Pochmann Centers 4x4x4 - Mayday!

[blah]

I use Pochmann centers for the 4x4x4 and I average ~20 seconds with it. I've always used Pochmann centers since the beginning because I didn't like "traditional" centers (probably never done more than 10 solves with it, but heck, I just don't like it ).

Thing is, I've been stuck at this average since I started solving the 4x4x4 until now (about 2 months, maybe?). I leapt from 30 seconds to 20 seconds with only 2 days of practice (the first 2 days I started seriously solving the 4x4x4), but I've never improved since (for 2 months?!).

So I did a move count comparison with a friend who does "traditional" centers, and also averages ~20 seconds. He got an average of ~25 moves to solve all centers, and I got ~35! Is it supposed to be like that? Or am I ridiculously wasting unnecessary moves? I'm color neutral by the way. And he's not. Which makes this even more ridiculous. I tried going slow so I could make the best out of each situation so as not to waste unnecessary moves, and even with this I still can't get under 30 moves (and with all the thinking time and slow turning speed, I probably spent 40 seconds on these solves). Is there something wrong with the way I'm doing it?

*Desperate!*

Edit: My centers-edges-3x3x3 breakdown is ~20-35-40 by the way.

 

[Pedro]

I just did some solves and got:
Pochmann: (32), 35, 32, 39, (40) = 35,3

"other way" (which I don't use): (29), 30, (36), 31, 33 = 31,7

so...maybe I should switch to the normal way ;P

 

[Erik]

lol just switch to the normal way
Pocmann is not that bad but the normal way is faster for me

 

[AvGalen]

I discovered Pochmann centers myself (seriously, it is just layer by layer for centers) and liked it and used it a lot.

But "the normal way" uses less moves, is just as easy and faster.

 

[martijn_cube]

eeeh what is the difference? i don't know if use the normal or the pochmann way. i build 2x1 blocks and then pair them up.
i avg around 25 sec i think.

 

[AvGalen]

For example (you really should be color-neutral)

Pochmann is basically layer-by-layer
a) D-layer: 4 whites
b) u-slice: 2 bottom reds, 2 bottom blues, 1 bottom green, 2 bottom oranges, 1 more bottom green (most of the time you will have groups of 2's, but not always)
c1) u-slice: Turn the top-half so a couple of upper reds/greens/oranges/blues get solved (let's say 2 oranges and 1 green)
c2) more u-slice: Exchange pieces from the U-layer with the u-slice (2 blues, 1 green, 2 reds)
d) U-layer: 4 yellows, should be already solved

"Normal way" is like 5x5x5 (1, 1 opposite, another, 1 adjacent, final 2):
a) D-layer: 4 whites
b) U-layer: 4 yellows
c) (after rotating DU to LR) 4 reds
d) 4 blues or 4 greens (not 4 oranges)
e) final 2 centers

"Normal way, more freestyle":
a) D-layer: 4 whites
b) U-layer: 4 yellows
c1) (after rotating DU to LR) Save the obvious and easy pairs or triplets on the l-slice (let's say2 reds, 2 blues and 3 oranges)
c2) 1 more orange
d) 2 more blues (using free-space on green to preserve red)
e) final 2 centers

 

[martijn_cube]

ow ok, then i use normal way. pochmann sounds a bit more difficult.
i use it with a fixed color pattern. sometimes i switch white/Yellow, and then most of the time i start with red. only sometimes i start with another color after white/yellow. But if i would start with Red/Orange i wouldn't know(fast) the good colorsheme.

 

[AvGalen]

If I made Pochmann sound more difficult you either misread or I wrote it down badly. Pochmann is about as easy as can be

 

[Stefan]

If someone doesn't know the method, here's the description again, including a slow demo video:
http://www.stefan-pochmann.de/spocc/speedsolving/4x4_centers/

Don't know about the move count, but I average about 15-16 seconds and neither me nor my cube are in best shape. In my demo video I just counted 37 moves, but I think I average a bit less than that.

But yeah, the "normal" method might be faster and maybe I should try it more seriously.

 

[martijn_cube]

ok after seeing the vid, it isn't that hard. but i understand explaining is a bit harder. but i think i'll stick with the normal version.

 

[DavidWoner]

i always do two opposite first
then i will either freestyle all four, or solve one and freestyle the other three.