Rubik Cube beginners` tips to becoming a lil less confused & a lil bit faster

National Records for Trinidad & Tobago

I used to hold the Trinidad & Tobago national records for both fastest single solve (44.88) and best of 5 average solves (48.05)… but it’s a small country and I’ve only ever competed once. My title stood for 1 week (lmao!)

Executive summary

I still consider myself to be still at the very start of my rubik cube journey. My PB is 25 secs and my best Ao5 is 35.8 seconds(average of 5 solves .. but I`m not consistent…… as yet. Happy Cubing!!!

The article includes lots of my ‘a ha’ moments.. stuff I wish I figured out a lot earlier in my cubing journey

1. Sites that clearly set out how to solve beginners method. First site that taught me is ruwix.com. YouTube (and a speedcube) will make you faster.
2. Videos with shortcuts for beginners` method. You can get under 40 secs with this method.. but it aint` pretty.
3. 2 look PLL & OLL my references are set out here (step one into the world of speedcubing). Please note that whilst there are only 6 algs for the 2 look PLL, many youtubers suggest ‘different’ algs for the first 2 look PLL set up alg . e.g. J Perm and Badmephisto
4. F2L. You will suffer but you really need to learn F2L. My PB used this method. I’ve also started to include tips regarding how to solve F2L rotationless (the struggle is real). I’ve included links to advanced stuff like good egde/bad edge, KeyHole and Jayden McNeill’s F R U F method
5. Full OLL -Orientation of the Last Layer (57 algs.. sooner you learn the better.. will take a month). Cubehead has a great learning plan.
6. Full PLL -Permutation of the Last Layer (seems impossible at first but actually easier than OLL.. takes about a week)
7. Getting better at the Cross… here`s an extensive playlist with 6 videos dedicated to the cross (practice every day). Also I`m including a site that shows the best cross solution for randomly generated scrambles.
8. COLL. This is still a huge challenge for me. It’s taking many months…and still not there as yet.
9. What speedcube to buy (site sets out what cubes broke the world records). GAN 11 M Duo is my bestie
10. Other hardware. Suggestion of a timer (Only really need to buy if you want to compete) & backpack (scroll down to find out what I`m talking about ?)
11. What happens when a corner becomes unaligned due to vigorous cornercutting and renders the cube unsolvable.. how to fix it without taking apart the entire cube
12. Fun stuff & videos. Youtube has taught me a LOT! I have not found one youtuber that`s good at multiple issues. You need to hop around and check out various mentors. I`ve included references to who I think are good at their particular niche. J Perm is excellent and 2nd most watched cubing yourtuber but I only began to understand him when I was getting high 30 second solves. J Perm is super advanced for newbies. Tingman just made an awesome Disney parody. I also included other social media stuff including TedTalk, Netflix documentaries, TV advert (Volkswagen) & podcast recommendations. If you have an apple or garmin watch.. you can even download a rubik watch face.

13. Thinking about taking a break: If you need to take some time away from CFOP, may I suggest solving learning Roux. It’s soo different, really very intuitive it will def teach you more about how the cube works and you can practice look ahead. World record is much slower than CFOP.. but I’m only doing it for fun and not for speed (53.5 seconds is my PB).

14. So now you want to be a real speedcuber!

Ok so maybe I’m not the best person to discuss this topic.. since I’m only sub 30 now and again. So feel free to ignore this advice. Lets calculate how long you should take so deliver under 40secs consistently using CFOP.

Average step times (CFOP)

If look at cuber who is 31.5 seconds… he has broken up his time as follows white cross (4.9 secs), F2L (15.4 secs) OLL (5.4 secs) PLL (5.8) = 31.5. This info tells me two things. 1) Best gains or losses will be achieved reducing my times/standard deviations with F2L 2) my practice time needs to be proportionate to these times.. so my F2L practice should be 49% of my time.

So you need to get my cross + f2l below 29 seconds to get under 40 secs consistently

Fingertricks. The backbone to speedsolving. Bite the bullet them and learn asap.. This site allows you to input your own algs and shows you best fingertricks

SpeedCubeStats - Fingertricks Library

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWIQdX8vHcE

Best fingerticks video I stumbled across and by King Feliks (no less)

14. Some links to very advanced cubers’ sites..

15. How do I practice? (not saying that this is the best way.. juts saying what I do)

Conclusion

What`s NOT included. I have tried but I still don`t get stuff like the Petrus method, ZZZ method, Winter variation (to get an OLL skip), Edge orientation applied to F2L solves.. these are not here. If you are curious… youtube has lots about these advanced variatons. Also I am still a ‘white’ cross solver (which is very bad for speedcubing)

As you move up the food chain and you want to get more advanced/faster..e.g COLL and rotationless solving, I found that there are hardly any guides, so basically you are on your own and progress is slow. The financial incentives of youtube does not motivate the creation of ‘niche’ videos by the best cubing youtubers. However… there are some amazing cubers who have created their own pages (like I have done here.. but at a much migher level). Not easy to find. I’ve put some of these sites at very bottom of this article. #14

Notation.. the language of the cube

U2 means turn twice. U´ means turn the opposite way. u means a double slice (fat move)

This reddit site is the bomb! Not so easy to find full set of notations

https://www.reddit.com/r/Cubers/comments/lyohwr/supper_useful_cube_notation_gif/

Checking out the moves….

World`s most awesome reference sites (they show different algorithms with great graphics)

https://speedcubedb.com/a/3x3/OLL (this site shows how to solve F2L from any angle)

https://www.speedsolving.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

OLL Algorithms - CFOP SpeedSolving OLL #57 Cases

These last 2 sites include (brackets) around the standard movements like sexy, insert, sledge etc.. GREAT for newbies

http://algdb.net/puzzle/333

#1. It all started here

How to solve the Rubik's Cube

No site or guide is perfect, but this site combines both written and video descriptions of all of the moves, notation. I solved the cube for the first time using this site.

Visual or written instructions?

I thought I definitely had a bias for the written word and was skeptical about videos. This video changed my mind. First time viewers need to use the slow motion feature on youtube. The guy showed me an alternative method of completing the top layer (OLL orient the last layer) and had great annotation of his steps. I thought the video was rushed.. he wants to pack a lot of information into very short time

CubeSkills (beginners method)

Presented by..Feliks Zemdegs (a god in the speedcubing world) he has a great presentation style, he is organized by breaking down the problem in distinct steps and he is not rushed.

3x3 Videos

J Perm is a rock star.. his tutorial is set out here

J Perm | Speedcubing Tutorials

Best best ending (how to finish the last layer)

I am not so happy with this video up to the point when the top layer is all yellow… but thereafter his last 2 formulae to allign the side colors are the best for beginners (in my opinion)

Easy Beginner Tutorial — How to solve a Rubik’s Cube — Beginner Method — YouTube

#2 How to Solve the Rubik’s Cube FASTER with the Beginner Method

J Perm

Some random guy giving short cuts on beginners` method

The point is that you can get in the 40 second range with the beginners method. Might not look pretty but it`s possible.

#3. 2 look OLL and PLL

…yes it makes a BIG difference

The next step is to learn the 2 step OLL and then the 2 step PLL methods. you might get under 1 minutes now and again with the beginners method,, but I believe that to deliver consistent under 60 seconds solves requires 2 look OLL PLL (just saying)

Yes you have to learn more algorithms but when you realize how many permutations the full versions of the OLL (57) and PLL (21) require, then you will find the 2 look versions.. ain`t so bad. OLL stands for organize last layers and PLL is Permutation of last layer

Videos 2 step OLL

Brody the Cuber, J Perm`s and Badmephisto`s videos for 2 look OLL are set out below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTYvklyOpVM

2 step OLL cheat sheet; Orientation Last Layer

there are several versions.. I use this one

2LOLL (2 Look OLL) - CFOP - Perfectly fit any screen sizes!

2 look PLL cheat sheet (J Perm)

https://jperm.net/algs/2lookpll

GAN`s own algorithm guides and tutorials

GAN Tutorials

Good PLL fingertricks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xtqHByUjs8

#4 F2L

I tried the intuitive journey with F2L and just could not get under 1 min. I sucked it up and learned all 41 F2L algs and this dropped my AO5 time to 35 secs. However.. I have recently been convinced that algs are going to keep you from getting really fast (less than 30 secs say)… intuitive f2l solving and undersstanding edge orientation (to reduce rotations) is the way to go.

Beginner F2L videos (there are lots of them)

TheSergsB https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=thesergsB+f2l

This F2L video was very entertaining (and simple) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB5apB2i_Do&t=56s

BrodytheCuber https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKS9otGuu50&t=537s

Some decent F2L intermediate tutorials (that are not crazy complex)

BrodytheCuber (shows some cases.. I think these are the best F2L I`ve seen)

Beginner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2z6u9zuDms&list=PLI2io2xGpVUcsRz_z6_OXh_gzSOtkv2FT&t=0s

Intermediate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egjv50Lh9XU

Advanced https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NxaoWK6YjQ&list=PLI2io2xGpVUf63oqxrA99fWkDQUaRh07P&index=12&t=625s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fTFsMQwjBU&list=PLn0ZYJiGQcT89_dfOQHQiGSSHIuCB-hak&index=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JebXf1uYYwU&t=26s (look at this one after you get F2L.. good summary)

F2L | CubeSkills

J-Perm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar_Zit1VLG0 (only look at this once you have gotten the concept.. it`s impossible for a complete beginner to follow this video)

If you are really super advanced, then apparently recognizing if the solve is a 2, 3 or 4 Gen case is a ‘game changer’. I found this site that sets out this information for each case (but I have no idea how to apply it) https://speedcubedb.com/a/3x3/F2L/F2L_1/0

CubeRanz has a whole playlist

Learning F2L intuitively

I learnt formulae, but everyone says that this is dumb.. the great cubers all say they solve intuitively .. if this is your thing that these intuitive videos are for you (not for beginners). This is a great video since the guys trys to explain what he is doing.. its not perfect but it’s the best I have across.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRiZ45gXb5w

Apparently these are the best pdf on F2L solves

What I realized is that the reason it`s confusing is because the objective of the complex solves is to reduce cube turning to close to zero

https://www.cubeskills.com/uploads/pdf/tutorials/f2l-algorithms-different-slot-positions.pdf (my current favourite)

Best F2L Algorithms.pdf — Google Drive

https://speedcubedb.com/p/3x3/F2L (has numbers that correspond to the speedcube site)

http://badmephisto.com/badmephisto-speedcubing-method.pdf Badmephisto is sooo good

Starter F2L algs to gain some confidence

These 2 sites set out some recommendations on some easy-ish algs to first learn (better than nothing)

https://ruwix.com/the-rubiks-cube/advanced-cfop-fridrich/first-two-layers-f2l/

BrodytheCuber's F2L Flowchart.pdf

Best Tip EVER! Brody suggests creating test cubes.. brilliant! Get a cheap cube with stickers and create your own by removing colors on top layer (e.g. yellow)

Rotationless F2L

I’m never goning to sub 20, but I can try to solve with some style. Rotationless solves are very stylish and a huge obstacle to achieving this goal is the F2L Step. There is no one guide so I’m including some tips that gave me my ‘aha’ moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B_oB2YrLvk&t=302s (time stamps 3.07 to 7.04)

To be totally rotationaless with F2L .. best ever series (but quite lengthy).. caleb miller rocks!

This is Feliks’ pdf on almost perfect EO F2L (gamechanger for me) https://www.cubeskills.com/uploads/pdf/tutorials/f2l-algorithms-different-slot-positions.pdf

KeyHole method (subset of F2L)

At first I was afraid, I was petrified… but I concluded out that J Perm’s video was terrible. J Perm shows the concept and gives no algs. I found this video and then I saw the light to the elegance of KeyHole

What’s this F2L crazy subsection on speedcubedb.com? FRUF?

FRUF (3x3) Speed Cube Database

This F2L method has been made very famous by superstar Jayden Mcneil’s F R U F’ video. However he loses me completely. A simpler video has been made by AA Cubing (I still don’t see the magic but that’s just me)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqd-CIDnCns&list=PL1Qb0ZVbVzgQskJ4RQ10AHpwKP8mUr_6r&index=1&t=532s

The orginal video is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv6FJFwHzcI&t=0s (good luck with that!)

Good edge/Bad edge

I took a LONG time to understand this concept…this is a great video that introduces the concept

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPXcIUnKvQ8

#5 Notes on full OLL

CubeHead`s (my fav youtuber) video to learning OLL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ysy1S8ADzqw

CubeHead`s pdf https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sq4w0eg5n73WGLnhiYVYe_QbTdhF-rSj/view

CubeHead`s plan to learn full OLL in a month (it works!!)

Cubehead is a perfect example of someone I really like… but his F2L videos are still impossible (for me) to understand

Caleb Miller has the best OLL playlist. It`s not perfect so you have to look at the comments` section.. where his fans list some of the missing algs. Calbe really tries to explain most of the rotations. Please note that he uses a specific OLL site that`s always set out within his comments https://www.speedsolving.com/wiki/index.php/OLL#All_edges_flipped_correctly

Caleb`s playlist is here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjlsLbDF1To&list=PLD-9og8NHzT4Gwi3r5NduOX_OP3BFBB1M

#6 PLL

Really confusing to start with.. but I `got it`

My resources are.

Cubehead is the best…video (part 1 of 2 part series)

Cubehead`s pdf and training guide

CubeHead PLL 1.1.pdf

Start learning the easy ones.. builds confidence

Recognizing the PLL patterns

Paradox cubing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv70zZ6efZI&t=501s

This pdf to recognize from only 2 sides is awesome https://sarah.cubing.net/3x3x3/pll-recognition-guide.pdf

More 2 side recognition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjkK6GykOlc

These videos compliment each other

Badmephisto`s video (super famous.. but hmm)

Badmephisto notes on trying to make some algs easier to remember

http://badmephisto.com/pll.html

Tip. You really should consider making your own notes

#7 The cross is the building block to speedcubing

The cross should be 10% of your total solve.

There are 190.000 combinations according to Caleb Miller.. so forgot about algs. It’s intuitive. You gotta practice. My suggestion. Solve blind!

1. use this pattern generator https://ruwix.com/puzzle-scramble-generator/
2. Start simple with 5 move scramble and then do the cross blindfolded. If it looks too challenging. Then repeat the same pattern on 3 cubes so that when you mess up, you can immediately try again and again
3. As you get better increase the number of moves in the tool
4. https://cstimer.net/ this site shows you the optimal solve for every scramble (i found it very tough to figure out how it actually worked)
5. https://speedcubedb.com/cross this is a tool that gives you crosses that will take between 1 and 7 moves (simple to hard) and shows you how the cube should look like before solve, gives optimal solutions and first X cross (first F2L pair)

BadMephisto suggests that you can standardize your cross solution

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOEZlFAsSL0

Best playlist I`ve come across

Best cross for random solutions. Look under tools/solvers . The D solution in the box on bottom left of screen is the optimal cross solution.

csTimer - Professional Rubik's Cube Speedsolving/Training Timer

This site shows scrambles that will test your cross from simple (1 move) to really hard (8 moves).. but the site does not suggest solutions.. duh!

https://christianvaughn.net/C2F2L/

Nice set of example solves by J Perm. don`t be lazy.. do the scrambles and follow his solution

#COLL

Huge challenge to learn. Lots of really fast cubers (16 second range) have not bothered to learn it. I am guessing that it might shave 1 or 2 seconds off your time. So better gains are to be made in improving your F2l or cross. However I do see it as a good memory exercise.. and who knows.. one day I might actually get it!

J Perm has a video that convinced me that COLL should be part of your skill set. Everything looks easy when he does it.. until you try yourself. This is actually probably the best tutorial I’ve seen on COLL. best advice for U cases is that you have to track the pieces visually around the cube

Mike Shi has a decent playlist and his first video is very good

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsYBRALMFAME_K9jRXF9ssQ/playlists

Best pdf that I found,…King Feliks is credited so it must be great

What’s so hard about COLL?

OK.. I’m not the fastest (32 secs).. but I’m also not the worst.I might be slow but my memory is pretty good. OLL took me a month and PLL about 2 weeks. I’ve been struggling for COLL for 5 months.. So what’s so different?

o very few videos

o the patterns are very subtle so recognition is a challenge.

o there is little conformity in the yourtubers recognition advice.. they look at different sides of the cube

o The L case has a distinctive pattern but each of the 6 variations requires you to orient the cube from a different angle. For T and U, sometimes you have to spin the cube 180 degrees and sometimes you don’t

o The use of triggers, sledge, sexy, inserts etc.. and not that common as per OLL and PLL

o The COLL youtubers are ‘too good’ and they show very complicated algs (imho). I suggest you go to speedcube.db and see the less popular COLL algs . Less popular can lead to really simply algs… but not always ok? Speedcube db.com could have been more helpful and could have included ( ) to show sexy, insert, sledgehammer etc…. c’est la vie

https://speedcubedb.com/a/3x3/COLL/L_6

OK.. what’s the best thing about COLL even if you are a newbie

Given that COLL always results in 4 possible PLL solutions.. Ua,Ub, Z and H.. you can start learning to identify the PLL color schemes from any angle. It’s only 4 and a great place to start learning PLL patterns from any angle.

Best youtube video for pattern recognition (without turning the cube) is

If you want to practice your one side PLL skills then there are trainers. This trainer allows you to select specifically the Ua,Ub, Z and H cases

https://speedcubedb.com/t/pllrecog

#9 What cube to buy?

When I started to look for a speedcube, it was very confusing. With or without magnets, standard size or slightly smaller, weight, bluetooth, stickers, ability to manually adjust settings, factory settings or customized by vendor, color scheme, noisy ???

This site sets out the cubes that record holders uses …..

Top 7 Best Speed Cubes Reviews [2020 Ultimate Buyer’s Guide]

These are my own cubes in order of preference…

1. Gan 11 M Duo (my bestie even though twas one of the cheapest… I got this lubed up by the Brazilian vendor). Only cube I would def buy again. Cannot adjust settings.. but I never do anyway.
2. Moyu WRM 2021. It`s a tad smaller than the standard cube coming in at 55mm (no idea why they make slightly smaller cubes). Cubehead sells a customized cube based on this cube. https://www.thecubicle.com/products/the-yoo-cube
3. GAN 354. (another cube for small hands .. 54 mm)
4. Moyu Rs3m 2021 maglev (super new technology. No springs only magnets. It’s OK but nothing to write home about)
5. Dayan Tengyun V2 M (tis not my fav for speed since it has a tendency to overshoot spins and flip corners at high turning speed, annoying!). However, this is the QUIETEST cube on the market. It can be annoying for non cubers to hear clicking noises in taxis, airplanes etc…
6. The Moyu Weilong GTS 2 M once held the world record but I cannot recommend it since the red and orange colours are so `close`, it`s tough to identify at high turning speed (J Perm also made same observation). You need great lighting to see the colors. Moyu has since changed the color scheme (finally!!)
7. the Gan 356 XS (it`s very clunky to turn at speed, annoying!). You can make lots of adjustments. It’s the only cube I have demoted to my car’s glove box,… just in case i’m bored.

In my personal experience… a speedcube does make you go faster but the priciest is not always the best. The main differences between my speedcubes are i) ability of adjust settings ii) size (standard is 56mm but I have 2 cubes which are 55 and 54mm) iii) noise.. the 356 XS is the noisiest and the Dayan and Moyu are the quietest iv) color scheme. Don`t throw away your clunky cubes, since these are great to practice new techniques when you should turn slowly… eg F2L.

There are also stores that sell customized cubes 1) more gel 2) stronger magnets . I finally found a place in Brazil (gan 11 m duo) https://biocubeoficial.mercadoshops.com.br

BlueTooth Cubes

I took the plunge and bought GAN 356 i v2. Now everyone says it`s difficult to set up and they are right! It`s like learning F2L…my FB groups helped a LOT. Would have been impossible without their help. In the end it`s working and it`s beautiful. In summary these are what I used

My Lap Top (not smart phone or pad)

I turned off all bluetooth capabilities for all of my other devices (I think multiple bluetooth devices were confusing the cube)

I had to upgrade my browser to Chrome 91 (this version has bluetooth functions)

App. Cubeast (has a PC version). I was unsuccessful with the recommended app `Cube Station` (by Gan)

Within the Cubeast app.. I manually switched the method to `custom` with unlimited time inspection. I was being disqualified with every other setting.

The struggle is real… good luck!

#9 Suggestion of a timer & backpack

Buying a timer

There are lots of free timer apps. I`m using ChaoTimer on ios. This has NO ads (yay) and allows you to create different categories for different types of solves. (update.. this app is no longer available on app store)

You only really need a proper speedstack mat if you are thinking about competition. Other reasons not to buy 1) battery not included and you need to small screwdriver to install 2) no instructions included.. this is set out below 3) it`s a pain to get the cable to connect to laptop and 4) software is glitchy 5) if you use multiple PCs, then your times are on different apps 6) it`s not free!

Amazon.com : speed stack timer casemate

The local store I bought it from thankfully included the timer, a mat and a carrying case.. Amazon appears to sell these three items separately.. so be careful when you are buying else you may buy the mat but not the timer.

You need a very small screwdriver to install 2 AAA batteries (not included) and there are no instructions to use the timer. Best suggestion I found was this…

The best thing about it is that it can save three completed times of YOUR CHOICE! How it’s done is you click the save button and then click the play button until it came up to the slot you would like and then click save. You can also delete by clicking the reset button and then doing the process I gave you before.

Backpack for your cubes

Ok.. it seems crazy.. but the backpack includes individual compartments to store up to 8 cubes and all of your ancillary stuff (mat, notebooks, stationary etc..). Check out yotube video how to set up the backpack. I`m hoping the backpack will limit my collection to 8…

https://speedcubeshop.com/products/moyu-backpack

#11 Hardware issue. Corner becomes unaligned and renders the cube unsolvable.

What happens when a corner becomes unaligned due to cornercutting. and renders the cube unsolvable.. how to fix it without taking apart the entire cube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua7L34HAmuo

#12 Social Media & Fun Stuff

Tingman`s Musical Disney Parody must get star billing..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PtPWwSb1nU

Tedx Youth talk… Chris Olson

Chris Olson`s documentary (why we cube)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oZY2e25VUw

NetFlix Documentary

Explores the world of speedcubing..5 stars

Cubers… a 45 minute documentary produced in 2008 when a 30 sec solve was a `big thing`

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-xtPyUWTOc

VW’s advert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2HAaiWOIXU

Youtubers

The youtubers I personally like are Cubehead, Caleb Miller,
BrodyTheCuber, Badmephisto, Junk Cuber, AA Cubing, CubeRanz

Ruwix ranks youtubers….

YouCubers - The Best Rubik's Cubing YouTube Channels

Other notables include

Brody the Cuber ColorfulPockets CrazyBadCuber CriticalCubing Cube Solve Hero Cubeologist Cubeorithms Cubing Encoded cyotheking cyoubx Derpy Cuber DGCubes EZCubing Feliks Zemdegs Hashtag Cuber Jayden McNeill JRCuber JustKeepCubing Kevin Hays Kian Mansour LaZer0MonKey LC Cuber Valk Cubing Max Park MeMyselfAndPi Paradox Cubing INSANEcuber RedKB SpeedCubeReview SpeedCubeShop Spotty. TCKyewbs tehcubedude TheCubicle TheRubiksCubed TheProgrammingCuber Uber Cuber Z3Cubing lucascube Patrick Ponce

Watch Face (free)… if you have a Garmin running watch

https://www.facer.io/ Has lots of watch faces including rubik cubes

There`s a podcast for everything .. including cubing

CubeChat podcast is on-going

‎CubeChat on Apple Podcasts

CornerCutter podcast seems to be discontinued.. but this episode is great.. features the KING.. J Perm

j perm — The CornerCutter Podcast

This episode interviews J Perm

#13. Learning Roux.. just for fun and/or to blow your mind a little bit

I personally try my best to use Roux to practice ‘look ahead’, ‘F2L’ moves. and gain a better understanding of the cube. Speed is not my objective.

Best videos ‘in order’ are…

1. Kian Mansour is by far the best.. no doubt. (but not for edge orientation)

2. Donavan has this Roux play list which is really super. Explains 2 look CMLL

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL754ADDA2E38A21AA

3. Critical Cubing (Long but quite detailed)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqatB_kou3NYFgC_Z59SjtqLCI2whz3V-

4. Junk Cuber.. has lots of short cuts to help you solve intuitively

5. J Perm (I’m not a fan).. but he is the ONLY guy that discusses at length the importance of edge orientation (EO) for Roux

Found another dude.. who is soo much simpler than J Perm for Roux Edge Orientation.. amazing!!! You only need 3 algs!

6 Roux & CFOP hybrid

I had a huge ‘aha’ moment when I saw this 7 minute video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmpu5d7NWWg

2 look CMLL.. is used to get 4 yellow corners

To be honest, none of the videos are that great….. this is the only decent pdf I found. The weird thing is that CFOP cubers already know these algs.. but Roux solvers give them different names!! Geez

2-Look CMLL — Documentos Google

#14 some randown super fast cubers have created sites that have amazing stuff (but very difficult to understand)

Sarah's Cubing Site

F2L

Chris Hardwick's Rubik's Cube Page

http://cubewhiz.com/f2l.php

#15 My Practice Exercises

1 solve cross blind (after each blind cross, I solve the F2l pairs blind too)

2 time myself to do

i) all Pll consecutively (order does not matter)

ii) first half of OLL consecutively

iii) 2nd half of OLL consecutively

iv) all COLL algs

3) use smart cube to see my layers CFOP

4) time just my cross & F2L

5) practice my difficult algs whilst mindlessly watching tv

6) time myself of course

7) solve in elevators.. I live on a high floor

8 watch videos (and not just once)

9) attend competitions for motivation

To be continued..