How to Memorize Algorithms

You look at a PLL sheet. There are 21 algorithms. Some are 15 moves long. You want to quit. Don’t quit. Here is how to memorize them without brute force.

1. Do NOT memorize letters

If you try to memorize “R U R prime U prime R prime F…”, you will fail. Your brain cannot hold 15 random letters. Memorize Triggers.

What is a Trigger?

A trigger is a short sequence of 3-4 moves that your hand does automatically.

• Sexy Move: R U R' U' (The most common trigger).
• Sledgehammer: R' F R F'
• Insertion: R U R' or R U' R'

Example: The T-Perm

Instead of memorizing: R U R' U' R' F R2 U' R' U' R U R' F' (14 moves). Break it down into triggers:

1. Sexy Move: (R U R' U')
2. Sledge-down: (R' F)
3. Double Up: (R2 U')
4. Sexy-ish: (R' U' R U)
5. Finish: (R' F')

Now it’s just 5 “chunks” instead of 14 letters.

2. Visual Tracking

Don’t look at the notation. Look at the Pairs.

• Example: In the F2L algorithm R U' R', watch the White/Red/Blue corner.
• See it go up (R), move over (U'), and go back down (R').
• Your brain remembers the path of the piece better than the letter.

3. Muscle Memory (The Holy Grail)

Eventually, you stop thinking “Sexy Move”. You just think “T-Perm” and your hands do the rest.

• How to get there: Repetition.
• The Drill: Perform an algorithm. Repeat it. Repeat it 50 times while watching Netflix.
• The Test: Can you do the algorithm while talking to someone? If yes, it is in muscle memory.

4. Nicknames

Give algorithms names.

• ”The Phone Number”: A specific OLL that looks like a dialing pattern.
• ”Mario”: An alg that jumps a piece over another.
• ”Kill the Lights”: An OLL where you flip edges to “turn off” the yellow stickers.

5. Sleep

Your brain wires muscle memory while you sleep.

• If you practice an alg for 1 hour, you might still suck at it.
• Wake up the next morning, and suddenly your hands know it perfectly.
• Science.