I disagree. I'm well past the half century mark these days and my vision and reflexes are fading fast. Yet I'm currently leading my local league (all younger than me) 5 weeks into the season. Ball control is my biggest asset. Yes, I miss a lot, but I have the ability to get the ball back under control and try the shot again.

Seniors division at PAPA this year was like a murder's row of players. Watch those guys if you want to learn ball control. There's a lot of us old dudes out there kicking ass and taking names via ball control. Extremely important skill in pinball.

Aim is directly related to age and can easily be improved with practice. With ball control, you HAVE to watch other better players to learn the skills. Watching videos won't do it. When you watch a better player execute a move you can't do over and over in front of you, eventually you learn how to do it. I've learned all my ball control skills by playing with or against better (and usually younger) players. I'll never be a threat to win A division at PAPA, but I can hold my own in league and local tournaments. My vision and reflexes are going downhill, but my scores are still going up.

I think its feel and getting use to the speed of the ball from different shots or bumps, sometimes I aim for the edge of the target to allow extra or under or miss hit power

No, but I can answer for myself. I don't practice, and never have. I play a lot less pinball now than I did 20 years ago, and my shooting accuracy is definitely worse than it was. To compensate I have gotten a lot better at recovery, getting the ball back under control when it's out there.

As for shot accuracy, I agree with pretty much everything said here, especially to focus on the flipper itself when shooting. Once you know a shot you can get more and more accurate with it. I'll will add this: if you're having trouble with a shot, picture a shot in the same position from a different machine, ideally a machine you play well, and act like you're shooting that shot. This may improve your accuracy!

Ball control is important, but as others have said, shot accuracy is paramount. In competition, my play is a lot different than casual play. On older games (SS and EM especially, but also on virtually any game), my priority is to keep the ball out of "danger zones".. slingshots are notoriously dangerous. If you can keep the ball from ever hitting the slingshots, your chance of draining down an outlane is significantly reduced.

Keeping the ball in play, ball control, and shot accuracy are all important, for sure. (And somewhat interrelated.) I still think that high accuracy can keep you "out of trouble" so that you don't need as much control or saves. And, even if you control the ball all day long, if you can't make the critical shot when you need it, you won't get the big points. This aspect is even more critical on timed modes, where accuracy on the fly can be a huge scoring asset.

I do agree that watching skilled players is a great way to learn strategy and technique too. But, you can't "learn" accuracy by watching! For that, you know what you want to do; the rest is simply making the shots.

(And yeah, I'm another guy past the half-century mark with diminishing eyesight and reflexes. )

My old baseball coach used to repeat "Keep your eye on the ball" all the time. I never really understood it playing baseball.

I did eventually get the concept years later while playing pinball. On the rare occasion I find myself flailing at an out of control missing shots left and right I stop trying to make shots. I stop thinking about what shot I should hit next or how many locks I need for MB. I focus on one thing, keeping my eye on the ball. I don't look at the shot I want to hit and back at the ball. The ramp is in the same spot as it was the last thousand or so times I've shot at it. I keep my focus on what is moving, the ball. Even when I know it isn't coming near the flippers for a few seconds I still keep my eyes glued to it. When I make that focused effort to keep eye contact with the ball I usually find myself making all the shots I was bricking moments before.

It's like golf - muscle memory. When I get it going, I do not even need to look at the target. For example, I can hit center shot on STTNG to add personnel over and over without looking. Same for Tron ramp. It just becomes rote, muscle memory, you just feel it.

sometimes on STTNG I can,t hit anything but posts,If posts scored big points I would be a wizard!

Ok, so I was starting to feel a little better that other people maybe suck nearly as bad as I do, and then Bowen chimes in and says he doesn't practice, and never has. Life is not fair.

QUOTE "I haven't been playing as long as many of you, but I've come to rank pinball skills in this order:

1. Make your shots (aim).
2. Keep the ball in play (saves/nudging)
3. Control the ball (cradling/post-pass/dead-pass)"

I would say 3, 1, 2. Controlling the ball is very important, but if you're not hitting the shots.....

Then when you do miss, nudging and flipper saves are so important.

I run a pinball league with about 20 players. The biggest difference between the "good" players and the "great" players is probably nudging skills. Countless times I see a player watch the ball drain down the middle or outlane and just stand there and watch it go out.

I agree. What's the best way to practice nudging skills? It's my weak spot. I up nudge fine, but not the left-right nudging.
-mof

My aim is not that good so I've learned a few techniques to improve it a little.

One is to key off the playfield artwork. For example, from a trap on the left flipper on Addams Family, you can lock in the backhand to the chair by using the 3 Million Door as a guide.

I've also found that games that require on the fly shooting to the same ramp over and over improve my on the fly shooting in general. Two games where I do this a lot are Earthshaker (center ramp) and Dracula (left ramp).

Well said. Space Station is a good game to force taking live shots all day long.
-mof

Maybe some markings or after market stickers would help.
Probably been done already but if not I'll take the patent thanks!
Will try it, and see if it's helpful or distracting.

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I think it's important to develop a system in your mind that works independent of the product design. I think you could do something with the lines as a demonstration to teach, but I wouldn't use them on a specific machine long-term.
-mof

Yeh, just an idea, sooner or later youre going to need to learn off by heart where your flippers are. I don't see people putting lines on baseball or cricket bats. I just tried stickers on my Ackadacka machine and found them to be more of a distraction.

Some flippers have those guide lines like your top right example:

http://bayareaamusements.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=FB-9592-6

Some games came from the factory that way. I personally don't like the feel of those flippers for some reason. I think they're a little longer than standard.

You could also take a sharpie to the rubber itself and make little notches.

They might be a good learning tool, but I agree with Mof that since I can't use them in competition they wouldn't be as useful to me.

I used to be the same way. In fact, before getting into competitions about 5 years ago, front to back nudging was the only thing I did! Practice side shoves when the ball is in the outlane area. I try to use my thumbs to grip the inside edges of the side rails. This allows me to actually shove the game to the right with my right hand, and shove the game to the left with my left hand. This causes smaller movements and of course, I do assist with the other hand as well.

The other technique you can practice is a "slide save". You don't actually slide the machine(although it does sometimes happen). When the ball is coming SDTM, hold a flipper up and shove the game sideways, moving the flipper tip into the path of the ball. If you have no dangers yet, you can often get away with one of these if the tilt is not super tight.

Wait, you mean you don't just will it to go where you want and it does? I must have been cheating all this time.

I agree with everyone that says it's all about feel. When you play enough, it becomes almost instinctual. Whenever I overthink it, I usually miss the shot. That's proabbly why I tend to play better when I have a little alcohol in me. You become more relaxed, and just go with the flow.

And practice precise drop catches! One of the reasons I like that game--no sitting there all day with flippers up to catch balls in the (nonexistent) inlanes.

All 3 basic skills are important and interrelated. If you're really good at one, then the others may not come up as much. I still maintain accuracy is most important: if you make your shots (and go for safer shots), then ball control and saving are not needed as much. And, more importantly, if you make the shots you need more consistently, you will score higher. You can control and save all day, but those skills won't score any points!

the imaginary lines in my head help me...

I never knew there was so much technical jargon involved. I push the buttons, the flippers hit the ball, and I usually score lots of points. That's the fun of it.

I do this and I'm like "what the fuck is wrong with me?"

I hate when I do that especially when it's close enough to nudge and tap a flipper. But I think you have to make those behaviours reflexes through practice so you don't see it happen but just "do" the nudge/slide, etc.

Also for me on accuracy, since machines are all different, you do have to get a feel for the flippers and then you can figure out where on the flipper will hit what on the shots. Maybe since I mostly play at bars and on location where the machines often aren't maintained super well (aside from TJ's awesome machines in Oakland and the sweet ones at Free Gold Watch), you have to adjust on the fly on each machine. Same goes with different rubbers on the flippers (like those orange crazy ones on the Tron at PHOF I just played - urethane I think?)

I was surprised to see Bowen say that he avoids using slap saves, as it sends the ball back out of control. I'm pretty dependent on them, mostly because my aim sucks.

I'm pretty good with ball control, but it's true that doesn't score points. I've missed shots, made some great saves, gotten the ball under control, and missed that same shot over and over again. I like the idea of using the PF art, I may have to give that a shot.

I'm not saying avoid slap saves, just change their purpose. The "1-2" flip of the slap save isn't always necessary: the "1" saves the ball and the "2" sends it back careening out of control. If you do a better job with the "1" you don't need the "2" and you'll have control.

Yep, slap save is my least used move. Bowen caught on to me a couple years ago and pointed that out

When aiming I tend to focus at the top of the flipper with my target in my peripheral vision and imagine a line. If something is blocking my vision (Hammer on met, Stupid fester toy on Taf ect...) I have a much harder time making the shot. For games with mini flipper shots like TAF & TZ I try to use artwork references as a timing mech such as the lightning bolt on TZ.

I use something in front of the what I am aiming for in the playfield artwork which has helped me become much more accurate. Perhaps that may help you as well.

I know this is true for me too, I can overthink it to the point of draining like its my first time playing.

Here's a question: Do you guys find you play better when you aren't fatigued or tired in any way? I find pinball to be very physical and it really does drain me. When real fatigue starts to set in, my play gets really sloppy.

Yup. Fatigue generally impairs my skills. OTOH, just a bit of alcohol usually raises them. I could probably do as well stone cold sober if I practiced relaxing more. And caffeine totally throws my game off.

Um, yes? It requires plenty of concentration, obviously, but physical stamina also becomes a factor in longer events. I usually stand and pace around when it's not my turn in a match play tournament and have run out of gas a couple of times...

Often times I get to the tables at the end of a long day in IT. I am just wiped. My mind is goo and my concentration is bad. I am usually good for a game or two and then everything just goes into the toilet.

Of course, that sounds like a good EXCUSE, too!

Good pinball is 100% hand-eye coordination. So if you're fatigued, intoxicated, or whatever, anything that affects your reaction time is going to affect your gameplay.

+1 Can't be tired and play well.. but I've certainly played well while drunk.

Maybe you just THINK you played well drunk

Alcohol tends to have this affect... on a lot of things (sadly not always true)

I've only achieved a couple of GC scores on my machines while drinking a bit. Once, I took out the high score on Radical! completely lit up.

Most of the time, I have to be pretty stone cold sober, and free from any fatigue so I have good concentration is a must.

I think raw talent for pinball is what makes the A division player. I guarantee that when they started playing pinball, they were already better than the average person. People start at a certain point on the ladder, and you climb up from there. It's actually more like a rope climb in gym. Unfortunately, I have never made it to the top of that dreaded rope. In the last 2 years my skills have improved greatly, and to the common person, I am a great player. At a place like PAPA, I am C division bottom sucking scum.

Something I learned recently, is that you have to have the 'Skill, and the Will' to beat at pinball. You have to want to fight to get control of every ball, and make every shot. Good players don't let the opponents score bother them. They know they will get their turn and slowly but surely climb that giant mountain their opponent has put in front of them. You gotta be bad, like Andy Rosa, and make that machine your bitch.

As quoted by DugFreez:

'Keep the ball as far away from the flippers as possible.'

This can also yield incredibly high scores.

Front to back nudging? I haven't figured out this one yet (when and to what effect?). I 've been having a little better luck moving left to right a touch.

Hi there!

For me it also about the "feel", kinda like bike cycling or something else. Maybe more of hand/eye coordination. Anyway, I use the pf artwork at the flipper at times too but mostly its about the feel. I need a couple of games on a new machine though before finding the feel.
Reason I quoted above is because I recognize it! 2-3 beers then the play gets better than sober =) More beer and it will get ruined. I guess it has to do with relaxation in combination with how you look at your opponent, the pinball machine in this case. Its like a game of hockey you should not fear the opponent nor underestimate him! Play your game and take a tiny amount of chances and youll be fine.