# Taking deep breaths before cubing.



## Mudkip (Oct 30, 2011)

Who else takes deep breaths before a solve? I have started doing this recently, and my times have gotten significantly faster. Like from a 21 avg to a 17. This could because it relaxes me. What do you think?

ps. I'm not really familiar with posts like this, fell free to move this topic if I misplaced it.


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## Cheese11 (Oct 30, 2011)

No I havn't. 

Today I was at a comp and during the first round of 3x3, I was shaking like crazy. 
I wish I could have tried this.


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## collinbxyz (Oct 30, 2011)

I don't for cubing (I'll try after this), but I know some baseball pitchers take a deep breathe before pitching.


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## SpeedSolve (Oct 30, 2011)

Funny you bring this, up, because I started doing this too! I didn't even mean too, either. It was at a comp about a week ago, and before my solve I took a deep breath (mostly because I was nervous, it was my first comp, I was the first to go, and The Birdman* was there) and I got up there and got first. With a crappy 38.34, I messed up on F2L twice and on PLL. :fp


* The Birdman is Chris Anderson, number 11(?) on the Denver Nuggets. FYI


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## collinbxyz (Oct 30, 2011)

I tend to hold my breathe when I try this... pretty cool though


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## thackernerd (Oct 30, 2011)

Ya their is a lot of baseball pitchers that take a deep breath before every pitch.


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## Jokerman5656 (Oct 30, 2011)

Cheese11 said:


> No I havn't.
> 
> Today I was at a comp and during the first round of 3x3, I was shaking like crazy.
> I wish I could have tried this.


 
That was your body telling you that you needed a mountain dew


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## The Bloody Talon (Oct 30, 2011)

yes! I do this in my every official solve. 
Just a habit that started from taekwondo competitions (where I shout), but instead that I shout, I just take a deep breath then a big exhale before solving . It makes me feel relax and ready.


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## IamWEB (Oct 30, 2011)

Nothing a nice, full supply of oxygen to the brain to keep you focused for a solve.

Edit: See below post XD


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## Anthony (Oct 30, 2011)

SpeedSolve said:


> it was my first comp, I was the first to go, and The Birdman* was there
> 
> * The Birdman is Chris Anderson, number 11(?) on the Denver Nuggets. FYI


Wait, what?


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## SpeedSolve (Oct 30, 2011)

Anthony said:


> Wait, what?


 
Wut.


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## nitay6669 (Oct 30, 2011)

i do this on all solves that i remember to. and i can see that usually all of those solves are significantly better then the other ones.


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## Broom (Oct 30, 2011)

I've noticed that I get nerves every time I time myself whilst solving, and this shows when I jam the cube, drop it, etc. I have to try this, it seems so perfect for me.


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## 5BLD (Oct 30, 2011)

I find it good to do this but I usually forget.
What's annoying is this 'mental barrier' which I need to break to get into that perfect mind set... You know what I mean?


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## Dacuba (Oct 30, 2011)

Every solve where I manage to focus on the cube only, I am significantly better than my average (barely sub15).
Once I mess up one solve, it is hard for me to get back to my perfect mental state. I tried deep breaths for that, but usually I need a pause of several minutes after a failsolve, otherwise I will mess up the next 5 solves too.
The problem is I don't like to make this pauses, but I need them to calm down.


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## DRAGON_RYU (Oct 30, 2011)

I feel like your saying to yourself:
It's okay, no need to feel STRESS.
Which increases my stress when I do it before playing guitar.
But mayB cubin' is different.


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## RCTACameron (Oct 30, 2011)

At home, I don't usually take deep breaths because I'm not very nervous, so it won't help much, and it just takes to long to do it before every solve. But if I am nervous (like at the end of an average of 100, or if I need to get a good solve to roll into a PB average) I will. I also do this a lot in weekly competitions. In official competitions, I do this on most solves. In the 2x2 finals at Worlds I took 4 deep breaths before every solve.


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## majikat (Oct 30, 2011)

I do this as well- I also like to meditate in the mornings as well as before a cubing practice session, which I think helps a lot. Helps me to focus my mind completely on the cube...and I try to remember to breathe deeply and slowly even while I'm solving, to keep my mind in a focused, sort of meditative state all through the solve.


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## LeighzerCuber (Oct 30, 2011)

Dacuba said:


> Every solve where I manage to focus on the cube only, I am significantly better than my average (barely sub15).
> Once I mess up one solve, it is hard for me to get back to my perfect mental state. I tried deep breaths for that, but usually I need a pause of several minutes after a failsolve, otherwise I will mess up the next 5 solves too.
> The problem is I don't like to make this pauses, but I need them to calm down.


 
What you have to do is ignore the solve and think to yourself "Ok that was terrible. Let's try to save this average." I say this due to the fact that every time that I had a fail solve and freaked out over it everything else was down hill. When you ignore it and say,"Well I this is what I have to deal with. On with the next solve." then you don't get that adrenaline flow into your blood stream, thus, you aren't slowing you minds agility. I think that the you can't go to a pb average, but the pb average will come to you if you are slowly improving and staying calm.


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## majikat (Oct 30, 2011)

LeighzerCuber said:


> What you have to do is ignore the solve and think to yourself "Ok that was terrible. Let's try to save this average." I say this due to the fact that every time that I had a fail solve and freaked out over it everything else was down hill. When you ignore it and say,"Well I this is what I have to deal with. On with the next solve." then you don't get that adrenaline flow into your blood stream, thus, you aren't slowing you minds agility. I think that the you can't go to a pb average, but the pb average will come to you if you are slowly improving and staying calm.



So what you're saying is,


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## Weston (Oct 30, 2011)

I run around a lot before I take tests. I should try that for cubing too.


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## LeighzerCuber (Oct 30, 2011)

majikat said:


> So what you're saying is, {Picture inserted here explaining your point}


Pretty much.


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## Ressiol (Oct 31, 2011)

For someone always doing the cross wrong on 1/4 of his solves, this is so much perfect for me, and this didn't even require me a cent. Thanks for the reminder!


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## TheZenith27 (Nov 1, 2011)

I saw Feliks doing this in the Finals at Worlds.


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## masterofthebass (Nov 1, 2011)

TheZenith27 said:


> I saw Feliks doing this in the Finals at Worlds.


 
and that worked out so well 

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLjkjkjkjkjk


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## thackernerd (Nov 1, 2011)

masterofthebass said:


> and that worked out so well
> 
> LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLjkjkjkjkjk


 
Haha


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## Faz (Nov 1, 2011)

masterofthebass said:


> and that worked out so well
> 
> LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLjkjkjkjkjk


 
Well it seemed to work in 5x5


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## thackernerd (Nov 1, 2011)

fazrulz said:


> Well it seemed to work in 5x5


 
That was awesome


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## musicninja17 (Nov 1, 2011)

I've always kind've wondered about breathing technique DURING solves. Like maybe some of us have a tendency to hold our breath a bit?

Maybe "zeroing" is Faz continuously breathing through his whole solve. xD


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## Cheese11 (Nov 5, 2011)

musicninja17 said:


> I've always kind've wondered about breathing technique DURING solves. Like maybe some of us have a tendency to hold our breath a bit?
> 
> Maybe "zeroing" is Faz continuously breathing through his whole solve. xD


 
I'm pretty sure I hold my breath DURING solves. 

And probs not.


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## majikat (Nov 6, 2011)

Cheese11 said:


> I'm pretty sure I hold my breath DURING solves.


 
I used to do that too, subconsciously- but it helped me a lot to start focus on my breathing throughout the solve, if only to get more oxygen to the brain (as well as my muscles, in my fingers) to stay relaxed and not lock up as much.
I find meditation before solving to be helpful, and especially Pranayama, which is basically breathing exercises related to yoga...I'd recommend looking into it.


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## Cheese11 (Nov 6, 2011)

majikat said:


> I used to do that too, subconsciously- but it helped me a lot to start focus on my breathing throughout the solve, if only to get more oxygen to the brain (as well as my muscles, in my fingers) to stay relaxed and not lock up as much.
> I find meditation before solving to be helpful, and especially Pranayama, which is basically breathing exercises related to yoga...I'd recommend looking into it.


 
Hmm, maybe I will look into that. Thanks.

(I laughed so hard when I saw where your from )


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## majikat (Nov 6, 2011)

Why?
I'm actually from Idaho, but living in Montana right now....


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## Cheese11 (Nov 7, 2011)

majikat said:


> Why?
> I'm actually from Idaho, but living in Montana right now....


 
Oh, 

Well, theres a Big Bang Theory episode where Sheldon want to find a new place to live, and he chooses Bozeman.
And then when he gets there, his stuff gets stolen.


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## majikat (Nov 7, 2011)

Cheese11 said:


> Oh,
> 
> Well, theres a Big Bang Theory episode where Sheldon want to find a new place to live, and he chooses Bozeman.
> And then when he gets there, his stuff gets stolen.


 
Oh nice!! I love that show, haven't watched it in a while though...that's awesome.
Wish I had seen him around while he was here, hahaha.


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## Sg.Speedcuber (Nov 7, 2011)

i do it everytime before i start inspection


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## Cuberty (Nov 7, 2011)

It actually works! I got my first sub 1 minute time with this.


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## FlyingFingers (Nov 8, 2011)

I take deep breaths before cubing, It helps me from twitching.


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## FlyingFingers (Nov 8, 2011)

I remember that


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