Drills That Actually Make You a Faster Cuber

Most cubers plateau not because they lack knowledge but because they practice the wrong things. Doing full solve after full solve builds raw repetition, yet it rarely targets the specific moves that are slowing you down. Structured cube practice drills change that. Each drill below isolates one part of the solve so you can build real speed where it counts.

Why Drills Work Better Than Random Solves

A complete solve packs a lot of steps into one attempt. If your cross takes five seconds and your last layer takes twelve, you need different training for each. Drilling one piece at a time keeps your focus narrow and your improvements measurable.

You do not need a timer for every drill. Some of the most useful speedcubing drills are done slowly on purpose.

Slow Solves

Slow solves are the single most underused drill. The goal is to complete each step correctly and efficiently before your hands move to the next one.

Set no timer. Move at maybe a third of your usual pace. Notice every pause. If you stop to think for more than two seconds, that spot is where a drill belongs.

Run five to ten slow solves before your main practice session. You will spot habits you never noticed at full speed, including redundant moves, awkward regrips, and cases you do not actually recognize as well as you thought.

Cross Drills

The cross sets up everything that follows. A slow, searched-for cross wastes seconds that compound across every solve.

How to drill the cross:

• Set the cube to a scrambled state.
• Solve only the cross, then pause and assess how many moves it took.
• Scramble again. Try to reduce that move count.
• Repeat for five minutes without caring about overall time.

Target four to six moves per cross. If you are regularly hitting eight or more, you are likely solving each edge independently rather than planning them together. Slow solve the cross while narrating each move aloud. This forces conscious planning.

Color-neutral practice fits naturally here. If you always solve the white cross, try starting with a different color. Pick whichever color gives you the best cross each time. This feels harder at first and genuinely is, but it opens up faster cross solutions because you choose the most efficient starting point instead of defaulting to one face.

Finger Trick Drills

Finger tricks are the physical mechanics that let your hands move faster than you can consciously think. Without them, speed has a ceiling.

The most fundamental finger trick is the right-hand flick for R U R' U'. Rather than turning each face with a full grip, the index finger pushes U, the middle finger pulls R, and you develop a continuous rhythm.

A basic finger trick drill:

1. Hold the cube in your normal solving position.
2. Execute R U R' U' ten times in a row, slowly.
3. Focus on keeping the cube stable and letting only the fingers move.
4. Rest ten seconds.
5. Repeat four to six sets.

Do not time these reps. Speed comes from correct mechanics repeated often, not from rushing before the technique is solid. Once the motion feels automatic, you can start doing it during TV, commuting, or any idle moment. These drills to get faster at cubing are effective precisely because they build muscle memory outside of solves.

Other sequences worth drilling the same way: U' L' U L (left-hand mirror), F R U R' U' F' (common OLL), and R U2 R' U' R U' R' (a frequent PLL fragment).

F2L Pair Repetition

First two layers (F2L) is where most beginners spend the majority of their solve time. Repetition drills compress this.

F2L case drilling:

• Set up a specific F2L case manually (for example, the corner on top with its edge in the wrong slot).
• Solve it. Return to the same case. Solve it again.
• Run twenty to thirty reps of the same case in a single session.

Start with three or four of the cases you see most often. You can look these up in any F2L guide. The goal is that when you spot that pattern during a real solve, your hands move without any conscious deliberation.

After drilling cases, do a few timed solves and notice whether those specific pairs feel faster. Most cubers see improvement within a single session.

One-Handed Turning Practice

Solving one-handed sounds like a novelty but it is a useful drill even if you never compete one-handed. It forces you to minimize unnecessary regrips, which translates directly back to two-handed efficiency.

Pick up the cube with your dominant hand. Solve the cross only. Use fingers alone, no palm or wrist torquing. The constraint makes every inefficient movement obvious.

After a week of short one-handed cross drills, your two-handed cross will feel noticeably cleaner.

Drill Summary

Drill	Duration	Focus
Slow solves	5-10 solves	Spotting inefficiencies
Cross drill	5 minutes	Planning and move count
Color-neutral cross	5 minutes	Flexibility, best starting color
Finger trick reps (R U R' U')	4-6 sets of 10	Mechanics and muscle memory
F2L case drilling	20-30 reps per case	Recognition and execution
One-handed cross	5 minutes	Regrip reduction

You do not need to run all of these in a single session. Pick one or two drills per day and rotate through the list across the week.

Putting Drills Into a Practice Routine

Drills only help if you use them consistently. A simple structure: start with five slow solves, spend ten minutes on whichever targeted drill matches your current weakness, then finish with five to ten timed solves so you can see the drill pay off in real conditions.

Tracking which cases trip you up gives you a list of drills to prioritize. A tally in a notebook works fine. See how to use a cube timer and read your times for a deeper look at what your session data is telling you. Once you have a few weeks of data, you can build a full schedule around it using the approach in a realistic practice routine to lower your times.

Understanding your average solve also matters. If you want to know why cubers track groups of solves instead of single times, what is an average of 5 (Ao5) explains the format.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many drills should I do in a practice session?

One or two focused drills per session is enough. Doing too many at once splits your attention and slows the muscle memory you are trying to build. Consistent short sessions beat long unfocused ones.

Do I need to learn new algorithms to get faster?

Not immediately. For most beginners, better execution of the algorithms you already know is worth more than adding new ones. Use drills to make your current moves automatic before expanding your algorithm set.

How long before I see improvement from drilling?

For finger tricks, some people notice a difference within a few sessions. For F2L pair recognition, expect a week or two of daily drilling before it becomes automatic. Cross improvement often comes faster because it responds to planning habits rather than physical technique.

Should I drill with a lubed or stock cube?

A well-tensioned, lightly lubed cube lets you feel the mechanics without fighting the hardware. If your cube catches or locks, hardware issues will mask any technique improvements. Basic maintenance goes a long way.

Can these drills help if I am still learning to solve?

Slow solves and cross drills apply at any stage. Finger trick and F2L drills work best once you can complete those steps reliably. Learn the steps first, then use drills to build speed.