I've been working on getting back control of the ball (performing a hold trap) safely. In order to do this, you need to get used to the momentum of the ball. A bad hold-trap sends the ball the other way, possibly right in the out lane, which is obviously bad.

Also, I'm not sure what the move is called. You deploy the flipper and you retract it just when the ball touches it, rendering the ball momentum to almost zero? I then send the ball back on the playfield after letting it drop on the flipper exactly where I want it.

Which goes hand-in-hand with aiming techniques. I've been working on really looking at where the ball is on the flipper, in order to correlate that position to which ramps I want to hit. That one is pretty basic, but hey, I'm kind of new and basic myself...

3 hour daily biceps and triceps work-outs!

Bought TWD Prem. No joke, that game has helped tighten up nearly all aspects of my playing capabilities.

Lots n lots of meth.

I think that's a drop catch.

Cock push-ups?

Seriously though..
Making shots is one thing, then learning the game rules to go with those shots helps too.

Practice flipper-ball control to slow down the game. Learn to post-pass.

Learn geometry: Play a game with the glass off. Practice shots by placing the ball in the return lane and shooting the same shot over and over until you can make it just by looking at the position of the ball on the flipper.

Learn the rules: All games have goals or modes to work through. Learn what scores the most points and exploit it.

Play 2 player with friends: A challenge always seems to bring the best out in me. If that doesn't work, place bets with your friends; you would be surprised how hard people try to save the ball when there is a dollar on the line.

You're exactly right.

It's so satisfying when a successful drop catch is made.

It's the small things in life...

What you really need to do is play with people better than you, and watch when it's their turn instead of playing with your phone. Ask them to critique your game and give you tips. You aren't getting any better because you aren't working on any new skills, or correcting bad ones. Just playing a lot isn't going to make a difference if that's the case.

ive changed back to black flipper rubbers they are less bouncy and veel like having more friction
i try locking balls on flipper more when in multiball in stead of shooting like a madman

I've been trying to rely on the dead bounce pass more often to help gain control of the ball more quickly and/or to line up a shot.

I try to watch others play on youtube. It's a revelation to watch how Keith Elwin controls the ball in this video:

He scores more on one ball than I've been able to manage yet.

12oz curls help but if that doesn't work I find practicing orbit loops helps quite a bit. Also practicing specific combo shots like left ramp to right ramp, orbit to ramp etc will help you get a feel for the physics of a game. Stay away from practicing shots with a flipler trap, this does nothing to improve hand/eye coordination and is detrimental to game play IMO

No joke, my game increased substantially after I bought a BSD

I have REALLY been working on keeping balls in control in multiball. I'm really pretty good at hitting on the fly, but holding multiple balls and keeping better control is a great challenge and something I'm gonna keep working on. Look out TPF 2017!

I drink more.

Dead bounce for control. You'll lose alot of balls at first practicing but its upped my game. BSD has helped me considerably. When i work hard to control multiball on the lightning flippers the large flippers feel like a breeze. Playing 2 inch flipper EM's like theyre Solid state games and trying to control the ball not just hit on the fly has improved my game some as well.

So true. Unfortunately, it was a long time before I found folks better than me. Not bragging. Just a by-product of living in pinball wastelands and not getting out much. I've since seen BUNCHES of folks better than me!

Deep breath. Be patient. And it only takes one ball. (ask Lance Armstrong) Ouch!

Flipper rebuild. My average scores have almost doubled on my TSPP now that I can easily make the couch. Of course now I don't have that to blame my crappy pin skills on anymore.

I added a bunch of one-liners to my repertoire.

Do I even want to be so good that a game on TWD of all things lasts AN HOUR?

This honestly makes me worse. I keep my games in tip top shape and adjust very poorly to shitty route games with weak flippers.

Brought home a Tron

Slingshot passes to increase ball control and then use the flipper with a dead ball to target aim specific game shots for practice.

Repeatable, over and over until you memorize the shot.

Watch this simple, direct, and easily understood visual video if you want to master more skills:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=554533291389989&id=232677973575524

I joined the Space City Pinball League! http://www.spacecitypinball.com/

Not only has my game improved, it's FUN! Getting out and having a drink with friends while playing some pinball - Hell Yeah~!

Lightly smacking the flipper button to tap pass when post passes don't work so well.

Feels so good when you get a good amount in a row then I tap just a bit too hard and everything blows up

Really concentrate on learning all the tricks, and more importantly, when to use them. So many times I try to live catch when I should've dead bounced. Also watch gameplay videos all the time especially once you've learned games backwards and forwards. Watching the best play the games you know the best will show you things you may have never considered.

Practice all the time on location. I have games at home, but there are some weeks where I log more time on other peoples' games than I do my own.

What I have done lately is really have a plan before I plunge the ball. Then after I drain, think about what I planned to do, and what I actually did.

Same here. It's like a dead bounce is so basic that I forget the geometry of it.

Exactly! That's a super important point too. Easy to lose your train of thought when the ball is out of control and the play is frantic. You just want to launch another ball instantly. That's bad.