Looking Ahead:
The transition from cross to F2L is where most Fridrich beginners lose the most time. The solution is to solve the cross at slower than maximum speed. Assuming that we completely memorized the cross during inspection, this allows us to start searching for the first corner-edge pair of F2L as we form the cross. This idea of slowing down and looking for the next pieces is so important that we give it a name: "looking ahead." By reducing the stops between steps and making the solve into one continuous flow, we can significantly reduce the overall solving time. We will revisit this topic in F2L, where looking ahead is the essential technique for achieving a sub-20 average. The top speedcubers are not necessarily those with the fastest fingers, but those who can look ahead the best.
Finger Tricks:
Finger tricks are the ones you must discover while learning to solve the cube. The normal finger trick is turning the sides using your wrist. Jessica Fridrich, Lars Petrus and Dan Knights use this kind of finger trick. The wristing finger trick is pretty slow that's why modern cubers developed more faster finger tricks like turning the sides using only the fingers. For advanced cubers, I recommend Yu Nakajima's finger tricks because it's such a fast trigger.
Buy/Make/Maintain a Good Speedcube:
Get a DIY cube from rubiks.com. 25th anniversary cubes found at most toy stores vary too much in quality. For very durable stickers, go visit Cubesmith. A lot of people also like his textured tiles, but I have a problem with their sharp edges. I guess they get softer after some use.
Every speedcuber should learn to create and maintain a speedcube that best fits his solving style. Play around with different tensions of the screws on a DIY cube. Lubricate your cube with a silicone spray such as Tempo, SNAP, and CRC. Never use WD-40 on a good cube as it destroys the plastic. If the cube is so tight that ordinary lubrication does not help at all, apply WD-40 for a few days, wash it off completely, and try again with another lubricant. Disassemble and clean out the dust inside the cube once in a while. Gilles Roux has a helpful guide on lubrication with pictures. Although this depends on the brand of silicone spray, it's usually a good idea to blow-dry the cube right after spraying it and to dry off any extra lubricant with paper towels.
Exactly how much to lubricate is each speedcuber's choice. Very lubricated cubes will allow faster execution for last layer while less lubricated (but smooth) cubes can help looking ahead during F2L. It's also a good idea for competitions to use a cube that almost never POPs.
I lube my cube every three months or so and usually about two weeks before any competition. From that point, I play with each lubed cube to make sure that the lubricant sinks in and the cube is not too slippery. Although slippery cubes let you turn more moves per second, you are more likely to lose control and make them lock up than with a less-lubricated one. For loss of just a bit of speed, you can gain a lot of accuracy and look ahead much more easily, which is very important.
Making the cross tips:
1. Learn your color scheme by heart. From the center colors of any two adjacent sides, you should be able to immediately tell the colors of the other sides.
2. Taking as much time as needed for each scramble, form the cross in 7 or less moves. You should be able to do this over 99% of the time.
3. Repeat 2, but solve the cross blindfolded. Practice until there are no mistakes.
4. Repeat 2, gradually decreasing the inspection time until you can always read the cross in 15 seconds. Once you get faster, you don't need to always follow the 7-move rule. Some solutions will be slightly longer but easier to execute.
5. The transition from cross to F2L is important! This is where even fast cubers have to stop most often ("cube amnesia").
F2L tips:
1. If you've just started learning, try to make sense of each "algorithm" and group similar algorithms together. Not only will this help with memorization, but also an intuitive understanding of F2L is essential for looking ahead and using advanced tricks.
2. Reduce regripping as much as possible. This requires, among other things, being able to perform each "algorithm" from every direction.
3. Find your perfect style. Some like to keep the centers fixed; others use a lot of double layer turns and tilts (this is what I do). Watch speedcubing videos and learn how fast cubers handle F2L.
4. OK, here's the best speedcubing advice anyone can ever give you: GO SLOW, and LOOK AHEAD.
Wait, what was that?
In case you didn't catch that,
6. Slow down during the cross to prepare for the first corner-edge pair of F2L. You may want to avoid using finger tricks for the cross to help look ahead.
7. Solve without preinspection. This forces you to slow down and lets you move from cross to F2L more smoothly.
8. Form the cross in such a way that, when it is completed, it ends up where you want it during F2L. This eliminates a cube turn before F2L and also helps the transition. (There are a few top speedcubers who do not do this.)
OLL tips:
1. Learn to recognize every case from only 2 sides.
2. For the easier cases, learn to solve from all directions.
3. Do not rush. You still have one more step.
4. Try to use algorithms that end with the last layer on top so that there is no need for whole cube turn in the transition to PLL.
5. Learn some COLL. Use only the ones you can execute quickly.
6. Time yourself doing all 57 algorithms in a row. Get faster.
7. Last layer is just recognition and fast execution...practice, practice, practice!
PLL tips:
1. Again, learn to recognize all patterns from only 2 sides. (This is something I should work on myself.)
2. Again, for the easier patterns, learn to solve from all directions.
3. As you're making those last turns, be thinking about putting down the cube and stopping the timer. Take this into consideration when choosing algorithms.
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