[Help Thread] Lookahead Discussion

Get better algs if u dont already have them, and don't try to move the cube fast during the f2l, just stop and look. With time u will have less time to see what did u get in f2l. And the last thing is, practice OLL/PLL algs, get them fast.
 
The most important thing is this:

If you're comfortable with your F2L algs and can do them blind (without looking), then let your eyes wander to your next pair.
Unless you have freakishly fast recognition, the only way to continue to your next pair is knowing where it is and how to insert it.

If you can solve F2L pairs without looking, then temporarily your eyes are completely useless. Just force yourself to look at the rest of the cube. As this becomes routine with practice and experience, you'll be able to actually see the pieces while the cube is twisting fast. Oh and turn slowly 'cause you're not used to it yet.

TRY THIS.
Do a solve while turning slowly. I don't mean snail slow, but slow enough so that it goes relatively smoothly and slow down a little bit for LL as well and just make it like gliding turns instead of choppy turns. Then compare the times you get to your regular times.

I average ~16 seconds yet I can still sub 20 with slowing down a lot, even for OLL and PLL.

The point is that turning speed is not that important, so slowing down is a good place to start to make look ahead easier.
 
I'm not really sub 20 yet because I haven't graduated the sub 20 forum yet but.

I am averaging high 19s and low 20 so I think this will help. First Make sure you now all your PLL's and start to drill then you want most of them sub 3.
Now look ahead Just don't use the timer and do walk though solves then after 30 solve or so start to just do solve solves just focus on not pausing. So when you doing one piece make your mind look for other pieces.
Just do many solves just going slow. Then get a metronome just solve cross and f2l. Just to around 100 to 120 bpm. Next start timing yourself your times will be worst. Then make your overall turning speed faster. Try to get your times within 5 second your normal average. Then turn alittle bit faster. And just start to get used to looking ahead and not pausing. Then do normal averages of 12 like you normally do but still try to lookahead. Over a few weeks you should see improvements. That's what I did. Also if you don't like that you can just do 100 or more solve a day but if you do both it will be better.

Hope this helps that at least what I did.
 
Need help on look ahead

So i average at around 24 seconds, rarely getting a sub-20, and i know that my biggest problem is f2l. If i learn to look ahead then i might hit sub-20 averages. My breakdown i --> 4 seconds-cross 15 seconds-f2l 3 seconds-2 look oll 2 seconds-PLL. Can anyone please help me??? :)
 
Need help on look ahead

Practice practice practice. Try doing more slow solves and practice finding an f2l pair as you're doing the cross and also tracking other pairs while you pair up and insert others.
*also try inserting pairs in the back with out cube rotations. That will also save you a few seconds :) badmephisto has a great video. I'd link you but I'm on my phone. I think it's titles f2l tips or something along those lines.
 
Make sure you know your F2L cases by muscle memory. Make sure when you spot a pair, you can insert it without looking. When you are good at that, during solving, when you see a pair, don't look at it but instead look around for other pieces without looking at the pair you are currently doing..
 
I also got probs with a Look ahead :( I count my cross+ F2l is about 11-15 sec . To me look ahead @ F2L is most important. Keep on practice and Good Luck Joohoo.
 
Lookahead and avoiding hard cases?

Guys, can lookahead become so good that you know how to avoid hard cases ie: cases that are more than 8 or 9 moves long? Feliks said if an alg is more than 2 moves long but I was looking at bunch Feliks' reconstructions and I noticed that even he gets caught with the longer cases (He's gotten SS algs 12, 32, 38-42 a few times) but lately any time he has a long alg it's a multi-slotting alg that gives him 2 slots for one alg.(Don't know if that's lucky or something else he's putting into his solves) and he's not just using shorter algs for the hard cases. Is that luck or is that something you can put into your solves?
 
The only cases that take more than two triggers are the ones where both pieces are in a slot, so you can generally avoid them by using that slot for a prior case to get the pieces out early.
 
Sometimes I see two F2L pairs and choose to do the easiest. I bet better cubers can do more than that.

Remember that an algorithm with lower move count doesn't necessarily means it is better or faster. Some of them have a high movecount but are pretty ergonomic and fast.
 
Why not lookahead?

Hello,
I have been told by MANY that lookahead is pointless at my stage.. they said I can get a sub 20 average without lookahead... ya know.. it's kind of hard to get sub 20 if my cross and f2l alone take about 22-23 seconds.. why can't I work on lookahead? What is wrong with it? I feel that that is the longest part of my solve.. I am learning PLL, and plan on learning OLL.. but those might cut my time by 3-5 seconds? Where lookahead requires, yes, a lot of practice, but no algorithms.. I have 2 step OLL.. So.. why no lookahead?
 
StarOfDoom said:
Hello,
I have been told by MANY that lookahead is pointless at my stage.. they said I can get a sub 20 average without lookahead... ya know.. it's kind of hard to get sub 20 if my cross and f2l alone take about 22-23 seconds.. why can't I work on lookahead? What is wrong with it? I feel that that is the longest part of my solve.. I am learning PLL, and plan on learning OLL.. but those might cut my time by 3-5 seconds? Where lookahead requires, yes, a lot of practice, but no algorithms.. I have 2 step OLL.. So.. why no lookahead?
Click to expand...

Once you are confident in being able to do most of your F2L cases blind there is no reason not to begin lookahead. Often times I think people who are slower and also learned intuitive F2L still look at their current pair because it helps them remember what to do next and they need to get to the stage where they can confidently solve each case blind so they can begin to scan the cube and let their hands worry about the current pair. Sounds like you might be at the point where you can begin lookahead and that's great.

Although I never learned lookahead until I was sub15 so to improve without lookahead requires being able to find F2L pairs faster than you currently do which just takes practice.
 
Last edited:
jeff081692 said:
Once you are confident in being able to do most of your F2L cases blind there is no reason not to begin lookahead. Often times I think people who are slower and also learned intuitive F2L still look at their current pair because it helps them remember what to do next and they need to get to the stage where they can confidently solve each case blind so they can begin to scan the cube and let their hands worry about the current pair. Sounds like you might be at the point where you can begin lookahead and that's great.
Click to expand...

I can do all cases bld.. and I have told people that.. they just say don't work on lookahead no matter what.. I spend so much time just looking for pieces...
 
StarOfDoom said:
I can do all cases bld.. and I have told people that.. they just say don't work on lookahead no matter what.. I spend so much time just looking for pieces...
Click to expand...

ok well I had just made an edit relating to that and so I am not sure which is truly the best way to go. All I did was keep cubing until my progress started to slow down to a point where I needed to introduce something new and then I forced myself to lookahead. Maybe someone else has a better perspective on the matter.
 
uberCuber said:
Whoever is telling you this, don't listen to them. I wonder what it is they think you should actually be working on, then?
Click to expand...

Exactly. I am working on PLL and OLL, but you know, school and homework gets in the way, and my brain can only take about an algorithm every about 4 days...
 
How to practice Look ahead? Metronome method is not working for me as I go at a steady pace while using metronome but while solving I go as fast as possible!
Any other way to practice going at a steady pace?
 
CriticalCubing said:
How to practice Look ahead? Metronome method is not working for me as I go at a steady pace while using metronome but while solving I go as fast as possible!
Any other way to practice going at a steady pace?
Click to expand...
1. Practise solving every F2L case with eyes closed until you can do them all no problem.
2. As above, but now find another pair first, and track that second pair mentally with your eyes closed while solving the first pair. (What you are practising with this is two things - both tracking how the second pieces move around the cube, and solving the first pair without mentally tracking it. With exercise #1 above, the temptation is still to think about the pieces being solved rather than solving the case purely from muscle memory.)

I tried for a long time with metronome and it was never comfortable for me. Solving to a fixed beat just destroyed my muscle memory recall.
 
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