Dead bounce more. I had a buddy over yesterday and we played plenty. I noticed he NEVER let the ball dead bounce off a flipper. I was wiping the floor with him scorewise, then strongly suggested he try harder to NOT flip. I swear, once he got his head around it and controlled the urge, he was INSTANTLY a better player. Scores matched up from then on. Amazing how binary the improvement was. Obviously a sample size of one is not statistically robust, but we both agreed it was pretty clear. He remains a better drinker than me.

#2 8 years ago

JAY

Sparky347

Inactive member

Langley, BC

12y 44,400 256 8 7

Buy a BSD, it forces you to become a better player. It worked for me, and anyone who plays mine swears that it has made them improve....dead bounces are almost necessary on BSD to get a decent score.

#3 8 years ago

BBB

oldskool1969

Pinside member

Gilligan's Island

10y 134K 3,652 12

NEVER hold the flippers up, soon as you have played the shot, let em drop! its that simple.

#4 8 years ago

MCC

cooked71

Pinside member

Sydney

10y 155K 9,250 19 39

Agreed dead bounce is a fundamental "skill" to get your head around. Also to slow down and try to hold the ball more before shooting - my accuracy improves dramatically when shooting from a stop.

Not as important on all games, but punishing games like ACDC and Metallica accuracy is essential.

#5 8 years ago

CRG

Toasterdog

Pinside member

Clearwater, FL

11y 95,550 3,646 2 46

Learn the rules.

#6 8 years ago

TAM

tamoore

Pinside member

Grayling, MI

11y 123K 6,661 37 58

I'm no good, but when I pay attention to the basic flipper skills like dead bounce and live catch, I do tend to have my best games.

#7 8 years ago

JLH

Hougie

Pinside member

Marysville, IN

11y 103K 3,102 12 34

Owning a tough game and learning to nudge have been the two biggies for me.

#8 8 years ago

JAY

jrobinso99

Pinside member

11y 63,950 494

I find there is a wide range of skill sets as people start to compete and there certainly isn't a universal answer to how each could improve.

The fastest way to improve your scores, in my opinion, is to do the following: Find the best player(s) you can and play pinball with them. Ask them what you could focus on to improve your game. Practice what they suggest.

-Jay

#9 8 years ago

EDB

redundor

Pinside member

Abbotsford, BC

9y 38,550 311

I agree, but I would also add live catching to the list. Basically, anything you can do to slow that ball down and get control!

#10 8 years ago

DAV

blue95

Pinside member

Newcastle

13y 53,400 603 8 18

Take the glass off

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