(Topic ID: 165301)

What pinball skill do you need to get better at?

By Nokoro

7 years ago


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Topic Stats

  • 118 posts
  • 68 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 7 years ago by Nokoro
  • Topic is favorited by 6 Pinsiders

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    11 key posts have been marked in this topic, showing the first 10 items.

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    Post #10 Tips on Drop Catching. Posted by ryanwanger (7 years ago)

    Post #11 Tips on Dead Bouncing. Posted by ryanwanger (7 years ago)

    Post #28 Dead bounce tip. Posted by Nokoro (7 years ago)

    Post #31 Drop catch discussion. Posted by chuckwurt (7 years ago)

    Post #53 Jack Danger links to animated gifs of many techniques. Posted by DeadFlip (7 years ago)

    Post #54 Live catch discussion. Posted by ryanwanger (7 years ago)

    Post #55 More Live Catching tips. Posted by chuckwurt (7 years ago)

    Post #79 Link to video of an important, unnamed slap save'ish technique. Posted by Spyderturbo007 (7 years ago)

    Post #82 Description of "slap save'ish" technique. Posted by chuckwurt (7 years ago)

    Post #100 Post transfer discussion. Posted by Bugsy (7 years ago)


    Topic indices are generated from key posts and maintained by Pinside Editors. For more information, or to become an editor yourself read this post!

    There are 118 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 3.
    #1 7 years ago

    For me, it is the drop catch. I can never seem to do it. It is like I psych myself out and either release or hit too early. I think it is holding me back from being a better player.

    #2 7 years ago

    Not shitting the bed in round 10 at pinburgh lol

    29
    #4 7 years ago

    Convincing my wife we need another pin.

    #5 7 years ago

    Having better than plus or minus two inch aim

    #6 7 years ago

    Finding the time to actually play and work on skills on a regular basis.

    #7 7 years ago

    Tap passing. I probably don't do it as much because I don't like how risky it can be.

    #9 7 years ago

    Dead bounce. I don't understand when to use it or why so I flail and get the ball away from the flipper rather than dead bounce and guess what will happen next.

    #10 7 years ago
    Quoted from Nokoro:

    For me, it is the drop catch. I can never seem to do it. It is like I psych myself out and either release or hit too early. I think it is holding me back from being a better player.

    The way I finally figured out drop catching was like this: start practicing it those times when the ball is coming across the playfield from one side to the other towards the heel of the flipper. Your goal is to drop the flipper as it arrives in such a way that makes the ball roll up the inlane.

    After getting comfortable with that, then start attempting it as the ball is farther out along the flipper.

    #11 7 years ago
    Quoted from YeOldPinPlayer:

    Dead bounce. I don't understand when to use it or why so I flail and get the ball away from the flipper rather than dead bounce and guess what will happen next.

    Starting to dead bounce has been the number one greatest leap in my abilities as a pinball player.

    Anytime the ball is coming down into the middle of the flipper bat, don't flip.

    The 100% safe time to do this is when the ball is coming from the other side of the playfield, right into the middle of the flipper bat.

    As you get more comfortable, you'll find you can do this safely anywhere in the middle three quarters of the flipper (the very tip and the very heel of the flipper is generally not safe).

    You can even dead bounce if the ball is coming down from the same side of the playfield, but it takes a little more experience to know when it is safe to attempt that.

    As with all of this stuff, you just need to do it a bunch of times on the machine you're playing to see how the ball reacts and then adjust accordingly based on what is safe.

    #12 7 years ago

    Fixing ghosting inserts. If I perfect this I can retire early.

    Oh, and judging that fine line of beer drinking to be relaxed but not sloppy.

    #13 7 years ago

    For me? Um, let's see...how about all of them?

    #14 7 years ago

    Nudging. I am simply not in the habit of doing it. I have started doing it more, especially on games I'm familiar with, but I have a long way to go.

    11
    #15 7 years ago

    Figuring out rules and game strategies. - When people talk about these things I'm in awe and believe them to be gods.

    #16 7 years ago

    Consecutive looping on a fan layout from left to right. Right to left I'm pretty good at. (Or is it the other way around? )

    #17 7 years ago

    Self control with my purchases.

    #18 7 years ago

    Keeping the ball from draining.

    #19 7 years ago

    I feel I have pretty solid flipper and ball skills in single ball play but I often struggle in multiball. I need to trap up sooner and have more patience and slow the game down and play more in control. It's a completely different style of play from single ball and adapting can often be difficult.

    #20 7 years ago

    1) Repairs
    2) Nudging
    3) Finding desirable pins at reasonable prices

    #21 7 years ago

    Not letting the ball make it to the out hole

    #22 7 years ago

    Finding a good place for my Eager Beaver.

    #23 7 years ago

    Not getting pissed off and wanting to stab everyone.

    #24 7 years ago

    Pretty much all of them. Love the hobby but am really a terrible player. Slowly working on advanced techniques to become better.

    #25 7 years ago

    My multiball game is pretty terrible

    I also suck at loop passes

    Alley passing is hard too.

    #26 7 years ago

    Consistancy, being able to reproduce good shots. And backhands to the inner outlanes to exploit hurry-ups.

    #27 7 years ago

    To get myself to not go "deer in the headlights" when you know the ball is going STDM.

    #28 7 years ago
    Quoted from YeOldPinPlayer:

    Dead bounce. I don't understand when to use it or why so I flail and get the ball away from the flipper rather than dead bounce and guess what will happen next.

    I'm pretty good at figuring out trajectories so this isn't a problem for me. Just need to realize the angle at which it hits the flipper should be the same angle that it exits, just on the opposite side of the perpendicular.

    #29 7 years ago
    Quoted from ryanwanger:

    The way I finally figured out drop catching was like this: start practicing it those times when the ball is coming across the playfield from one side to the other towards the heel of the flipper. Your goal is to drop the flipper as it arrives in such a way that makes the ball roll up the inlane.
    After getting comfortable with that, then start attempting it as the ball is farther out along the flipper.

    Thanks. Do you drop right before it hits the flipper or right at the moment it touches? There is something about dropping the flipper at the time that seems counter-intuitive to me, like I'm dropping my defenses. I get scared and lose control.

    #30 7 years ago

    Buying low and selling high.

    #31 7 years ago
    Quoted from Nokoro:

    Thanks. Do you drop right before it hits the flipper or right at the moment it touches? There is something about dropping the flipper at the time that seems counter-intuitive to me, like I'm dropping my defenses. I get scared and lose control.

    Imagine you're playing egg toss. You want to greet the ball at the high point, and drop your hands with the object so that the energy just comes to a complete stop and rests in your hands/flipper safe and sound.

    Also, drop catches are much easier from across the playfield than if they are dropping straight down to a flipper. Also, when you perform a successful drop catch the ball will move toward the tip of the flipper just a little bit right away, so the closer the ball is to the back of the flipper, the safer it is to try the drop catch.

    #32 7 years ago

    Reading and understanding the rules to gain more points in tournaments. I really just play and shot for what feels good while trying to keep the ball alive. I love ramps. Try to avoid bad shots that cost me my ball.

    #33 7 years ago
    Quoted from chuckwurt:

    Imagine you're playing egg toss. You want to greet the ball at the high point, and drop your hands with the object so that the energy just comes to a complete stop and rests in your hands/flipper safe and sound.
    Also, drop catches are much easier from across the playfield than if they are dropping straight down to a flipper. Also, when you perform a successful drop catch the ball will move toward the tip of the flipper just a little bit right away, so the closer the ball is to the back of the flipper, the safer it is to try the drop catch.

    This is helpful, thanks. But, from the videos I've seen, I thought the drop catch was suppose to move the ball away from the tip of the flipper -- it rolls up, towards the return lane, and then back down. No?

    #34 7 years ago
    Quoted from chuckwurt:

    Imagine you're playing egg toss. You want to greet the ball at the high point, and drop your hands with the object so that the energy just comes to a complete stop and rests in your hands/flipper safe and sound.

    That's a fantastic description. I've watched videos and heard the pros describe their use of it, but I could never get the actual "why and how" of the method to click in my head. Thanks Chuck! Looking forward to trying this when I get back home.

    #35 7 years ago
    Quoted from Nokoro:

    This is helpful, thanks. But, from the videos I've seen, I thought the drop catch was suppose to move the ball away from the tip of the flipper -- it rolls up, towards the return lane, and then back down. No?

    Depends on how far up the ball is towards the back of the flipper. Sometimes the ball just stops on a dime in the middle of the flipper. Too close to the tip and it just falls into the drain.

    #36 7 years ago

    Yeah, thanks chukwurt and ryanwanger. Really good descriptions. I just tried it on WOZ and did my first successful drop catch that I actually planned in advance for. Now, I have to work on not being so surprised when it works out so that I can actually do something with it.

    #37 7 years ago

    Easy shot accuracy.

    #38 7 years ago

    Cradle separation

    #39 7 years ago
    Quoted from Olddragon:

    Buying low and selling high.

    Why what are you selling?

    #40 7 years ago

    Control temper with a lil less swearing naturally d'oh!

    #41 7 years ago
    Quoted from indybru:

    Easy shot accuracy.

    Same, shot accuracy even with a caught ball.

    #42 7 years ago

    Stroke and having three subsequent brain surgeries the left-hand side of my body doesn't work right . I just found out the other day having played some games for the first time in six months that my left-hand side is Jacked. Oh it just takes time and practice I could be much worse.

    #43 7 years ago

    Writing is a bitcheven though I use the dictator feature.

    #44 7 years ago

    Sounds like playing pinball could possibly be part of your physical therapy. Sounds good to me. Hope you are able to make some good progress this year.

    #45 7 years ago

    More art of nudging and less coin door humping.

    #46 7 years ago

    Great info and help. Drop catching on left flipper from the scoop on full throttle has been very helpful for me but generally still need a lot of work on all areas of pinball control.

    #47 7 years ago
    Quoted from Azmodeus:

    Stroke and having three subsequent brain surgeries the left-hand side of my body doesn't work right . I just found out the other day having played some games for the first time in six months that my left-hand side is Jacked. Oh it just takes time and practice I could be much worse.

    Hang in there. Sounds like quite an ordeal. Glad you're playing again.

    #48 7 years ago

    nudging for sure. Seems like when I do nudge it either does nothing at all or that it actually helps the ball drain.

    #49 7 years ago

    LUCK. Need better luck

    #50 7 years ago

    Timing. I seem to reach down for my beer thinking I've got at least 7 or 8 seconds and all of a sudden I'm cutting my swig short and damn near losing the ball trying to put the bottle back in the pingulp.

    There are 118 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 3.

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