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Suggestions needed for rapid improvement

Akash Rupela

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Hi everyone, i started cubing(learnt from pogobat,badmephisto, algs from bob burton,speesolving wiki) around 3-4 weeks back. Got my first good cube(pre lubed guhong) around 10 days back. So now i have just been successful in getting a sub50 average on quite a regular basis . I want suggestions on how i can improve my times quickly, except practice of course, which i m doing minimum 8 hours a day on an average since my cube arrived . I just decided to distribute individual parts of 12 of my solves so that u can give me suggestions on different parts of my CFOP. Here are the times(the sum of these is 3-4 second less than the otherwise average due to transition pauses)

CROSS 6.28 , 8.84 , 3.83, 9.99 , 11.90, 9.11, 7.03, 7.53 , 4.51, 8.66, (3.83), (12.13)
average 7.77

F2L 25.60 , 15.97 , 25.79, 22.61, 20.61 , 23.25 , 21.23 , 22.28, (29.73), 19.91, (15.46), 20.45
average 21.77

OLL(2 look) (11.08) , 5.33, 10.18 , 7.28 , 8.02, 4.47, 7.22, 8.39 , 10.14, 6.24, 8.60, (2.64)
average 7.59

PLL 9.37, (15.26), 5.92, 6.31, 8.23 , 11.43 , 5.51, 6.20, 5.58, 9.21, 9.21,(5.33)
average 7.70

I am struggling badly with an inconsistency problem in cross and f2l, also i cant look ahead at all. when i m solving one edge corner, i cant look at the next one
All types of suggestions, advices are welcome on how can i become better, calm , composed and smooth while solving the cube. Thanks in advance :)
 
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Godmil

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If you know full PLL then drill the algs, they should only take a few seconds to execute. Watch videos by people like Breandan (jammyman3014 on YouTube) to see good fingertricks for all the algs. That's an easy way to knock off a couple of seconds. Actually same with OLL, if you only use 9 algs then they're easy to learn how to do quickly.

For Cross and F2L try doing slow solves, work on making them optimal. Search for qqwref's sub-20 slowsolving video for an idea of how quick you can be without needing high TPS.
 

Zane_C

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You definitely need to get that F2L look ahead going. I know it may seem impossible at the moment, but trust me it will come after practice. Force yourself to look ahead, even if it means turning at painfully slow speeds.
Practice planning your cross too, make as much use of your 15 second inspection as you possibly can.
Other than that, algorithm recognition and turning speed for LL will gradually improve.
 

Dacuba

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I am struggling badly with an inconsistency problem in cross and f2l, also i cant look ahead at all. when i m solving one edge corner, i cant look at the next one

You found the problem. Solve it.

Practise:

- More effcient cross (relative colors etc., search badmephisto on Youtube)
- Blind Cross
- Blind Single Pair insertion

Next Step: Also do it while a timed solve. Remember the Sentence "Whatever you do, don't look at the pair you are solving right now"

still, I do it too often

edit: I first lol'd on your title "rapid improvement", but if you keep this things in mind, you may will improve more rapidly than most ppl do
 
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Selkie

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I would just reiterate what other before have said.

Try and get your cross down to 3-4 seconds. Do a bunch of cross only solves and try and plan the whole cross, even if you completely ignore 15 second inspection and just take as long as it takes to plan it. It seems you have already seen Badmephisto's videos, look at the cross ones too, they are very useful. When you can try working out cross solution and do it blind.

If you only solve the cross on one colour consider becomming opposite neutral, it takes a lot less effort than colour neutral due to the colour symmetry and if you have a shocking cross you at least have another option.

Lookahead; I tried and tried to get look ahead going as early as possible and had huge issues. Going slowly helps a lot but even then if its too early it will be a struggle. Until you can blindsolve any pair you will struggle. What I didn't realise until I noticed is even using lookahead my eyes would glace back at the pair I was solving to check or because I was uncertain of the insertion. The moment you galce back, albeit so briefly is the moment you lose your tracking on the next pair. The moment you dont give a second thought to glacing back at the pair you are inserting is the moment tracking next pair becomes easy. If you are struggling look for a pair, close your eyes and solve. Open and find next pair, close your eyes, etc, etc. Rince and repeat.

Unfortunately last layer is very practice orientated, its all in the time it takes to recognise the case, then execute it. Recognition just comes with practice, though there are some videos and resources to help. Again badmephisto has a video on PLL recognition which is very useful. Make sure you are using algorithms that are best for you. If you learned them all from one site or another, check the Wiki here to make sure there is not one better suited for you for a particular case. All our hands are different and what is fast for one cuber may be slow for another.

And the best advise of them all IMO has to be read this tutorial/thoughts on practice and training http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/showthread.php?27870-How-to-practice. written by Rowan Kinneavy, then read again, .. and again :)

Essentially most people will practice by solving over and over again. Try and concentrate your practice. If your are working on cross do 50 cross solves. Solve the cross then rescramble. For PLLs drill a particular PLL for a number of times or do PLL attacks. Concentrated practice had a better chance of giving you better improvement in my opinion.

Improvement can seem very slow, it did for me, but you will get there soon enough if you are doing the right things and enjoying cubing :)
 

Zarxrax

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The cross solver here can be very helpful for learning to do cross efficiently: http://laire.fi/jarcs/
Do the same cross over and over...
Try your own solutions, then look at some of the optimal solutions. Then try it yourself again if need be.
 

Akash Rupela

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Thankyou so so very much everyone. All this was of great help, and with this i m sure i will improve Rapidly :) (lol Dacuba )
@Zarxrax, My cross is quite optimal(it always takes <=8 moves) but i cant get much finger tricks on it, i will start to do it BLD, but still thanks for this nice solver(and the plateau post specially), it will be of help :)
 
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5BLD

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If you watch TV alot, simply keep repeating the same alg while watching TV (that's wat I used to do when I used CFOP and had to learn PLLs), so it will stick in your subconscious. Yes, as others said, blind cross, and don't worry about fingertricks. If you want to make some sort of organised system for alg fingertricks repeat then slowly and see if you can get a nice smooth motion, and don't be afraid to use your thumb. Speed will come with time.

I improved pretty fast- i started Roux 4 months ago- almost 5 and I average now 15-18 seconds. I'd say just practice- simply solving over and over will help. You F2L is alright for your speed but your LL and Cross need work.

Also, try solving with a metronome- so turning non stop. This will train look ahead.
While solving a pair look for another and plan it.

By the way, you should explore lots of other method that might suit your style better. I only found out Roux was my favourite after using CFOP for two months.

I hope I have helped you at least a little :D
 
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H

Hershey

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By the way, you should explore lots of other method that might suit your style better.

This is true, but at the OP: don't confuse yourself and keep switching through so many methods. You would be ok at everything, but not very fast if you start learning so many of them. Stachu K even mentioned in his CubeCast episode that he would get faster if he just stayed with one method.
 
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MoRpHiiNe

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I was inspired by this topic to do the same for my solves and am at around the same point as you, well a little faster overall but my f2l times are so bad. I have only been cubing for a little over a month and only been practicing f2l for a few days though :). Anyway, here's my times =P.

Cross:5.60, 3.72, 6.31, (2.32), 3.79, 5.62, (7.27), 4.79, 5.11, 3.44, 6.29, 5.00
Avg: 4.97

F2l: 21.04, 19.18, (33.27), 25.74, 28.86, 23.08, 30.66, 27.29, (11.19), 30.65, 17.12, 24.33
Avg: 24.80

2look OLL: 6.19, 4.31, 6.19, 6.00, 5.57, 7.17, 5.47, 5.56, (7.82), (2.06), 4.44, 6.63,
Avg: 5.20

2look PLL: 7.11, 9.88, 4.58, (3.18), (10.80), 4.76, 7.07, 8.68, 8.96, 7.24, 4.76, 8.61
Avg: 7.17

Total: 39.94, 37.09, 50.35, 37.24, 49.02, 40.63, (50.47), 46.32, 33.08, 43.39, (32.61), 44.57
Avg: 42.16


It'd be good to know how fast you've been progressing and what you've been doing to progress :).
 

Akash Rupela

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Hi Morphine, F2l will come with practice, trust me, i have just been practising and have been improving quite nicely. I started cubing almost the same day as you. you can watch badmephisto's videos from tricks for f2l, he shows some algs too, u can learn them if you feel like(i just learned one though), otherwise its not much problem. Just dont try to do f2l at ful speed, do it at like 70-80% of your speed and focus of keeping the movements smooth and cutting down the pauses. After some time when you can get sub20 on f2l, then go for inserting 1 pair blindfolded, when you will get used to doing it perfectly, then do it with open eyes, and u will find that you can lookahead very nicely :) And i am progressiing well, though i make a lot of solves daily, but on an average, i can get every 1 in 3 solves below 40 second mark with recently getting 5 sub40s in a row .
 
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