[Help Thread] How do I improve my case recognition?

[brunson]

Practice is the only way. I wrote a program to help me with recognition, you're welcome to use it: http://brunson.com/drillsergeant/

Choose "Use only PLLs, no OLLs", the click "Drill". Try to recognize the PLL case from the two sides facing you before rotating the cube. If you always solve the same color cross, you can manipulate the color scheme to put your opposite color on top.

 

[bamman1108]

PLL and F2l Recognition???

I'm having a lot of trouble recognizing PLLs and F2L cases (which I do intuitively). I only know about half the PLLs, and I find it much easier to just do a 2-look PLL because it takes longer to recognize a PLL case I know than to perform both algorithms.

For F2L, I have trouble tracking edges and corners around the cube as I solve other pairs.

So far, my best time of 55 seconds not lucky was with the keyhole method and 2-look OLL and PLL, because the cases are so much easier to recognize. Does anyone have any advice on this?

 

[MichaelErskine]

"Go slow and look ahead."

Don't ask me what that means - I'm just a kid

 

[Lord Voldemort]

How long ago did you learn Fridrich F2l?
I'm almost sub30 (1.5 seconds left) and I'm still getting used to look ahead.
However, make sure you're comfortable with the basic cases before you try to look ahead.
And if you can't recognize the PLLs, then you haven't practiced them enough when you were memorizing.

 

[bamman1108]

I learned it about 2 weeks ago, aout 1 week after my first solve.

 

[byu]

So you've been cubing for 3 weeks now. You might want to take a look at the page I published a while ago about the guide to PLL. I finally got it up, and I think it is a useful tool for learning PLL cases.

 

[bamman1108]

Alright, I'll use that and Escher's advice in the intro topic.

The problem with PLL recognition is when the up face is rotated incorrectly. For instance, an R perm followed by a U2 is difficult for me to recognize. I'd have to do a U rotation, examine the cube and see if it matches a case, make another U rotation and so on until it exactly matches with whatever case I'm using.

 

[byu]

The problem with PLL recognition is when the up face is rotated incorrectly.

Not a problem if you first look for two matching colors on the same face that are part of a Last Layer corner piece, and then match it up to the correct face. By matching up as many corners and/or edges as possible, you will be able to recognize the correct pattern immediately and perform the correct algorithm.

 

[bamman1108]

I usually try to use two pieces with matching stickers (similar to 2-look PLL if that explains it better) and rotate that to the matching position, but it doesn't work often enough. The problem is finding out how to match up the most possible pices.

 

[IamWEB]

PLL: I was struggling to tell you a good way, but after leaving the thread I remembered this:

http://www.jasacube.110mb.com/pll.htm

 

[RyanReese09]

My average times break down as such. I average maybe 21 seconds, 22 ish

Cross=2 seconds
F2L=10-11 seconds
OLL=3seconds
PLL=6 seconds :fp

Those times are subjective of course. Easy F2L means faster then average times, an easy PLL t recognize makes that time lower..execution of PLL takes me at most 3 seconds (except for V perm, that is so slow for me. Takes me 4 seconds :fp, cant find it finger trick friendly..except the end of the algorithm)

Anyway, after looking at that, I realized my last layer sucks really bad. I need a way to recognize PLL faster. How do you guys do it? Lining up pieces and going from there just isn't cutting the cookie for me.

 

[Zarxrax]

Here's an idea for getting faster. If you sometimes have to look at all 4 sides, learn how to recognize from just 3. When a PLL comes up, look at the front, right, and left, and don't allow yourself to see the back side. Take as much time as you need. Then finish the cube.
You can see 3 sides very quickly by just tilting the cube a bit.

Also if you normally do a pre-auf, start saving auf to the end. This isn't necessarily any faster, but I think it helps to make your recognition quicker.

 

[dada222]

Practice. I don't think there's anything else that can improve recognision. You may also want to take a long look at each permuation case and see how you can recognise it easily. For example, I know that the F perm is the only permutation that has a completed "side" and no other groups of similar cubies. Stuff like that.
At least you have a good execution. Most PLLs take me 4+ seconds, some even more.

EDIT: There was also a guy that posted an article on recognising LL permutations by seeing only two sides. You may want to search for that.

 

[xXzaKerXx]

You're colour neutral, right? So if you can get your cross down to 2 seconds, PLL recog shouldn't be very hard for you. Try recognising it by 1x1x2 or 1x1x3 blocks and determine the case by looking for opposite colours and adjacent colours. Try to AUF after performing the alg, minimise cube rotations.

 

[Cubenovice]

BadM also has a video up on PLL recognition

 

[dabmasta]

BadM also has a video up on PPL recognition

PPL?


I look for blocks, and I can usually tell which PLL it is from looking at 2 faces.

 

[StachuK1992]

Depends how serious you are.
http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21678

I'm close to being able to just look and gogo rly fasts.

 

[CubesOfTheWorld]

For me, I just recognize with 3 sides and practice a lot. Practice would come in handy.

 

[RyanReese09]

Here's an idea for getting faster. If you sometimes have to look at all 4 sides, learn how to recognize from just 3. When a PLL comes up, look at the front, right, and left, and don't allow yourself to see the back side. Take as much time as you need. Then finish the cube.
You can see 3 sides very quickly by just tilting the cube a bit.
Also if you normally do a pre-auf, start saving auf to the end. This isn't necessarily any faster, but I think it helps to make your recognition quicker.

Good idea, I'll try that. I normally AUF except for Y perm, and sometimes J or T if I can recog it from my position.

Practice. I don't think there's anything else that can improve recognision. You may also want to take a long look at each permuation case and see how you can recognise it easily. For example, I know that the F perm is the only permutation that has a completed "side" and no other groups of similar cubies. Stuff like that.
At least you have a good execution. Most PLLs take me 4+ seconds, some even more.

EDIT: There was also a guy that posted an article on recognising LL permutations by seeing only two sides. You may want to search for that.

I obviously wouldn't be posting here if I didn't practice a lot. I wouldn't even consider my execution fast, my F and V perms are horrible..and but I guess my execution is ok

You're colour neutral, right? So if you can get your cross down to 2 seconds, PLL recog shouldn't be very hard for you. Try recognising it by 1x1x2 or 1x1x3 blocks and determine the case by looking for opposite colours and adjacent colours. Try to AUF after performing the alg, minimise cube rotations.

i WAS CN, but I stopped because I wanted to have good times come nats, i might CN after nats, depending on how I feel.

BadM also has a video up on PLL recognition

I'll try and find that

BadM also has a video up on PPL recognition

PPL?


I look for blocks, and I can usually tell which PLL it is from looking at 2 faces.

I'll try only looking at two, o.O

Depends how serious you are.
http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21678

I'm close to being able to just look and gogo rly fasts.

I will look into that, looks awesome

 

[Matt S]

Definitely read Stachuk1992's document, even if you don't intend to strictly use that technique, because it has a lot of nice tricks.

Depending on how you perform different PLLs, there are some handy "cheats" to make recognition easier. For instance, I have the headlights on the same side for all of the "dreaded" Gs, and the four are very easy to distinguish if you can see the side with the headlights. So, as soon as I know that I'm looking at some G, I immediately begin the AUF and determine which G while it's lining up.