Fridrich F2L tips?

[InfiniteZero]

I've intuitively/memorized most of the f2l cases, but I still can't really spot the corner/edge pairs quickly and it really shows after my cross. Do you guys have any f2l tips for me?

Thank you

 

[ExoCorsair]

Practice, practice, practice...

 

[Inferno.Fighter.IV]

I hate to just say practice, because when I was first learning that's not what I liked to hear, but like ExoCorsair said "Practice, practice, practice..." I don't think you can really teach someone to be able to find the pairs, I --like many other cubers-- kind of just got good at it on my own. You should also be glad that you've got the "algorithms" down, that's the hardest part, and even that is really easy.

 

[InfiniteZero]

so then there really is no hope?

 

[joey]

There is hope, it lies in practice.

 

[doubleyou]

I'd say the same. but at least this is what I can recommend,
for cross:

plan out at least 2 of the edges. then just keep an eye on the other pieces as you solve the first two. when you start on the third you probably have planned out the last as well. when you solve those you start to keep and eye out for the first pair on the the f2l.

you can always spot an easy one, cuz there are so many. multislotting is also very easy as no slots are taken. so the first pair is always easy to plan and execute on the fly.

as you fill in the slots you remember that none useful pieces can be there and they are therefor easier to find.

reminding youself these kinds of facts are nice. and very useful.

 

[ExoCorsair]

Take the F2L slowly at first and reduce delays between each pair. Look for the next pair while doing the algorithm for one pair.

Just taking the F2L slowly to delay less got me from a 40 second average to a 35 second average.

 

[Jason Baum]

Obviously practicing is the best thing to do, but here are some tips that might help you.

I recommend going through a list of F2L algorithms and comparing them to your intuitive "algs". You should make sure that you are not wasting any moves on any of the pairs.

I think a mix between intuitive F2L and alg-based F2L is best. By that I mean you should definitely be able to see how all of the pairs work, but you should also be able to solve each pair without looking. I know a few people who use intuitive F2L and they get into the bad habit of following the pair with every turn, and what ends up happening is they see the pair, break it up/pair them up, then look at the pair again to see how to insert it. This is very bad, and it slows you down A LOT. You should be able to look at the pair and be able to break it up/pair it up and solve it in one fluid motion while at the same time knowing what you are doing. This is what I mean by a mix between intuitive F2L and alg-based F2L.

This will also help you look ahead. If you can solve every F2L pair without having to look at what you are doing, you can use this to your advantage to look around the cube for pieces while you are solving a pair. Looking ahead is THE KEY to a good F2L.

You should also keep track of pieces that are "stuck" in the F2L. By this I mean if there is an edge that is in the middle layer or if there is a corner in the first layer. As you see these, keep a mental note of what pieces they are and where they are. Don't solve the pair until you see where the other piece is. That way once you see where the other piece is, you automatically know what the pair is.

Also, keep track of the slots that you have used and the slots that are still open. You can use empty slots to your advantage to avoid cube rotations.

It also helps to know a few tricks. One of my favorite F2L cases is this: U R' F R F' R' U' R (do the inverse to set up).

These are just some of the things that have helped my F2L get pretty solid. Hope this helps!

 

[InfiniteZero]

Thanks guys, You gave exactly the nice tips i was hoping for ^__^

 

[Lt-UnReaL]

I solve my F2L as if there was only one empty slot. I'm not sure how to use extra slots as an advantage, and I also am not sure how to multislot.

Can anyone explain this? It would really help me out.

 

[joey]

I don't think you really need multislotting, I don't know of many, who use it.

See how a certai F2L move affects slots, then use that to your advantage. As you are going through F2L know which slots are empty, to reduce moves needed.

 

[Cubinator]

I don't really know that many F2L tricks, and the ones I do know I've figured out on my own. R2 U2 R U2 R2 and its inverse can be useful quite a bit (The first U2 can usually be shortened to U or U', depending on the situation), and R2 U2 R2 U2 R2 is a good one to know. Anyone know any other useful ones?

 

[cmhardw]

The most helpful thing for getting better at my F2L, by far, was metronome solving. http://www.metronomeonline.com Set it to a beat, say 60, and you have to do a turn every beat while solving F2L. If you miss a beat you have to stop and rescramble and start over. Try to get all the way through the F2L. If 60 is too fast try 40, just find a tempo that's good for you. Try to work your way up as high as you can. Remember though, the key is that if you ever miss a beat without doing a turn you have to stop and rescramble and start over. The solve is either perfect all the way through F2L or you stop and try again.

It can get frustrating, but when you turn the metronome off and try a regular solve you'll be surprised how much easier it will feel to look ahead.

Chris

 

[Lt-UnReaL]

The fastest I could do was 90. But I still don't see how having extra slots open can be an advantage. :/

 

[joey]

When you have empty slots, you can avoid cube rotations.

 

[pjk]

Empty slots are very helpful and can minimize the move count of the F2L around 5-10 moves, which could mean 1,2, even 3 seconds.

 

[cmhardw]

I haven't practiced metronome solving lately as much as I used to, but I just tried and I'm about 50% successful at 184 tempo. If I can get past the cross/1st pair transition it's pretty easy, but that is the time when I tend to delay the most when I solve. This taught me though to focus real hard as I finish the cross when I am solving to make sure I can spot a pair without much, or hopefully any, of a delay.

As for empty slots, search online and read up on those. They are the key to speeding up your F2L. There is a lot of literature out there for how to use them, you just have to look for it.

Hope that helps,
Chris

 

[InfiniteZero]

Thanks, Chris, The metronome tip is REAL great. I did 63 tempo fluently (I listend to 18x and it seems impossible to do at that speed :blink: )

I can't seem to notice any empty slots literature. (not looking properly?) I just google it.

 

[ExoCorsair]

Macky has some F2L empty slots tips on his site: www.cubefreak.net (under empty slots section in the F2L section).

 

[Joël]

Hello,

Practice is one of the best tips... F2L takes a lot of time to really 'master'. But there are some tips I'd like to give you:

1. During your practice, try to solve with different kinds of speed. A VERY good way of practicing is to solve the cube as SLOWLY as you want, but without stopping. This forces you to look ahead during solving. Of course, this will only work if you know all your F2L algs really well.

2. Another tip for when you just learned the F2L algs: Solve the cube without timing, and try to minimize the number of moves as much as possible. Move count isn't everything, but when you are still learning, I recommend optimizing your solution. You did probably not learn any bad habits yet, that's your advantage. So try to find you own shortcuts. Also search the internet for shorcuts.

3. Mirror the algorithms so you can solve the F2L cases from all angles.

There's a lot more to say about F2L, but I'll stop now .

- Jo?l.