"... Most internet players think that 30 5 is slow, but that is unlikely slow enough to play 'real' chess. You need a game slow enough so that for most of the game you have time to consider all your candidate moves as well as your opponent’s possible replies that at least include his checks, captures, and serious threats, to make sure you can meet all of them. For the average OTB player G/90 is about the fastest, which might be roughly 60 10 online, where there is some delay. But there is no absolute; some people think faster than others and others can play real chess faster because of experience. Many internet players are reluctant to play slower than 30 5 so you might have to settle for that as a 'slow' game." - NM Dan Heisman (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627010008/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman12.pdf
… @kindaspongey i started learning with correspondence but found myself unable to calculate in my head. so switched to 15m 10s to be more well rounded but I find my thinking process escapes me and i just make terrible moves. I am too scared to try Blitz haha. ... i've recently joined the slow chess club ...
I am a little bit confused. I thought that it was not considered necessary to calculate in one's head in correspondence chess. If that is what you did, you may have been giving a considerable advantage to your opponent. I am not sure what "15m 10s" is, but, even if it is not Blitz, it sounds like it is still a speed that strongly favors those with more experience. I hope that you have a satisfactory experience with the 30/30 games.