very cool. The 16s are sweet. I notice that I get many 13 and 14's lately.

Cheers Marcel. Yes, I have finger tricks for all of my OLLs. There's a few which I would like to tweak but in the main, I'm quite happy with my repertoire.

It's good to hear you're getting many 13's and 14's. I don't really bat an eyelid at my 15's and 16's now but anything faster is still quite rare.

Your performances were very consistent and composed for a first comp, especially your 2x2 . What are you focusing on for UKC, apart from OH?

Well, I want to improve at 3x3 and OH but I also plan to make my 5x5 debut just to register a couple of singles.

It feels like I'm be entering one of those "busy periods" that life throws at us oldies so I may not have much time in the lead up to the event. I'll try to make time for practice but I've only been picking up a cube every couple of days recently.

 

[Logiqx]

On 5x5x5 practice I think I've found a wall, five sub 2:54 but sup 2:50 today, I'll be happy next week with a sub 3, getting 2:30 doesn't seem likely at all.

Perhaps Faz can offer a little inspiration... yet more WRs this weekend. It's insane how he still seems to be improving even at his level!