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Myth - Rotations are bad
Fact - Your solve should not be completely rotation less! In many cases, like when you can insert using your left hand, rotations are pointless. Instead, you need to practice inserting with your left hand so that both hands are equally efficient. But in some cases like when you have to use F moves or B moves to insert, it is better to do a rotation and insert from the left or right side. Using F and B moves in F2L is really efficient and you’re better off just doing a cube rotation.
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Myth - The faster the puzzle, the better you are.
Fact - If you have a cube that can easily perform fingertricks, you’re good to go! Improving your cube past this level won’t affect your time much. The only exception to this is if you have a cube that is hard to turn, or of really cheap quality. That’s why it is recommended to buy from legitimate sources like cubelelo.com. So, if you’re buying your first puzzle, go for value-for-money choices instead of the most expensive ones.
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Myth - There is a “best” tension setting.
Fact - People have different turning styles. Some people may turn rough, while some may turn smooth and steady. So, some people may prefer lighter tensions and some may prefer stronger tensions. There is no “best” tension setting. Obviously, the tension setting also depends on the cube that you’re using but it is really a personal preference. I like my cubes to be fast, but not so much that it becomes unstable.
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Myth - CFOP is the best method.
Fact - CFOP is really very popular and is used by the fastest cubers in the world. But that doesn’t mean that it is the best method out there. There are a lot of other methods as well, like Roux and ZZ. They are less popular but it is again, up to personal preference and some people can do Roux better than CFOP.
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Myth - You should always practice in a competitive environment.
Fact - Many people advise practicing in a competitive environment. It is true, you should practice in a competitive environment, but not all the time! You should also do untimed solves and really play around with the cube to figure out new ways and new techniques to solve cases and be more efficient in doing so!
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Myth - More practice = more improvement
Fact - This is really not true. There’s a level of practice that causes improvement, and there’s a level of practice that causes burnout and loss of focus. Stick to practicing till you feel that it can cause improvement. It’s different for different people. Some people are capable of practicing longer while some people are not. Some people can improve with little practice while others require more practice to improve. Avoid burnout.
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Myth - OLLs are very hard to memorize
Fact - Most of the OLLs can be broken down into triggers and can be learned using a plethora of memorization techniques. Learning one algorithm a day, or two algorithms a day helps you not be intimidated by the 57 OLLs and keeps it simple and easy to learn.
Learn full OLLs here - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi1qqDQ2F_oxOouRRS0363SiGyqqZymxj
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Myth - Budget cubes are bad
Fact - Budget cubes are made to be more affordable to speedcubers so that everyone can get better and buy those without burning a hole in their pocket. There are a lot of budget cubes that perform as well as the top flagships! Take, for example, the Drift 3M Pro 3x3 (Magentic) and the Drift 3M PRO MagLev 3x3 (Magnetic). Budget cubes are not bad at all! They’re just meant for people who wanna practice speedcubing on a budget.
About Author
Sarthak Masta
Sarthak Masta is a speedcuber from Raipur. He started cubing in 2013 and now has 9 years of cubing experience. Apart from cubing, Sarthak enjoys making music and singing. He has attended a total of 7 competitions in Raipur and has gotten 10 podiums, with 2 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 4 bronze medals.
