Michael Wimberly's Progression Thread

[Michael Wimberly]

I'm posting this so I can track my overall progression.

Current goals:
Sub 6 Skewb and Pyra global
Finish 2x2 CLL

If anyone can help me with my goals, I would greatly appreciate it.

Upcoming comps:

Averages, main cubes, and methods:
2x2: High 4
Main: MGC Beta
Method: Ortega

3x3: 15
Main: Vin3 Nova
Method: CFOP

4x4: 1:35
Main: QiYi M Pro V2
Method: Yau

5x5: 3:45-4:15
Main: QiYi M Pro
Method: Redux (learning Freeslice)

Clock: 15
Main: Shengshou V2
Method: idk

Skewb: 8-9
Main: GAN Skewb M Enhanced
Method: Sarah's Beginner

Pyraminx: 10-12
Main: PiCube WeiLong
Method: LBL, learning intuitive L4E

 

[abunickabhi]

What's a glow ball?

 

[pi=3.14]

What's a glow ball?

(cough cough)global(cough)

 

[Jared Burkhart]

What's a glow ball?

(cough cough)global(cough)

I just figured that out today! I was crashing from lack of sleep, and as I was zoning out (I get my best ideas here) it occurred to me that they rhymed.
@Michael Wimberly Try drilling no inspection time. And once your drill is over, return to inspection for a few solves.
This forces better lookahead. I have beaten my best ao5 by doing this. (14.78) and once you return to inspection, look ahead and planning is so simple it is quite pathetic.
I hope it helps!

 

[acrystal]

What's a glow ball?

I thought I was the only one

 

[cuberbutnotacuberV2]

I'm posting this so I can track my overall progression.

Current goal: sub-15 3x3 glow ball

If anyone can help me with my goal, I would greatly appreciate it.

I'm gonna be out of town for 2 weeks so I won't be online for that period of time, I'm gonna try to grind 3x3 practice as much as I can and see where I am when I get back.

just practice - that's the only thing that really helped me in my journey. in addition, stress on lookahead if you aren't already. practice a few solves super slowly but make sure you map out the solution in your head (as in, you imagine the state of the cube after your next few moves) and try to go as far as you can before pausing to think again. also, keep your solutions as efficient as possible (TPS, Algs, Fingertricks - anything that you think you need to improve on). I would also recommend drilling algs as much as you can (when you have the time of course, if you're on vacation then enjoy it, first and foremost!).

 

[Michael Wimberly]

I lowkey didn't get much cubing in over the last 2 weeks and my times are suffering rn
Edit: I'm also putting a daily ao5 on the first post on this thread.

 

[Jared Burkhart]

I lowkey didn't get much cubing in over the last 2 weeks and my times are suffering rn

You will improve
Like riding a bike
It comes back

 

[Michael Wimberly]

You will improve
Like riding a bike
It comes back

Yeah I can't imagine it will be too hard

 

[Caleb Valenzuela]

If anyone can help me with my goal, I would greatly appreciate it.

ahem
it’s once again time for the “thing”
CALEB’S SHAMELESS PLUG-IN TIME

Thread 'Wanna get faster at 3x3/2x2? If so then you don’t want to miss out on this!'

Mar 4, 2025

Hey there! Looking to get faster at cubing? Then you’ve come to the right thread! (advertisement ahh intro)
Here are some things you might wanna know first:
I average 6.7 on 3x3, and 1.9 on 2x2 so you can trust me with these critiques.
I only critique solves that use CFOP or any variant similar to CFOP. For 2x2 i only critique solves that use Ortega, CLL, or EG-1.
Here are the requirements for critique:

Spoiler: Requirements

Don’t be faster than me
Have decent camera quality (preferably 1080p 30 FPS). If you can’t record in that quality, it’s fine as long as you send a reconstruction. Same goes with if you...

• Caleb Valenzuela
• coaching critique improvement
• Replies: 56
• Forum: How-to's, Guides, etc.

• 

also we have a DM lol

 

[Caleb Valenzuela]

ahem
it’s once again time for the “thing”
CALEB’S SHAMELESS PLUG-IN TIME

Thread 'Wanna get faster at 3x3/2x2? If so then you don’t want to miss out on this!'

Mar 4, 2025

Hey there! Looking to get faster at cubing? Then you’ve come to the right thread! (advertisement ahh intro)
Here are some things you might wanna know first:
I average 6.7 on 3x3, and 1.9 on 2x2 so you can trust me with these critiques.
I only critique solves that use CFOP or any variant similar to CFOP. For 2x2 i only critique solves that use Ortega, CLL, or EG-1.
Here are the requirements for critique:

Spoiler: Requirements

Don’t be faster than me
Have decent camera quality (preferably 1080p 30 FPS). If you can’t record in that quality, it’s fine as long as you send a reconstruction. Same goes with if you...

• Caleb Valenzuela
• coaching critique improvement
• Replies: 56
• Forum: How-to's, Guides, etc.

• 

also we have a DM lol

also this

Thread 'how to be sub-15 on 3x3 (sub-15 is easy you don’t need this /j)'

Mar 2, 2026

hi guys
thanks to my good friend arvid
I now know what all of you average (muhahahahahahaha)
but first here are the “requirements”:
be sub-20
know full F2L (atleast the front slot cases)
know full PLL (with the sole exception of @THE_V01DL0RD of course)

1. Learn full OLL
While you can definitely get like sub-12 with 2-look OLL, it’s much better in the long run to learn it at around the 15-17 second barrier. OLL has different names for certain patterns (like “fish shape” or “knight shape”), so I suggest you learn cases according to the sets. As for memorizing algs, see my...

• Caleb Valenzuela
• coaching cool cube stuff get better identivalenzuelafication noob sub15 tutorial
• Replies: 15
• Forum: How-to's, Guides, etc.

• 
• 

everyone forgets i made like 43 quintillion guides for situations like this
and if they can’t improve from the guides
they can ask me for critique/coaching
it’s simple marketing (except i don’t get money lol)

 

[Michael Wimberly]

ahem
it’s once again time for the “thing”
CALEB’S SHAMELESS PLUG-IN TIME

Thread 'Wanna get faster at 3x3/2x2? If so then you don’t want to miss out on this!'

Mar 4, 2025

Hey there! Looking to get faster at cubing? Then you’ve come to the right thread! (advertisement ahh intro)
Here are some things you might wanna know first:
I average 6.7 on 3x3, and 1.9 on 2x2 so you can trust me with these critiques.
I only critique solves that use CFOP or any variant similar to CFOP. For 2x2 i only critique solves that use Ortega, CLL, or EG-1.
Here are the requirements for critique:

Spoiler: Requirements

Don’t be faster than me
Have decent camera quality (preferably 1080p 30 FPS). If you can’t record in that quality, it’s fine as long as you send a reconstruction. Same goes with if you...

• Caleb Valenzuela
• coaching critique improvement
• Replies: 56
• Forum: How-to's, Guides, etc.

• 

also we have a DM lol

I was getting ready to ask why you haven't done that yet

 

[Michael Wimberly]

So my times are coming back down, which is good.

Also, this comp that I might go to has the weirdest event list.

Moore Cubes in Loudoun 2026 | World Cube Association

The World Cube Association governs competitions for mechanical puzzles that are operated by twisting groups of pieces, commonly known as 'twisty puzzles'. The most famous of these puzzles is the Rubik's Cube, invented by professor Rubik from Hungary. A selection of these puzzles are chosen as...

www.worldcubeassociation.org

3x3, 2x2, and 5x5. Where is 4x4?

Anyway, I'm gonna get a clock before this comp so I can hopefully compete in it before it gets removed.

 

[Michael Wimberly]

I'm doing a lot better now, thank goodness

 

[Michael Wimberly]

Ok so good news
My global is dropping below 17 seconds, as seen here



Also this is not cstimer it's just a phone app but you get the point (that's all my solves from over the past week, which is 89 solves)

 

[Michael Wimberly]

Alright
It is time I updated this thread
Here is my global (it's the ao100 because that's how many solves I get done in like 1 or 2 weeks)
"Mean" is just my session mean you can ignore that


I am also getting a good start on clock with a sub-15 ao5 (14.41) and ao12 (14.49).

 

[Michael Wimberly]

I'm gonna be grinding for my state championships (which looks like NAC but it's VAC because Virginia lol), here's what I'm focusing on:

Learn full OLL and better F2L algs for 3x3 to hopefully get to sub-15
Make cutoff for 4x4 (My 4x4 average is about 1:40 to 1:50 and cutoff is 1:15, might be a long shot)
Do good at Clock (I don't have high standards for this one, I just want to have Clock in my records before it gets removed)

 

[Michael Wimberly]

So as I was practicing 4x4 last night, I got literally 1 second slower than my pb BECAUSE OF OLL PARITY!!!!11!11!!1!

 

[Michael Wimberly]

Reconstruction of my 10.56 PB2 I got a few days ago

Generated by CubeTime
10.56: U' L' F2 L2 F U' D F' R D' L2 U2 D B2 L2 U L' D'

x’ z // Inspection
U’ D B F R’ L2 D // X-Cross
x’ y2 R U’ R’ U2 L’ U L // Pair 2
U’ R U’ R’ U y R U’ R’ // Pair 3
y’ R U’ R’ U2 F’ U’ F // Pair 4
R U R’ U’ M’ U R U’ r’ // OLL
U’ R U R’ F’ R U R’ U’ R’ F’ R2 U’ R’ U’ // PLL
53 moves STM, 5 TPS

 

[Michael Wimberly]

Just finished learning Yau method for 4x4, I should get faster with this