# Get faster: finger tricks, look-ahead and practice

Knowing CFOP is half of it. The rest is turning smoothly and never stopping to search for the next piece.

> 3D demo, Drill: R U R' U' six times, as smoothly as you can: `R U R' U'` × 6

## Finger tricks

Turn with your fingers, not your whole hand, and don't let go of the cube between moves.

- **Hold it** with your thumbs on the front face and your fingers on the back.
- **`U`**: flick the back-right corner of the top layer towards you with your right index finger.
- **`U'`**: flick the back-left corner towards you with your left index finger.
- **`R` and `R'`**: turn your right wrist. Keep your grip; don't reach round the cube.
- **`F`**: push the top edge of the front face to the right with your right index finger.

Practise on `R U R' U'`: it should become one smooth motion. If your cube is stiff, a cheap speed cube makes a big difference.

## Look-ahead

Most of the time in a slow solve is spent **looking**, not turning.
- **Turn slower** than feels natural, but without stopping. A smooth, slow solve beats a fast one with pauses.
- **During F2L**, while you insert one pair, look for the next one.
- **Plan the cross** with its first F2L pair in mind, so you know where to start.

A good drill: solve with a metronome, one move per beat, and never let a beat pass without a move.

## Timing your solves

- **Use a timer.** Any cube timer app works. Start with 15 seconds to look at the cube before you start, as in competitions.
- **Track your average of 5**, not your single best. Speedcubers drop the best and worst of five solves and average the other three.
- **Find your slow step.** Time each step for a few solves. For most people it's F2L.

## What to learn next

When 2-look OLL and PLL feel automatic:
1. **Full PLL**: 21 algorithms. Start with the ones that show up most and take longest with 2 looks.
2. **More F2L**: learn to handle each case the shortest way, and to use the back slots without turning the cube.
3. **Full OLL**: 57 algorithms. Most people learn it last.
4. **Colour neutrality**: start with whichever cross is easiest on each scramble, not always white.

## Got stuck halfway through a solve?

[Lost in the middle of an algorithm](https://scanmycube.com/help/lost-mid-algorithm) shows how to recover. Or scan your cube and the solver shows you the moves from where you are.

Source: https://scanmycube.com/learn/cfop/practice