Hey guys, glad to be here.
So I have recently picked up the cube again after a few months, and finished learning F2L. I have always been told that learning this method would significantly increase my times, but my 30-60 second times have stayed the same. Can someone a little bit more experienced in this topic please help me? Thank you!
First off, welcome to the forum! Here’s a few tips...
1. YouTube. There many helpful videos there that can be useful not just for improving F2L, but for almost any cubing topic in general. Just type in “F2L tips and tricks”. It also helps to watch walkthrough solves. Check out other posts on this forum as well. You’ll probably find a lot of good tips.
2. A more straight forward tip: look ahead. Try to plan ahead to the next pair and track where pieces will go (CubeShephard said something similar in an earlier post). Doing solves slowly or solving pairs blindfold/with eyes closed can help with this.
3. It’s important to note that F2L isn’t just a method, but also a step in another method called CFOP (
Cross,
F2L,
OLL, and
PLL). (Link:
https://www.speedsolving.com/wiki/index.php/CFOP_method)
This is a really advanced method, but there are simpler versions for each step. Your times might be stagnant because of cross and the last layer, not just from faulty F2L. Your F2L could be fine actually, but if your cross and last layer are still slow, F2L can only help you so much. If you haven’t done so already, learn 4 look last layer and try doing the cross intuitively and on the bottom instead of on top (there are tutorials on YouTube for these).
4. Practice (sounds kinda cliche, but it is important). While doing so, try think about what you could improve on (what cases am I slow on, what fingertricks would be better, etc).
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
