teaching beginner LL

[happa95]

So, I taught my 9 year-old brother LBL first two layers and amazingly, he was able to understand and memorize how to do it in less than an hour! Now, I wanna teach him the last layer but am not exactly sure I should go about doing it. How would/do YOU teach it?

 

[d4m4s74]

one alg from the first look of two look OLL (I'd say F R U R' U'), one alg from second look of two look OLL (I'd go for sune), one alg for corner permutation (your choice), and one or two for edge permutation (3 cycle)

 

[spader]

Dan Harris's website teaches a great last layer

 

[ImNOTnoob]

I would give him some nice algs, such as corner algs that dont affect edges and edge algs that dont affect corners so that if can do the last layer in any order he wants.

 

[Toire-Dakku]

I've taught a cousin about that age and he got it right away as well with LL too. I've also taught people around 17 or 18 in age, and some of them have given up on the cross.

1.) Teach how to read notations
2.) Introduce the algorithm, explain what it is
3.) teach how and when to use them
4.) teach the 4 steps in LL solving.

Along the way I would give notes and some drawings to help them understand the function, and on a later date they could remember the algs, and remember what they are for.

 

[bundat]

Normally, when I'm teaching a beginner, the way I teach the LL is:

step 1: OLLcross
repeat FRUR'U'F' until you get a cross
cases transition as:
dot-case -> inverted-L-case -> horizontal-line-case -> cross

step 2: OLLcorners
repeat sune(RUR'URU2R') until you get the full OLL
cases:
"tank shape" - face the tank towards you before performing sune
"fish shape" - face the fish-head toward the lower-left corner before doing sune
everything else - just do it
(these cases would ensure that he wouldn't be stuck in a loop)

step 3:
- repeated T-perm for corners
If there are "headlights" (two adjacent corners with same colors on one face)
rotate the cube such that this face is on the left side and do the T-perm.
Otherwise, do the T-perm, and it will create "headlights".

step 4:
- repeated U-perm
Just teach him 1 U-perm. He'll have to do it once or twice.
If he gets something else for edges (H or Z perm), just blindly do the U-perm and he'll end up with 1 solved edge.

---
But the only reason I do that is because it requires only 4 algs to memorize
(fruruf and sune for OLL, T and 1 U perm for PLL)

Of course, if his memory is good enough for memorizing LBL F2L in just 1 hour, I suggest you exploit that, and teach him FULL alg F2L (NOT intuitive, he might find memorizing easier than analyzing), all algs for 2-Look OLL, and full PLL.

I know someone who went that route and got sub-20 in 2 months.
Actually... most people who go that route and are good at memorizing usually get sub-20 in 2 months.

 

[Stefan]

Actually... most people who go that route and are good at memorizing usually get sub-20 in 2 months.

More statistics please.

 

[AvGalen]

Actually... most people who go that route and are good at memorizing usually get sub-20 in 2 months.

More statistics please.

Anyone that got sub-20 within 2 months, raise your hands
Anyone that learned alg-based F2L, 2 look OLL and 1 look PLL in 2 months, raise your hands

(none of my hands are raised)

 

[trying-to-speedcube...]

Actually... most people who go that route and are good at memorizing usually get sub-20 in 2 months.

More statistics please.

Anyone that got sub-20 within 2 months, raise your hands
Anyone that learned alg-based F2L, 2 look OLL and 1 look PLL in 2 months, raise your hands

(none of my hands are raised)

And I thought I was improving fast by being sub-minute in 2 months?

 

[bundat]

Let me rephrase that, most people I know who went that route got sub-20 in 2 months. Mostly PCA (Philippine Cubers Association) people, the only person I know the full name is Ken Daganio (but his only official 3x3 competition was when he was only sub-30) and other random people I met in cube meets, whom I know only by username or first name.

Well, most of us went the intuitive route, and the small group that first achieved sub-20 are all alg F2L users except for a couple and most of them got that time in 2 months of cubing, whilst most of us intuitive users took about 3-6 months, some never even got there, while only remember 1 alg user in PCA who never broke that barrier; so I just got that impression.

 

[martian]

I don't remember how to do the beginner LL as I switched from it to 3-look last layer. Is it normal to forget the old method when you learn a new one?

 

[mrbiggs]

Let me rephrase that, most people I know who went that route got sub-20 in 2 months. Mostly PCA (Philippine Cubers Association) people, the only person I know the full name is Ken Daganio (but his only official 3x3 competition was when he was only sub-30) and other random people I met in cube meets, whom I know only by username or first name.

Well, most of us went the intuitive route, and the small group that first achieved sub-20 are all alg F2L users except for a couple and most of them got that time in 2 months of cubing, whilst most of us intuitive users took about 3-6 months, some never even got there, while only remember 1 alg user in PCA who never broke that barrier; so I just got that impression.

Really? The UWR shows a few people who claim sub-20 in two months or so. Obviously some of them might not be true, and there are probably a fair number of people who achieved this who didn't bother to submit it, but to call it normal or average seems unlikely to me.

 

[bundat]

I'm not saying its common to get sub-20 in 2 months, I'm more along the lines of saying that its common that alg F2L users (the people I know anyway) achieve sub-20 in 2 months.

I just think that since those who prefer that route are pretty rare, as everyone, including me, took the inituitive route, it also seems rare to achieve sub-20 in 2 months (just as rare as alg F2L users...seems a little bit more than a coincidence to me).

In case you want to check official records for examples of real people...I managed to recall more people I know who managed to achieve sub-20 in 2 months... Isagani Esteron, the Canares brothers IIRC (JB and John), Durben Virtucio(sp?) a 15-year old who could even manage occassional sub-15 solves 3 months after learning, Ken Daganio (although he quit 3x3 before he could get an official record)...and a few others... I forget. And they all went that route.

But I dunno... these are just my personal observations. Maybe I'm just surrounded by geniuses and it's not really common after all..

 

[DarkLightA]

Why not teach it the original way?

F R U R' U' F' from dot -> upper left-hand L -> horizontal line -> cross

If any corners are in the correct location (not neccessarily correct orientation) have it in the bottom right hand corner (if none are oriented, have any corner there) and perform U R U' L' U R' U' L

Now just do R' D' R D to the bottom right-hand corner. When this is done, rotate U so another unsolved corner is in it's spot and repeat.

 

[goldencuber]

Why not teach it the original way?

F R U R' U' F' from dot -> upper left-hand L -> horizontal line -> cross

If any corners are in the correct location (not neccessarily correct orientation) have it in the bottom right hand corner (if none are oriented, have any corner there) and perform U R U' L' U R' U' L

Now just do R' D' R D to the bottom right-hand corner. When this is done, rotate U so another unsolved corner is in it's spot and repeat.

Personally I prefer to teach a intro Fridrich beginner method:
Cross ->Sune Algs to Orient ->Permeate Corners and Edges separately
(described at our almost 1/4 finished school website...http://www.rca.byethost17.com)
so that the people are almost forced to learn all the PLL's and COLL's later.
Imagine the pain of seeing the almost finished cube and having to slowly permeate corners/edges

Noticeably though...i had to use the other method Dark light just mentioned for people who didn't get the latter one............
___________________________________________________________
3x3 single=18.2 avg 24.<-no decimal I'm too lazy..really need to get faster
4x4 & 5x5 ?????

 

[goldencuber]

hmmm...really now i think i teach it as intuitively as i can, and revert to algs only when necessary...