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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Figuring out rules and game strategies. - When people talk about these things I'm in awe and believe them to be gods.
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? )
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.
Pretty much all of them. Love the hobby but am really a terrible player. Slowly working on advanced techniques to become better.
Consistancy, being able to reproduce good shots. And backhands to the inner outlanes to exploit hurry-ups.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Quoted from indybru:Easy shot accuracy.
Same, shot accuracy even with a caught ball.
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.
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.
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.
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.
nudging for sure. Seems like when I do nudge it either does nothing at all or that it actually helps the ball drain.
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