I got a rubiks cube back in the 80’s. At the time it was the era of Record Breakers and watching the crazy skills of some of the speed solvers was pretty astonishing. However, I was often frustrated with it. Twisting was pretty random and any progress seemed almost immediately lost as I broke one pattern in an attempt to solve for another face.
So step forward maybe 30-40 years later and my son picked one up from a toyshop whilst we were on holiday and I thought it was time to have another attempt.
With the help of the internet I learned key patterns that allowed me to make certain moves. These moves combined into larger patterns and although it took most of one afternoon I was able to finally solve my first cube.
I reflected on some take-aways that were applicable for coaching and training and I’ll share below.
- Patience – This is true at both a large scale and micro level. The solution came both in years and in hours. The patience was found in a willingness to return to problems that I had found frustrating previously. It also had to be found in the short term. Making multiple errors yet returning to the puzzle. This is so applicable to training. Often there are challenges that fox us, maybe that qualification, an elusive PB or magical time or even getting an entry into London marathon. Stick at it. With patience and perseverance you can get there.
- Take advice – Using guides to help you learn patterns is invaluable. There are logical approaches that have been proven to work. Start with the basics and work up to more complex, “marginal-gains” solutions. Trimming a few seconds off solving is not relevant when you are starting out. This again is the same as training. The fundamentals are the priority as they give the biggest results, not the professional marginal gains. Don’t walk past the pounds (or the bundles of cash) in order to pick up the pennies.
- Perfection – Beware of anyone that shows you perfection and the “look at me” photos. At one point on solving the cube my wife thought I had done it but she could only see a limited number of pieces. I could easily have bluffed that I had achieved more than I actually had and she would have believed me. How often do we see the photos online or hear a partial story of success. The danger is we compare our own performances with these views of perfection but be wary as maybe there is more than meets the eye. Also as much of a buzz that I could have taken from “solving” the cube, in my heart I know it would not have been true. Keep in mind that you are setting challenges for yourself and not for the reaction of others.
- Backwards can be forwards – As you get to the final pieces of the puzzle it is more and more challenging to solve pieces as you risk losing everything you have worked on so far. How precious are you going to hold onto these old solutions? It is a fundamental of solving that you must undo some solutions to move forward to make the final pattern. In training this is also the case. You must apply some stressor to reduce your performance in the short term with fatigue BUT also then recreate the prior fitness level via well manages recovery and adaption to re-achieve the prior fitness and then surpass it. Sometimes this can be more significant, like adapting your swim stroke. This can often cause you to take a short term step back before later the gains come through.
- Logical Patterns – Much like training there are logical patterns that are used to solve the puzzle. The basics are very simple. What is crucial is using the right pattern at the right time and based on the whole series of pieces. There is no point in solving one piece in isolation of the others.
- Honesty – The puzzle doesn’t have personality. It is either solved or not. It is an honest challenge. Very much like training or events.
- Your identity is not in the puzzle solving – Many people say they cannot, i.e. I cannot solve a cube. This is not your identity. It is learned skill rather than an inherent characteristic of the person. This is much like training. Often I hear….I’m not an “x”. Perhaps with the patience and time and practice this sense of limitation can be overcome?
- Fun! – Remember at the end of all of this, the puzzle is like training. It is a challenge we set ourselves but throughout the process although the goal can be great to achieve perhaps the joy is in the process of trying and enjoying the activity.
Love to hear your thoughts and any reflections you might have on this. Any of the above resonate with you?
