Your first month of speedcubing
Most people think solving a Rubik's Cube requires genius. It doesn't — it requires learning 7 algorithms, which takes an afternoon. After that, it's a reflex sport. Here's what the first month looks like.
By The JustBeginning Editors · Published June 1, 2026
Speedcubing has a reputation problem. Most people who haven’t tried it believe that fast solvers have memorized something incomprehensible — a thousand-step sequence that only a certain type of brain can hold. This is wrong.
The standard beginner method uses seven algorithms. An algorithm, in this context, is a short sequence of moves — typically 6-12 turns — that reliably produces one specific result on the cube. Learn these seven sequences and you can solve any scrambled Rubik’s Cube, every time. The rest is just building the speed to execute them faster.
That first month is a very specific experience. Here’s what it actually looks like.
Week 1: Your first solve
You’ll spend the first session watching a tutorial with the cube in your hands, pausing every 30 seconds to execute the next move sequence. This is normal. Everyone does it.
The beginner layer-by-layer method solves the cube in three stages: the first layer (called the white cross and first-layer corners), the middle layer (four edge pieces), and the last layer (the top face). The first two stages are largely intuitive — you can figure out most of the moves logically once you understand what needs to happen. The last layer is where the algorithms live.
J Perm’s beginner tutorial on YouTube is the standard. Watch it with the cube in your hands, not just your eyes. Pause. Execute. Rewatch. This is how everyone learns.
Your first unassisted solve will probably take 5-15 minutes. Write the time down. That number is your baseline, and watching it shrink over the next weeks is genuinely satisfying.
By the end of week one, almost everyone hits sub-5-minutes on unassisted solves. Some people hit sub-3-minutes. The algorithm sequences aren’t memorized yet — you’re still thinking about each move deliberately — but the path through the cube is becoming familiar.
The first plateau most beginners hit: the last-layer algorithms. There are two sets (called OLL and PLL in the beginner method — don’t worry about those labels yet). The beginner method uses simplified versions that are longer but easier to remember. Some people nail them in a day; others need a week of practice before they stop having to look them up. This is normal.
Week 2: Building muscle memory
By week two, the algorithm sequences are starting to become reflexes. You’re not thinking “right-up-right-up-left-up-left-down” anymore — you’re thinking “do the top-layer algorithm” and your hands execute it.
This is when timing yourself starts to feel meaningful rather than humbling. Use csTimer.net (free, browser-based) or a phone timer. Track your solves in a session. Watch your rolling average of 5 solves (called Ao5 in the community) slowly drop.
The goal for week two is sub-2-minutes consistently. Most people reach it. Here’s what helps:
- Look ahead. While you’re finishing one step, your eyes should already be finding the pieces for the next step. This is the core skill of speedcubing — anticipating what comes next so your hands never stop moving.
- Slow down on purpose for one session. Counterintuitive but effective: deliberately slow, smooth, deliberate turns expose bad habits that speed hides. You’ll find moves you can eliminate.
- Don’t over-optimize yet. You’ll read about “finger tricks” and advanced OLL/PLL algorithms. Ignore them for now. The gains at this stage come from fluency with the beginner method, not from swapping in more efficient algorithms.
Weeks 3-4: Breaking sub-1-minute
Sub-1-minute is the first real milestone. It’s when the hobby stops feeling like memorization and starts feeling like a sport.
Getting there doesn’t require learning a new method. It requires the same seven algorithms you already know, executed with less hesitation and more efficient finger movement. Two things accelerate this:
1. Improve your cross. The white cross (first step) is the most improvable part of the beginner method. Advanced solvers plan the entire cross in their head during the 15-second inspection period before the timer starts. You don’t need to do this yet, but even planning one or two cross pieces mentally before your hands move will shave 10-20 seconds off your solves.
2. F2L intuition. The second stage (inserting the four corners and edges that complete the first two layers) can be done much more efficiently by combining moves you’re currently doing separately. Watch one F2L tutorial video — not to memorize anything, just to understand that paired-piece insertion is a thing. Your intuition will start doing it naturally.
Most solvers who practice consistently hit sub-1-minute somewhere in weeks 3-4. When it happens, the solve will feel fast in a way none of your previous solves did. It’s the moment the hobby becomes an actual sport in your hands.
After the first month: what’s next
Sub-1-minute is where the beginner method runs out of road. The next natural step is CFOP — the full competitive algorithm set. Full CFOP has 78 OLL algorithms and 21 PLL algorithms, which sounds overwhelming, but most solvers learn them a handful at a time over months. You don’t need all 78 OLL to be competitive; learning the most common 20 and using lookahead to compensate for the rest gets you remarkably far.
The speedcubing community is also unusually organized. WCA competitions happen in most cities several times a year — and watching one as a spectator before you compete is one of the best things you can do as a new speedcuber. The range of skill in the room is inspiring rather than intimidating: the same event where the winner solves in 8 seconds also has competitors solving in 45 seconds, and everyone is cheering for everyone.
A few habits that separate people who plateau from people who keep improving:
- Time every session, not just good solves. Your Ao5 and Ao12 averages are more honest than cherry-picked best times.
- Review bad solves. When a solve takes longer than usual, figure out why — was it a missed algorithm, a slow F2L pair, or just a bad cross?
- Show someone else. Teaching the beginner method to a friend is one of the most reliable ways to solidify your own understanding of each stage.
Ready to gear up? See our speedcubing gear guide for the best starter cube, the right timer, and the lube that transforms a $12 cube into something that actually performs.