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How can a beginner get faster?

bloorg

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Joined
Dec 19, 2012
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0
Location
birmingham, uk
:fpi have recently started cubing, and have been trying to get an average of at least 20-30 seconds within the next few months. i use fridrich f2l and 2 look oll and pll which i learnt last friday and have an average of 50 seconds and a record of 45 - shockingly slow! anyway some tips on how to improveb(i know; practice, practice, practice) some useful links and when and how i should be learning full fridrich, would be much appreciated :{D
 

Veerexx

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Nov 27, 2012
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Brisbane, Australia (Anyone here?)
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I completely agree with everyone above. Learning to look ahead alot during f2l gets you much faster and greatly improves your times for OLL and PLL because you will learn to look ahead and see what you need to do. Also try and plan out the WHOLE first cross during inspection. Every cross (nearly) can be solved within 8 moves. Try doing it without looking for a day or two to get your cross down to memory only and not searching for it during the putting together of it. Try and increase recognition time for the OLL and PLL cases. Honestly though, learning full PLL is good, but can only REALLY help if you are willing to put in the extra time to increase your recognition because 2-look has less cases and is easier to recognise. Maybe try and speed up a little bit before worrying about learning full PLL.

A great thing to practice is ALWAYS f2l. It can always be improved and it is always great to practice it. Look ahead, do it :)

Anyway, hoped that my help :3
 
Joined
Mar 10, 2012
Messages
10
Location
Neverland
First of all, do you have a good, quality speed cube? Not just the store bought Rubiks brand. If you don't consider an upgrade.
Second, take a look at some good Fridrich F2L videos. I found Monkedue1313's (youtube) videos very useful.
Last, remember what yo mamma told ya: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. (practice makes perfect);)
 

CheesePuffs

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Jan 5, 2012
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I do not think full PLL is needed. I use 4LLL and can still easily average ~28 second solves. In my opinion, faster recognition is more important than learning more algs. If you feel like not knowing full PLL is hindering your time, that's when you should learn full PLL. I have told this to myself and I have yet to learn full PLL. Just have your cube around you and play around with it. People say to learn your algorithms and to practice but sometimes just turn your cube and look how the pieces move around the cube. That will help you how to learn to make a cross and help you with F2l. Look ahead will help a lot in the long run but if your aim is 20-30 seconds, look ahead is not needed. Having a good cube is essential otherwise your hands and wrists will hurt after many solves.
 

Veerexx

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Joined
Nov 27, 2012
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Location
Brisbane, Australia (Anyone here?)
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I do not think full PLL is needed. I use 4LLL and can still easily average ~28 second solves. In my opinion, faster recognition is more important than learning more algs. If you feel like not knowing full PLL is hindering your time, that's when you should learn full PLL. I have told this to myself and I have yet to learn full PLL. Just have your cube around you and play around with it. People say to learn your algorithms and to practice but sometimes just turn your cube and look how the pieces move around the cube. That will help you how to learn to make a cross and help you with F2l. Look ahead will help a lot in the long run but if your aim is 20-30 seconds, look ahead is not needed. Having a good cube is essential otherwise your hands and wrists will hurt after many solves.

I completely agree with cheesepuffs :3
 

Johnnyman318

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Jul 13, 2012
Messages
29
I learned full PLL and F2L lookahead in my first 3 months. I was sub-30, next month ~18 seconds. They're important.
 

speedpicker

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Joined
Jul 3, 2011
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182
Location
Wales
To learn lookahead, first ensure that you can solve any f2l case (preferably from any angle) without actually looking at the pieces. Identify where they are and practice closing your eyes and inserting the pair. Once this is no problem, your eyes are essentially free to look around the cube whilst a given pair is being inserted, to find the next. To practice this looking ahead, do slow solves with the cube, trying hard to not pause at any point during the f2l, as a pause usually occurs when you are looking for pieces (U,U,U,U, doesn't count!). If you prefer a more structured approach, its hard to beat solving to a metronome (www.metronomeonline.com). Set the metronome for a relatively slow speed and solve one move per click. Gradually increase the speed until you find the point where you just can't quite keep up with it 100% of the time. 100% of the time is v. important, when metronome solving, most moves/pairs you solve are fairly easy, its the tricky ones which trip you up that you need to be identifying and working on, but these don't crop as often as we would perhaps like. So ensuring 100% mastery of a level before moving on is important.

Practice at this speed until you can do 10-12 f2ls without missing a beat. Try to make U2/R2 count as one move, and I personally allow a rotation to count a whole click, since this takes a bit longer than a regular move (try to reduce these to 0-2 per solve too!). You will find that the only way to progress up the metronome speeds is to train your eyes to look ahead to the next pair of pieces, and failure to do so will mean you have to start your 10-12 f2ls all over again. If you get really stuck on a given speed there are a couple of techniques borrowed from musical instrument practice which are worth having a crack at. Take the metronome down a bit and try increasing speeds in a two clicks up, followed by one click down pattern. Say you start at 100, and can't do 105. Try going up to 110 for a bit (which you will mess up a few times, but thats OK), and then come down to 105. 105 should feel a lot easier. A more extreme version of this is to put the metronome up to an extremely fast (relatively) speed, and then return to the level you wished to achieve. In the previous example, having a good go at 130 bpm (and once again inevitably failing, just give it your best shot), should make the target speed of 105 feel much more comfortable. Its akin to the feeling you get going back to a 3x3 after putting in a 7x7 average. Anyway, steadily move up the metronome in small increments (the website given goes up in 4bpm increments, this is ideal), and once you exceed 180-200 bpm, your lookahead is just fine. To save time whilst practicing, do the last pair at full speed, as there is nothing to lookahead to.

This technique also works for improving cross-f2l transition. Solve the cross and first pair to the metronome beat. The idea is to eliminate any pause between cross and f2l.

Don't do real timed solves in the regimented click click way, this is a practice technique only. In real solves to get the most from your practice sessions, try reducing your f2l speed to around 80% of maximum to fully engage your new lookahead skills, accelerating through to 100% for the last pair as pieces get fewer and fewer places to hide. As your lookahead develops, your maximal lookahead %age speed will also increase. I have often found that when I physically turn a bit slower during f2l, I actually get better times, as I am allowing my lookahead the chance to work more effectively.

In general however, all you are doing is enforcing the old advice of slow down and look ahead. In real competition type solves f2l TPS speed varies during the course of the four pairs being solved. This is why I recommend stopping metronome practice after 180-200 bpm, as this is seems to be the point where training yourself to be this regimented is actually counterproductive. By this level your lookahead should be an embedded, natural process which flows with your solve, and not something separate. Its a bit wierd actually, when you find yourself doing it without thinking or straining, you wonder how you didn't do it or couldn't do it before. Its a bit like driving a car, there is a point when you learn when you don't think about gearstick, pedals, wheel and what to do with them when, you just go...
 
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