How do you plan a cross and look a head in F2L?

[Sphearow]

I've been the searching the forums for hours on these two questions, but I'm a huge nub and know nothing about cube terminology so most of the stuff here confuses me. Also, most of the people asking these questions are like sub 40 - 30 or less and I'm 1:13 and have been stuck on it for more than a week. My goal is to get sub 40 in a month and apparently, one of the huge time slashers is pre-planning your cross and looking a head in F2L.

Please, use the least amount of cube terminology required to answer this question. If you have to, at least explain what it means please?

Appreciate any helpful responses.

 

[jla]

Looking ahead means that you know what to do next, if I solve the red piece I simultaneously look for the blue piece, I find it while solving the other piece so that I don't have any pause between the pieces. But at your speed, I wouldn't worry about look-ahead too much. There are more important aspects; what cube do you use, what method, how many algs do you know etc.

 

[MarcelP]

Hi,

Getting sub 40 without a clue of lookahead is very good possible. If you know all the pairing cases and execute them in 2 seconds there is no problem. Doing the cross in a few seconds is a matter of understanding how to do it. I had a big problem doing crosses fast. After seeing this video it sunk in:
[video=youtube_share;YcacSzrpMg8]http://youtu.be/YcacSzrpMg8[/video]

Then I practised 'cross only' for a week. Litterally doing only crosses for 1 - 2 hours at a time. Now I can do crosses much faster. I am not sub 30 so I can improve still a lot. Looking ahead is something that you can practise. I scramble the cube. Take full inspection and try to do the cross with my eyes closed. That almost never works with me After solving the cross I try to look for the first pair when I place the last piece of the cross (or orient the D layer). When I find the pair then I close my eyes and put them in the slot. This works for me now 99 out of 100 times. In the beginning this was maybe 10 out of 100 times. When you are at the stage where you can do this with your eyes closed, then you can start looking for the next pair when you are slotting one pair. Looking ahead is now kicking in with me. Don't expect it to kick in with you in a few days. It takes thousands of solves I guess.

 

[Sphearow]

I use CFOP, know all of 2-look OLL and 11 PLLs, a store bought cube, haven't thought of buying a real speed cube yet.

But at your speed, I wouldn't worry about look-ahead too much.

That's the thing, I've been stuck on this time for about a week and I really want to improve soon. Even 10 seconds would be fine for me. At least getting below 60 would make me ecstatic.

Hi,

Getting sub 40 without a clue of lookahead is very good possible. If you know all the pairing cases and execute them in 2 seconds there is no problem. Doing the cross in a few seconds is a matter of understanding how to do it. I had a big problem doing crosses fast. After seeing this video it sunk in:

Spoiler

[video=youtube_share;YcacSzrpMg8]http://youtu.be/YcacSzrpMg8[/video]

Then I practised 'cross only' for a week. Litterally doing only crosses for 1 - 2 hours at a time. Now I can do crosses much faster. I am not sub 30 so I can improve still a lot. Looking ahead is something that you can practise. I scramble the cube. Take full inspection and try to do the cross with my eyes closed. That almost never works with me After solving the cross I try to look for the first pair when I place the last piece of the cross (or orient the D layer). When I find the pair then I close my eyes and put them in the slot. This works for me now 99 out of 100 times. In the beginning this was maybe 10 out of 100 times. When you are at the stage where you can do this with your eyes closed, then you can start looking for the next pair when you are slotting one pair. Looking ahead is now kicking in with me. Don't expect it to kick in with you in a few days. It takes thousands of solves I guess.

Thanks for your input, I'll definitely check that video out when my Internet isn't throttled. I'll take your advice and see if it works for me.

 

[MarcelP]

Getting a Dayan cube will take more than 10 seconds of your times in a day. That's for sure..

 

[Escher]

Buy a real cube, it really does make a huge difference. The Dayan Guhong II or 55mm Mini Zhanchi are probably your best options. If you really want to focus simply on cross efficiency, input scrambles into this solver: http://laire.fi/jarcs/ and you will be able to follow optimal crosses and see how they work, and you can compare them to what you would have done (write down several attempts at a cross for a particular scramble before you see the optimal solution(s)).
At this point you're learning the 'rules of the game' - it's like practising specific shots in tennis before you can hold up a casual rally - just focus on doing your beginner method as fast as you can, as well as playing around and discovering things for yourself.

 

[hcfong]

Getting a Dayan cube will take more than 10 seconds of your times in a day. That's for sure..

I might be an extreme case, but it took 40 seconds off my time instantly

 

[ducttapecuber]

I personally would recommend getting a Dayan guhong v1 and tightening the screws so it is a little faster than your rubiks brand. Once you feel comfortable loosen the screws a little bit. Then once you get comfortable lossen the screws again, so your cube will grow with you and you will end up with a cube that's right for you.

 

[JianhanC]

You can easily get sub40 just being familiar with the F2L cases and do them with lesser moves, lookahead will help more later on.

 

[applemobile]

One cannot look ahead untill one can insert pairs/ solve the cross blindfolded.

 

[BenVdd]

I agree with most of you that you who say can sub 40 without lookahead (I did it).
However it is never too soon to start practicing it imo. It will make his life easier in the long run I guess.

 

[WBCube]

If you aren't color neutral, I'd highly recommend becoming color neutral. You'll find many more easy crosses, and it's not that hard at all to switch.

 

[Meshack]

Your turning speed is affected by the type of cube you use. If you are using a Rubik's Brand your times will definitely be slower than if you were using a Dayan GuHong V2, or Zhanchi. With a Rubik's brand you have to do wrist turns, which is not speed efficient, while with the Dayans you can easily do fingertricks, and greatly increase your turning speed. Just ask yourself, "How many of the top cubers use a Rubik's brand?"

 

[WBCube]

If you want to be completely fair, with enough modding and lubing and working in, you can make a Rubik's brand tolerable. However, without springs, the corner cutting will still be vastly inferior, and Guhong isn't even that much more than a Rubik's brand. Not worth the time or effort.

 

[jonlin]

That's the thing, I've been stuck on this time for about a week and I really want to improve soon. Even 10 seconds would be fine for me. At least getting below 60 would make me ecstatic.

You're too impatient. I was actually 1:13 for 2 months before I started to improve. Give it time. Improving isn't just like a snap of the fingers, else everyone would be sub 15/sub-10. You have be more patient. Right now what you describe, you should be 40-30 seconds.

 

[5BLD]

Some like to push themselves...
It's not necessarily a bad thing though if you are determined to work hard at it. It is only bad if you spend your whole cubing life feeling sad over your progress. It's a fine line between feeling sad for yourself and feeling determined to reach your current potential, finer than I thought it was...

 

[Sphearow]

Thanks for all your input into this. I don't know any good speed cubes at the moment because like I said, I'm a nub. I haven't even been cubing for a month. Jonlin, I can see where you're coming from, and I guess you're right. I've always had a bit of an impatient attitude towards things which tends to be a bad thing because I would quit.

I did a tiny bit of research into colour neutral and as of now, it does not seem like a attractive idea but I might look into it later.

Reading from all your posts, you seem to suggest to me to be able to insert pairs quickly first before look ahead and to be able to do the cross blindfolded. I did ask about planning the cross or doing it blindfolded, whichever seems better to you. Today, I did about 3 hours of just planning the cross. I don't know if I'm doing it right though. What's supposed to go through your head while inspecting your cube and planning the cross?

 

[SixSidedCube]

Thanks for all your input into this. I don't know any good speed cubes at the moment because like I said, I'm a nub. I haven't even been cubing for a month. Jonlin, I can see where you're coming from, and I guess you're right. I've always had a bit of an impatient attitude towards things which tends to be a bad thing because I would quit.

I did a tiny bit of research into colour neutral and as of now, it does not seem like a attractive idea but I might look into it later.

Reading from all your posts, you seem to suggest to me to be able to insert pairs quickly first before look ahead and to be able to do the cross blindfolded. I did ask about planning the cross or doing it blindfolded, whichever seems better to you. Today, I did about 3 hours of just planning the cross. I don't know if I'm doing it right though. What's supposed to go through your head while inspecting your cube and planning the cross?

In your head, you should be tracing where pieces should go as you turn the sides to get your first cross piece to where it needs to go. Take this scramble for example: B2 D' B2 F2 D' L2 D' L2 B2 D' B R2 F L2 U F L' R' U' F2

Now hold the cube with Yellow on top, green in front (Assuming you are White Cross only?). My cross would be: U, D', L, D', F', L2.

(Think ahead while you inspect) 'I scan the cube for the 4 pieces, noticing that the White/Orange piece is already oriented correctly on the D face. As I do the first U to move the Green/White piece into it's place, no other cross pieces are disturbed, allowing me to continue to the next move no problem. I know that Blue is on the B face, so I do a D', then L, to allow the blue to get into it's oriented but not permuted spot at DL. I then do another D' to line up the Orange/White and Blue/White pieces with their correct position of DR and DF respectively. As I do that, it allows me to to the F' to position the Green/White piece correctly, and then all I need to do do is the R2, to finish the cross.
As I do the final 1-2 moves, I look for my first F2L pair, which, after the cross, would be U2, L, R', U, R, L'.

I hope this helps, but if someone else has a different example, it may be easier to follow.

 

[MarcelP]

I don't know if I'm doing it right though. What's supposed to go through your head while inspecting your cube and planning the cross?

I was (and still am a bit) terrible at crosses. I tried to make a video of how I improved the last few weeks. That might help:
[video=youtube_share;zIk5kbXi_vg]http://youtu.be/zIk5kbXi_vg[/video]

 

[Sphearow]

Thanks you two, I'll try these as soon as I can! For now, I have a school report due