Over the years since I started cubing in late 2005, I have seen huge drops in times of all puzzles (I'm sure the people a few years ahead of me saw even more of it). I don't think anyone predicted the times we are seeing today. I remember when a 2 minute 5x5 average was top 20 in the world, and when sub-15 3x3 was top 100 in the world, and the single WR was 11 seconds - times that people can easily do today.
Over the years I have purchased many puzzles, but most were just new additions to the collection, like the pyraminx crystal or the megaminx. I rarely went and purchased every kind of 3x3, or 2x2 to get the best one. Recently, I purchased a new 4x4, the Dayan mf8, which was my first new 4x4 in about 2 years. Before I got this cube, I averaged around 55-60 seconds, even though I averaged 70 seconds back in the summer 2007. After playing with the new 4x4, my times have dropped to 50-60 seconds, with sub-50's being quite common, when I rarely got them before. I think this is due to the 3x3 stage which can be executed much faster for me on the Dayan (my redux times haven't changed much).
This got me thinking more, what are the reasons times have dropped over the years? I came up with a few things, and I'd be interested in hearing more thoughts about this.
1) The quality of the puzzles - there is a lot more competition to build quality puzzles today than there was a few years ago. The latest Guhong, the latest mods that people have come up with, and the latest lubricants have made puzzles much more effective for speedsolving. Take the 4x4 I just got - that alone dropped my times significantly because it is much higher quality than 4x4's of the past, like the Eastsheen or Rubiks.
2) New methods and techniques have been developed - there is A LOT more information out today than there was a few years ago. There is still much to be looked at, but as far as Fridrich goes, the amount of algorithms generated and techniques developed has been vast.
3) More time to practice - If you look, many of the cubers who were around a few years ago are now getting really fast, according to today's terms. I think time over the years has allowed them to practice more which has led to improved times. Of course there are people who started a couple years ago who are top in the world, but I think the time factor has had some contribution (take Brendan ('09 World Champion) for example - he was real fast years ago, and is real fast today. Has the passing years allowed him to practice more which led to him improving further?)
4) More motivation due to a community and competition - the community has skyrocketed, competitions have spread, and incentives have increased. This has stimulated more motivation which makes people practice more. Because of the competition, people not only practice more, but more effectively by trying to learn things that others haven't.
Do you have anything to add? I'd be interested in hearing some other thoughts regarding this.
Over the years I have purchased many puzzles, but most were just new additions to the collection, like the pyraminx crystal or the megaminx. I rarely went and purchased every kind of 3x3, or 2x2 to get the best one. Recently, I purchased a new 4x4, the Dayan mf8, which was my first new 4x4 in about 2 years. Before I got this cube, I averaged around 55-60 seconds, even though I averaged 70 seconds back in the summer 2007. After playing with the new 4x4, my times have dropped to 50-60 seconds, with sub-50's being quite common, when I rarely got them before. I think this is due to the 3x3 stage which can be executed much faster for me on the Dayan (my redux times haven't changed much).
This got me thinking more, what are the reasons times have dropped over the years? I came up with a few things, and I'd be interested in hearing more thoughts about this.
1) The quality of the puzzles - there is a lot more competition to build quality puzzles today than there was a few years ago. The latest Guhong, the latest mods that people have come up with, and the latest lubricants have made puzzles much more effective for speedsolving. Take the 4x4 I just got - that alone dropped my times significantly because it is much higher quality than 4x4's of the past, like the Eastsheen or Rubiks.
2) New methods and techniques have been developed - there is A LOT more information out today than there was a few years ago. There is still much to be looked at, but as far as Fridrich goes, the amount of algorithms generated and techniques developed has been vast.
3) More time to practice - If you look, many of the cubers who were around a few years ago are now getting really fast, according to today's terms. I think time over the years has allowed them to practice more which has led to improved times. Of course there are people who started a couple years ago who are top in the world, but I think the time factor has had some contribution (take Brendan ('09 World Champion) for example - he was real fast years ago, and is real fast today. Has the passing years allowed him to practice more which led to him improving further?)
4) More motivation due to a community and competition - the community has skyrocketed, competitions have spread, and incentives have increased. This has stimulated more motivation which makes people practice more. Because of the competition, people not only practice more, but more effectively by trying to learn things that others haven't.
Do you have anything to add? I'd be interested in hearing some other thoughts regarding this.
