How to learn to speedcube

This guide assumes that you are a complete beginner and suggests one way to learn to speedcube, leading up to full CFOP.

Step 0: Preliminaries

Read Speedsolving.com's article Introduction to Speedcubing for Beginners. Select a color scheme and learn the notation.

Step 1: Simple Layer-by-Layer

Learn Leyan's Beginner Solution, a simple layer-by-layer (LBL) method, which solves the first, middle, and last layers in that order. Keep the cross on either bottom (or left) during the first two layers. This makes looking ahead much easier and is crucial for getting faster. Read Getting Faster with an Easy Method and start practicing to look ahead.

Algorithms needed: 11 total (4 for the last layer, 7 short and mostly intuitive "algorithms")
Average move count: ~110
Possible average:~35 seconds
Goal average before advancing: 60 sec = ~2 tps (turns per second)

Step 2: 4-Look Last Layer

Leyan's solution takes multiple algorithms to for each of the four last-layer steps (edge/corner orientation, edge/corner permutation). Learn 4-Look Last Layer (2-Look OLL and 2-Look PLL), which solves each step in one look.

Keep on practicing the exercises in Getting Faster with an Easy Method and

Algorithms needed: 16 last layer algorithms (3 edge orientation, 7 corner orientation, 2 corner permutation, 4 edge permutation)
Average move count: ~85 moves
Possible average: ~25 seconds
Goal for Average before Advancing: 40 sec = ~2 tps

Step 3: Fridrich for the Lazy

Work on the following substeps simultaneously:

3a: 3-Look Last Layer

Combine the 2-step PLL into one by learning full PLL.

Algorithms needed: 31 last layer algorithms (the same 10 orientation algorithms from Step 2 and 15 new permutation algorithms for a total of 21 PLL)

3b: Standard F2L

Leyan's solution solves the first-layer corners then the middle-layer edges. Using F2L (First 2 Layers), one solves a corner and an edge simultaneously, solving the first two layers in four algorithms. Learn standard F2L.

Algorithms needed: 41 F2L "algorithms," many of which are intuitive and short (only the first 3 or 4 moves are essential).

Although memorizing algorithms is of course important, at this stage looking ahead is much more crucial to getting faster times. Once you are comfortable with the algorithms, start praticing to look ahead. After learning both Steps 3a and 3b:

Moves on Average: about 63 moves
Possible average: 15 seconds
Goal for Average before Advancing: 25 sec (about 2.5 tps)

Step 4: Full Fridrich

Learn full OLL. This step is simultaneously the least important and the one that requires the most memorization. For cubers who are already very good at two-step OLL, learning these algorithms might only improve their time by 2 seconds or so.

Continue working on lookahead. For sub-20 average, a good goal is 3 tps.

Algorithms needed: 78 last layer algorithms (47 new orientation algorithms)
Moves on Average: 56 moves
Possible average: <10 seconds