3x3 next steps?

[doctorgibberish]

I have memorized full pll for cfop and I average abt 21.84 seconds atm...what should I learn or work on next for 3x3? How should I approach practicing these things?

 

[Caleb Valenzuela]

Here’s a guide i made for Sub-20 on 3x3:

Thread 'Sub-20 is easy with this guide'

Feb 13, 2026

I saw that a lot of members here are not sub-20, and while i have a compilation thread for a bunch of tips, i’ve decided to make a sub-20 thread so that this reaches as many not-sub-20 solvers as possible. Here’s what you should know before following this guide:
Know 2-look OLL and PLL
Solve cross in 8 moves or less
Know intuitive F2L
Know basic fingertricks

note: these are all in order of what you should learn first to what you should learn last.
1. Learn Full PLL
Get your algs from speedcubedb or whatever yt tutorial you can find (i recommend J perm or CubeHead’s tutorials). Make...

• Caleb Valenzuela
• Replies: 26
• Forum: How-to's, Guides, etc.

• 
• 
• 

 

[doctorgibberish]

Here’s a guide i made for Sub-20 on 3x3:

Thread 'Sub-20 is easy with this guide'

Feb 13, 2026

I saw that a lot of members here are not sub-20, and while i have a compilation thread for a bunch of tips, i’ve decided to make a sub-20 thread so that this reaches as many not-sub-20 solvers as possible. Here’s what you should know before following this guide:
Know 2-look OLL and PLL
Solve cross in 8 moves or less
Know intuitive F2L
Know basic fingertricks

note: these are all in order of what you should learn first to what you should learn last.
1. Learn Full PLL
Get your algs from speedcubedb or whatever yt tutorial you can find (i recommend J perm or CubeHead’s tutorials). Make...

• Caleb Valenzuela
• Replies: 26
• Forum: How-to's, Guides, etc.

• 
• 
• 

So my next step is advanced f2l it looks like. How do I practice this? Pll was easy to learn since there's a lot of trainers and resources for it. Any good f2l trainers or tips for practicing and memorizing?

 

[doctorgibberish]

Here’s a guide i made for Sub-20 on 3x3:

Thread 'Sub-20 is easy with this guide'

Feb 13, 2026

I saw that a lot of members here are not sub-20, and while i have a compilation thread for a bunch of tips, i’ve decided to make a sub-20 thread so that this reaches as many not-sub-20 solvers as possible. Here’s what you should know before following this guide:
Know 2-look OLL and PLL
Solve cross in 8 moves or less
Know intuitive F2L
Know basic fingertricks

note: these are all in order of what you should learn first to what you should learn last.
1. Learn Full PLL
Get your algs from speedcubedb or whatever yt tutorial you can find (i recommend J perm or CubeHead’s tutorials). Make...

• Caleb Valenzuela
• Replies: 26
• Forum: How-to's, Guides, etc.

• 
• 
• 

Also, where does memorizing full OLL fall along in this?

 

[Caleb Valenzuela]

Also, where does memorizing full OLL fall along in this?

You don’t need full OLL to be sub-20, so i didn’t put it in there. You can learn it now if you want, just learn good fingertricks and good algorithms.

 

[Caleb Valenzuela]

So my next step is advanced f2l it looks like. How do I practice this? Pll was easy to learn since there's a lot of trainers and resources for it. Any good f2l trainers or tips for practicing and memorizing?

go to speedcubedb and look for an “advanced F2L case”. Do the setup moves and try solving the case yourself. Then do the setup moves again and try some of the algorithms speedcubedb offered. Make sure you observe what the algorithm is doing to the cube doing the notation on your cube. Start with all the front-right and front-left slot cases first. Don’t use algorithms that have a rotation in the middle of the solution. Make sure you’re super comfortable with the algorithms before you learn the backslot cases.

 

[doctorgibberish]

go to speedcubedb and look for an “advanced F2L case”. Do the setup moves and try solving the case yourself. Then do the setup moves again and try some of the algorithms speedcubedb offered. Make sure you observe what the algorithm is doing to the cube doing the notation on your cube. Start with all the front-right and front-left slot cases first. Don’t use algorithms that have a rotation in the middle of the solution. Make sure you’re super comfortable with the algorithms before you learn the backslot cases.

Are there any f2l trainers kinda like jperm's oll and pll trainers?

 

[Caleb Valenzuela]

Are there any f2l trainers kinda like jperm's oll and pll trainers?

there are F2L trainers:

F2L Trainer

Master F2L algorithms with interactive 3D training and smart cube support.

f2l-trainer.top

 

[THE_V01DL0RD]

You don’t need full OLL to be sub-20, so i didn’t put it in there. You can learn it now if you want, just learn good fingertricks and good algorithms.

You dont need full PLL either d:

 

[Michael Wimberly]

You dont need full PLL either d:

This guy is the sole exception, I needed full PLL for sub-25 lol

 

[CrossPetrus]

You dont need full PLL either d:

Bro I had oll-d and pll to get sub25!

 

[THE_V01DL0RD]

This guy is the sole exception, I needed full PLL for sub-25 lol

Im just special like that :3
Sub 17 btw

 

[GeographicalCuber]

This guy is the sole exception, I needed full PLL for sub-25 lol

I was like 19 avg before I learnt full PLL

Rn I avg 14 and don't even know half of oll

 

[SpeedCubingLord]

its best to know full pll to become sub 20, then full oll arounfld 17. this and f2l should be your main focus. also, drill corss for like 5 minutes, it helps. do untimed solves and implement your new algs and techniques, and try to get rid of your old bad habits. good luck!

 

[doctorgibberish]

its best to know full pll to become sub 20, then full oll arounfld 17. this and f2l should be your main focus. also, drill corss for like 5 minutes, it helps. do untimed solves and implement your new algs and techniques, and try to get rid of your old bad habits. good luck!

So after pll, full oll or full f2l?

 

[SpeedCubingLord]

So after pll, full oll or full f2l?

F2L

 

[doctorgibberish]

F2L

Do I learn full oll after f2l or somewhere else in the process?

 

[SpeedCubingLord]

Do I learn full oll after f2l or somewhere else in the process?

learn full F2L rn. when you average 17-18, learn full oll

 

[THE_V01DL0RD]

F2L

Id argue intuitive F2L should be fine for a bit longer

So after pll, full oll or full f2l?

I say oll but you do you
Aren't half the oll cases mirrors of eachother anyway?
You could prolly say that about any algset tho soooooo d:

Not that I know anything about learning algs tho

 

[SpeedCubingLord]

Id argue intuitive F2L should be fine for a bit longer

I say oll but you do you
Aren't half the oll cases mirrors of eachother anyway?
You could prolly say that about any algset tho soooooo d:

Not that I know anything about learning algs tho

well you still dont know full pll



trust me, f2l should be your main focus. it is the most time cinsuming part of the solve, and you should be constantly improving it.