Why are my times faster at school?

[kvaele]

I'm kind of confused. When i go to school, i use my F-2. It is pretty bad overall and pops about once in ten solves unles you tension it until its a brick. I scramble very thoroughly (at least i think i do), and inspect then start the timer on my watch, and solve. Usually, by times are constantly sub-25. When I go home to my Ultimate lubix guhong, which I am far better with (speed wise), and I do some solves. Most of the time, my solves are 25-30 seconds. Why? Why am I faster with a worse cube and a timing method that adds about a second to my times, surrounded by constant distractions? My scrambles seem to be about as thorough as regular scrambles, as my crosses are 3-6 moves and lucky cases are about as rare in both places. So, whaddaya think im doing differently?

 

[cmhardw]

There's nobody to impress at home. Having the pressure of knowing that people are watching you (at school) can sometimes actually help to focus and even do better than you do at home.

 

[qqwref]

My guess would be that, with your better cube, you are simply turning as fast as you can and forgetting to look ahead, so you get huge pauses. On the other hand, with the cube you don't like, you might be turning slower and thus looking ahead more and pausing a lot less.

 

[FatBoyXPC]

What Chris and QQ both said, but also lighting might be a factor. If you have "yellow" light at home, it could mess with your recognition. If you have lower light at home, it could hinder your recognition.

 

[kvaele]

My guess would be that, with your better cube, you are simply turning as fast as you can and forgetting to look ahead, so you get huge pauses. On the other hand, with the cube you don't like, you might be turning slower and thus looking ahead more and pausing a lot less.

My look ahead seems fine at home, but I can plan and optimize most pairs at school in the time it takes me to solve the previous pair. And Chris, that may be the case, subconsiously, but i dont really care about impressing anyone at school while cubing.

EDIT: fatboyxpc, I do have "yellow" lighting in the room that i cube in. Didn't realize it could hinder my recognition that much

 

[cmhardw]

EDIT: fatboyxpc, I do have "yellow" lighting in the room that i cube in. Didn't realize it could hinder my recognition that much

Oh yes, it does quite a bit. It's even worse if it's low yellow lighting, and not very bright. As a general rule when cubing you don't have enough light. More light is usually better, and helps your recognition as well.

 

[kvaele]

Oh yes, it does quite a bit. It's even worse if it's low yellow lighting, and not very bright. As a general rule when cubing you don't have enough light. More light is usually better, and helps your recognition as well.

Oh okay. Thanks for the help guys! I will bump this thread tomorrow if the light isn't the problem, if thats okay.

 

[Jedi5412]

showing off and the pressure to make your hands go zoooom

 

[qqwref]

My look ahead seems fine at home, but I can plan and optimize most pairs at school in the time it takes me to solve the previous pair.

Well, that's what lookahead is (planning and optimizing a pair while you're doing the previous one), so it's probably a factor in the time difference. Have you tried turning more slow + smooth at home?

 

[kvaele]

Yeah, helps a little. I'm aware of what look ahead is, that post kinda came out wrong. I meant that I can plan and optimize pairs at home, enough to fluently get through a solve, but at school i can get through a solve and have 1 or 2 pairs that I forced to be AUF than 3 moves to solve. If that is what my look ahead should be, than I am cubing wrong.

 

[maggot]

You can force pairs during a solve and yet you only are 25 seconds?

Well, my biggest problem at home was yellow lighting. Beware of this because if you don't have enough lighting, it will cast shadows at night... a good bright white bulbs in a couple of lamps in a room do wonders. Also things like happylights and ottlights work well too. Good luck!

 

[freshcuber]

I'd say it's probably because your FII is slower. That helps look ahead like the above posters have already said. On your GuHong its GOGOGOGOGOGOGO and your TPS surpasses your look ahead abilities.

 

[RyanReese09]

I'd say it's probably because your FII is slower. That helps look ahead like the above posters have already said. On your GuHong its GOGOGOGOGOGOGO and your TPS surpasses your look ahead abilities.

This. Gogogog turn speed isn't needed until you are ~10. At that speed you have minimal pauses and pretty fast turning during F2L. This number is just something I pulled out of the air. That's the "golden speed", per say, at which I think I'll need full TPS to average. I personally go about 3/4 of my speed turning during F2L to keep up my lookahead. If I finish off the back slots first then I go full speed since lookahead to the final pairs will be easy.

People just don't seem to understand that time lost from turning slow is made up even more by hte no pauses. As Chris once said "slow is fast". Even though you are going slower, the end product is achieved faster then by going fast. I'm ranting now, but take a long distance run, would you rather sprint in bursts and walk? Or continual running ?

 

[Kenneth]

Ba, it is dilation, under your school is a huge rock of iron. It makes gravity stronger there than it is at your house, the stronger the gravity is the slower time runs...

Spoiler

It is a joke, it does not really work like that because the timer is also affected, it shouldn't be any difference.