Hi! I am a fellow Roux solver. I have a weak spot in the first step of roux, and have found that others do to, so I made this thread for Roux solvers wanting to get better at the first step, and share there knowledge with the world! Good Luck!
LONG VERSION
The first block is challenging. Becuase when we do first block we have the entire cube to work with. Plus the fact that you only have 15 seconds to inspect makes it more challenging to find what you need. So first it might be a good idea
not to use timed inspection, (unless you are going to a competition and need to practice that) you should use as much time as you need to look at the cube. This gets your mind used to predicting the location of pieces and creating a solution in your head. Second, you want to experiment. By this I mean
do slow solves whenever you can. Try to use different moves and techniques, even if you do not think it will work. Knowing more about how the cube works and how things move will help you find the most efficient solution. Eventually, something
will work and you can use it on future solves. Now, slow solves and experiments are great, but sometimes we just need to extra boost cut down that movement. This is why you should
watch example solves. Example solves are great, you get to see what other people do and apply those strategies to your own solving. There are so many ways to make the first block, just seeing other people do it really helps. I myself still need to be more efficient and faster, but I have other things like LSE and CMLL to work on first. I hope I helped in some way. I hope that you are able to cut down on move count. Happy Rouxing
~Mr.Roux86
SHORT VERSION
Look at the bolded phrases above.
Use untimed inspection
Do slow solves
Experiment with the cube
Yeah just do that and you should be good
