So you want to get fast at Skewb? Well you’ve come to the right place! In this guide, I will be covering the basics as well as a guide for improving your Skewb times till you get to a good speed.
Step 1 - Learn Sarah’s Beginner method: This method is the first method that I ever learnt. It is better than Monkeydudes 1 alg method, becuase it also uses only 1 alg and is way more efficient.
Step 2 - Finger-tricks: Skewb is known for being easy to get fast at, which is true till a certain point. The next, and one of the key steps to getting fast, is to learn how to finger-trick sledgehammer. This algorithm is used from the beginning all the way to the end and it is important to be able to perform this fast. There are many tutorials online on how to do this and are very good to learn from. My advice is, to make sure to execute the sledgehammer in a way that you find comfortable. I perform it in a way that uses my wrist more than my fingers.
Step 3 - Layer and Methods: At this point you will be quite adept at solving the Skewb, but you might be lacking on efficiency on the layer. The layer on an average Takes 7 to 8 moves to complete. A good way to practice layer efficiency Is to do un-timed solves. Looking at Example solves of faster Cuber’s will help in understanding how they solve it. Improving the method from beginners to intermediate or advanced is another crucial step you must take. Beginners method has too many sledgehammers to be able to get fast solves. Intermediate method and advanced method reduces the number of sledgehammers you have to do thus improving the time.
Step 4 - Two Looking: Another step to getting fast which is often overlooked is to two look your solves. One look for the layer and the other look for solving the rest. This allows you to spend lesser time looking at the cube and more time solving.
Step 5 : Practice! All of this will not come together unless you practice regularly and try to solve as much as possible. Analyse your splits and see your weak points and practice on those weak point so you get a better solve overall.
Happy Skewbing!
— CRD
About the author:
Chetan Roger Dhanjal is the current National Champion and National Record holder in Skewb speed-solving (both single and average). He is a former Asian Record holder as well!
You can view his WCA profile here.
