Upside Down Cross

[Kynit]

The beginner's method is a lot easier to track pieces in; when you're only focusing on a piece or two at a time, it's not too difficult to recite your algorithm. However, in F2L, you're often looking at 3 or 4 pieces at a time. Just practice. It all gets easier.

 

[dabest2500]

The beginner's method is a lot easier to track pieces in; when you're only focusing on a piece or two at a time, it's not too difficult to recite your algorithm. However, in F2L, you're often looking at 3 or 4 pieces at a time. Just practice. It all gets easier.

So it seems that practice is what I need.
What I am really worries about the most is the sheer number of cases to learn for OLL and PLL.
How do you remember what algorithm to apply for each case?

 

[FatBoyXPC]

For your OLL/PLL question: Practice, practice, and more practice.

For F2L/Cross: Practice, practice, and more practice.

General advice: If you want to get faster, I suggest learning a different method than beginner's. The beginner's method just wastes a lot of moves. Please note that this does not mean you have to learn CFOP (Fridrich), it just happens to be that CFOP is much more common (and due to that, there are more resources available for it).

Regardless of what method you choose to do: break your bad habits now. Start doing cross on bottom now if you plan to do that in the long run. I have such a hard time adjusting to cross on bottom. It's very possible to average sub15 with cross on top, but cross on bottom really gives an extra bit of look ahead (that is quite vital to do your cross -> F2L transition). If you plan on learning full OLL and PLL, do it now. Don't wait until you get fast at method x to do these sorts of things, because that'll only give you a longer recognition hit in the future. Learn the 2 Look methods first (2LOLL and 2LPLL, and I would suggest learning full PLL before learning full OLL. If you end up using Roux or something of that sort, learn 2 Look CMLL before full CMLL as well).

The best bit of advice to get regardless of methods is break the bad habits as soon as possible, and learn the good habits. It's so difficult to break habits, so the fewer you have to break, the easier it will be for you.

 

[Adrian]

I thought it was very hard at first and I couldn't really visualize the pieces moving, but after a month it got easy to see how to do the cross on the bottom for me.

 

[dabest2500]

Thanks for all your help guys

 

[Joël]

One thing I can recommend is use Rons Cube solving applet to give it some cross cases (just fill in 4 pieces, and leave the other pieces grey). Write down your own solution(s) first, and see if you found an optimal solution. If your solution was not optimal, go through the optimal solution and learn. With a lot of practice, you should be able to get optimal crosses most of the time.

 

[Vinny]

Well if he doesn't want to learn CFOP and wants to learn Roux, then shouldn't he just abandon the cross altogether? And I've heard some people solve the cross on the left side.

 

[TiLiMayor]

I solve 3/4 of my cross on top and finish it with an r2 or l2 so it ends on the bottom.

 

[gundamslicer]

Lol I make the cross on top in the beginning and then for some reason I rotate the cube during the building of the cross...

 

[Ranzha]

Referring to the original post, I think that the real problem, as many have stated, is that you take too long to form your cross.

Get cross blindfolded DOWN PAT before you move on. Take as long of a time as you need to inspect for this--it's not easy when you first start out. Over time, your inspection will get shorter as you become familiar with visualizing the cross quickly.
I do NOT suggest cross on D, considering I never got accustomed to it. I am a fixed cross user, so I solve cross on only one colour. In my case, this is white. However, I solve white cross with the white centre on any side, wherever it's easiest to solve quickly and efficiently. Usually, I end up solving cross on F. However, you can do what you wish.

Then, if you want to learn CFOP (aka Fridrich, if you are unaware--a lot of slower/beginner cubers are), I suggest working LOADS on your F2L. Even if you drill F2L for an hour on end, it'll really help. Get used to the basic cases. For the more difficult cases, I suggest seeing Jason Baum's F2L site and checking out his algs. Don't memorize them, though. Follow the algorithm and see what it does. The majority of F2L cases are just breaking up, pairing, and inserting with simple 3-or-4-move triggers with U turns in between.

Now for last layer stuff:
If you don't know it already, I suggest learning 2-look OLL and 2-look PLL.
My post on two look OLL.
2-look PLL can be found on the wiki.

 

[dabest2500]

I definitely want to learn Fridrich, I'm already halfway there (learning 2 Look OLL).
I can now get a 3-4 second cross, but on top.

 

[cuberkid10]

I would recommend working on other areas before trying to fix the cross. I still do cross on top and average 13,14,15.

 

[FatBoyXPC]

Getting good at cross on top will only hinder you later if you want to switch. If you don't want to switch, that's fine too. It's very possible to get good averages with cross on top. Erik admits that he will do cross on top find find a reason to do a rotation that is also an effective move (such as l2 instead of R2, as previously stated here).

 

[cuberkid10]

Very true. Ive tried switching after ~2 years of cross on top and I utterly failed. If you do have strong intentions of switching, do it early in your cubing career.

Or you could try cross on left. Its pretty similar to cross on top, and its easier to transition to full bottom cross.