Symmetrical Fridrich Method

[StevenElliott]

I use the Fridrich method to solve the cube except that I mirror OLLs and PLLs in order to reduce the number of unique algorithms that I have to remember. Since I didn't find anything relevant on the Internet I thought I'd make a page that described the concept as well as mirrors of the OLLs and PLLs with their corresponding mirrored algorithms:
http://selliott.org/puzzles/symmetrical-fridrich-method

Is the concept obvious enough that I should not have bothered to make such a page? Do you guys mirror OLLs and PLLs? Maybe most cubers care more about favoring their dominant hand than they do about reducing memorization with symmetry.

- Steven Elliott

 

[Lucas Garron]

It's a well-known concept – after all, the names usually group things by mirror cases!
We've also thought about duals.

Some people try to be ambidextrous and mirror algs, most don't.
If you're learning all of OLL and PLL, it's usually worth finding algs that are fastest for you – mirroring algs by mirroring hands usually doesn't give you the fastest alg for both cases.

Mirroring front-to-back, on the other hand, sometimes works well (e.g. r U R' U R U2 r' to r' U' R U' R' U2 r).

 

[StevenElliott]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not sure I completely understand the dual page, but that's ok. It might be helpful if OLL and PLL tables presented the cuber with four distinct choices:
1) Fully left handed
2) Left handed with algorithms mirrored when possible.
3) Right handed with algorithms mirrored when possible.
4) Fully right handed.
where Badmephisto's site is 4). It could be done with four static pages. Maybe I'll take a shot at it if I find the time.

That's a good point a about mirroring front to back. My understanding is that some of the very best cubers, such as Feliks Zemdegs, mirror that way to reduce the U perms otherwise needed to get the top layer in the right position.

 

[Hypocrism]

The problem is, if you switch and use a mirrored algorithm (as in, an L-R mirror) you need to regrip from your dominant grip, whereas if you use a different alg you can generally just AUF instead.

 

[StevenElliott]

That's a good point about regripping. I was more focused on the assumption that the goal was to favor the dominant hand.

I've added an update to my page with the feedback here.

 

[Chree]

I almost always learn the L/R Mirrors to algs I learn. If F2L ends with a lefty case, I might not regrip back to right hand moves for LL as long as the cases are quick and easy. That said, I try to use my right hand more often than not, it's my dominant hand after all and is significantly quicker than my left hand. I think most people rely on their dominant hand during LL for speed's sake.

I still find it useful to learn lefty algorithms. Keeps my left hand in shape and spry.

 

[stoic]

I'm in the process of learning full OLL from y2.
Some of them are quite obvious to mirror lefty, although I hadn't considered looking for it as a matter of course.
I'm quite right-hand dominant so I'm pretty sure in my case the fastest alg is often going to be something 'new' rather than a left-handed mirror. I had a quick look at your site though and you have a few nice ones there so...thanks!

 

[elrog]

The problem is, if you switch and use a mirrored algorithm (as in, an L-R mirror) you need to regrip from your dominant grip, whereas if you use a different alg you can generally just AUF instead.

When I started out I learned left handed mirrors. I found algorithms I liked and learned them for both left and right sides going by the reasoning that with time, my left hand will be just as fast as my right at this faster algorithm. I now know more right hand algorithms for mirrors because I realized the regrip was sowing me down. It's better to stay with one dominant hand throughout a solve.

 

[Noahaha]

I'm in the process of learning full OLL from y2.
Some of them are quite obvious to mirror lefty, although I hadn't considered looking for it as a matter of course.
I'm quite right-hand dominant so I'm pretty sure in my case the fastest alg is often going to be something 'new' rather than a left-handed mirror. I had a quick look at your site though and you have a few nice ones there so...thanks!

Is this really useful?

It seems like the benefits would be very limited, since most of the time one alg will be faster than the other. If one is faster, then you might as well just AUF before OLL. Seems like a TON of work just to save one move every other solve and maybe not even use algs that are as fast. I don't know much about 3x3, so I could just be missing something entirely.

 

[Hypocrism]

When I started out I learned left handed mirrors. I found algorithms I liked and learned them for both left and right sides going by the reasoning that with time, my left hand will be just as fast as my right at this faster algorithm. I now know more right hand algorithms for mirrors because I realized the regrip was sowing me down. It's better to stay with one dominant hand throughout a solve.

To an extent, but having the left hand up to speed is obviously good for F2L and that can be helped by training some lefty algs.

 

[stoic]

Is this really useful?

It seems like the benefits would be very limited, since most of the time one alg will be faster than the other. If one is faster, then you might as well just AUF before OLL. Seems like a TON of work just to save one move every other solve and maybe not even use algs that are as fast. I don't know much about 3x3, so I could just be missing something entirely.

I'm not a fast cuber, but certainly a lot of fast cubers know different algs to solve cases from different directions.
For my part, I started picking up a few alternate algs (from reconstructions, looking at inverses etc. and as I said before some of them are obvious) and it grew organically from there. It wasn't intentional but when I got to a certain point I realised "hey, I'm doing this".
I do have a pathological thing for learning LL algs which mightn't always be healthy though...

 

[Antonie faz fan]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not sure I completely understand the dual page, but that's ok. It might be helpful if OLL and PLL tables presented the cuber with four distinct choices:
1) Fully left handed
2) Left handed with algorithms mirrored when possible.
3) Right handed with algorithms mirrored when possible.
4) Fully right handed.
where Badmephisto's site is 4). It could be done with four static pages. Maybe I'll take a shot at it if I find the time.

That's a good point a about mirroring front to back. My understanding is that some of the very best cubers, such as Feliks Zemdegs, mirror that way to reduce the U perms otherwise needed to get the top layer in the right position.

Pam I don't think feliks does that ( for PLL atleast )