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Tutorial: Reducing Pauses Between Steps

One of the easiest ways to improve your 3×3 solve times is to reduce pauses between steps . Even if you turn fast, frequent pauses can cost several seconds per solve. Here’s how I work on keeping my solves smooth and continuous. 1. Notice Where You Pause Before fixing pauses, figure out where they happen . Common spots: After completing the cross During F2L pair recognition Before OLL or PLL Tip: Record your solves or watch yourself in slow motion. Focus on one pause at a time — it’s easier to fix smaller habits first. 2. Improve Lookahead Pauses usually happen because your brain is searching for the next piece. During F2L, spot the next pair while inserting the current one . During OLL/PLL, glance at edges or corners that will come next. Start slow and deliberate — speed will come naturally once your brain anticipates moves. 3. Learn Efficient Finger Tricks Sometimes you pause because your hands aren’t ready. Practice triggers like R U R’ U’ and F R’ F’...
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Tool Review: Best Online Cubing Resources

As a cuber, having the right tools and resources can make a huge difference in improving your solves, learning new algorithms, and tracking progress. Today I want to share some of the best online cubing resources I use and recommend for beginners and intermediate solvers alike. 1. CubeSkills by Feliks Zemdegs Website: https://www.cubeskills.com CubeSkills is one of the most well-known cubing learning platforms. It’s created by Feliks Zemdegs, one of the fastest cubers in the world. Why I like it: Step-by-step tutorials for CFOP, Roux, and beginner methods Videos for finger tricks, F2L, OLL, PLL, and more Structured courses that guide you from beginner to advanced Perfect for learning algorithms with visual examples and understanding how to improve efficiency. 2. SpeedSolving Forums Website: https://www.speedsolving.com This is the go-to forum for the cubing community. You can ask questions, share progress, and read discussions about cubes, competitions, and algori...
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Reviewing My Current Cube: Tornado V3

When it comes to speedcubing, the right cube can make a big difference — and after trying several, I’ve settled on the Tornado V3 as my current main. I’ve been using it for a while now, and I want to share my thoughts on why it works so well for me. Settings Here’s how I have my Tornado V3 configured: Tension: 3 and 2 Magnets: Medium Lubrication: GAN Lube for smooth turning and Lunar for extra control These settings give me the perfect balance of stability and speed . It’s fast enough to hit sub-20 solves comfortably, but stable enough that I rarely lock up or misalign pieces during fast turns. Feel and Performance Turning: Smooth and predictable, with just enough resistance to feel in control. Corner Cutting: Excellent, making my solves more forgiving on imperfect alignments. Stability vs Speed: Many cubes lean too far toward either speed or stability. The Tornado V3 hits the sweet spot for me — I can go fast without worrying about losing control. ...
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Top Mistakes to Avoid in F2L

F2L is where most cubers lose time without realizing it. Even small habits can add seconds to every solve. Today I’m breaking down the most common F2L mistakes and how you can fix each one. If you’re stuck around the 20–30 second range, this is a great place to start cleaning up your solves. 1. Staring at One Pair Too Long A common mistake is tunneling on one pair and wasting time trying to force it to work. Fix: If a pair doesn’t make sense right away, move on. Good F2L is about flow , not perfection. 2. Ignoring Lookahead Beginners often insert one pair and then pause completely to search for the next pair. Fix: Always start scanning for your next pair before finishing the current insertion. Keeping your eyes on upcoming pairs reduces pauses and keeps solves smooth. 3. Over-Rotating the Cube Constantly spinning the cube to “find” pieces slows you down a lot. Fix: Train yourself to: Use U and U’ to bring pieces into view Reduce cube rotations to necessary only ...
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Tutorial: CFOP F2L Tips for Beginners

 F2L is one of the biggest steps in the CFOP method, and it’s where most cubers make the most improvement once they start getting serious. At first, F2L can feel slow, confusing, and full of pauses — but with the right mindset and techniques, it becomes the most satisfying part of the solve. Here are some simple, beginner-friendly tips that can instantly make F2L smoother and more efficient: 1. Learn to Track the Corner and Edge Together Instead of solving the corner and edge separately, try to look for the matching pair right away. A good habit is: Find the corner Immediately find the edge that matches its colors This helps you start thinking of F2L in pairs, not pieces. 2. Bring Pieces Out in a “Safe” Way If the corner or edge is stuck in a slot, don’t panic — just take it out without breaking other pairs. For example: Use U , U’ , or U2 to bring the corner into a better position Use simple moves like R U R’ or F’ U’ F to free pieces without destroying ...
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How I Warm Up Before a Cubing Session

Warming up before a cubing session helps me solve more smoothly and avoid those awkward first few solves that feel stiff or sloppy. Instead of jumping straight into full solves, I like to warm up with a few OLLs and PLLs to get my hands and brain ready. Here’s the routine I normally use: 1. Light Turning (1 minute) I still start with gentle, calm turning just to loosen up my fingers. Nothing fast — just enough to get comfortable with the cube. 2. OLL Warm-Up (2 minutes) I go through a handful of my most common OLLs, focusing on: Smooth finger tricks No unnecessary regrips Consistent execution Some examples I like warming up with: OLL 21 (Sune) OLL 22 (Anti-Sune) OLL 20 (Cross OLL) OLL 36 / 37 (Easy U-shapes) I don’t do every OLL — just ones that show up a lot and feel good to warm up my hands. 3. PLL Warm-Up (2–3 minutes) Next, I practice a few PLLs, usually ones that are fast and flowy. Some of the PLLs I use for warm-up: U Perms (Ua / Ub) H Pe...
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I made a Cubing Timer (semi-functional)

I’ve been working on my own cubing timer, and it’s coming along nicely. It can start, stop, reset, and track solves — basically all the core functions you need. But there are still a couple of missing pieces: it doesn’t save your solves between sessions, and the CSV import feature doesn’t work yet. Here’s what it can do right now: Accurate start/stop Track solves in the current session Calculate averages like ao5 and ao12 Show PBs for the session Clean, simple interface Here’s what it can’t do yet: Save your solves to come back to later Import solves from a CSV file I should mention — I’m not a coder myself . I put this timer together by copying code from ChatGPT. Even so, it’s really satisfying to see something I helped "build" actually function like a real cubing timer. My plan is to gradually add the missing features so it can fully replace other timers, and I’ll post updates as I make improvements. For now, it’s semi-functional… but I’m already ...
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