Pinball Skills - Aiming and Shooting

[@Flightcoach]

I got into pinball yesterday. Played as a kid but never understood that there where rules and a plan and loops and such. I just tried to prevent draining the ball hehehe. There is so much more skill involved I learnt yesterday. A buddy of mine made a virtual pinball machine. I need one too now. ;) Feeding my brain with info. I love your video. As a fellow creator i can see how much work these graphics have been. Subscribed!

[@AbeFlips]

Thanks, I appreciate it. I have never tried virtual cabinets, but I know there are existing cabinets with integrated coils and nudging sensors. With the new Zen Pinball tables those could be great!

[@ruaraidhmcdonald-walker9524]

Absolutely brilliant. Sort of knew all this somewhere in the back of your mind but this is so clearly explained and shown. The slow mos and overlays are quite superb. Fantastic video. So clear, so to the point. Everything you need to be accurate and improve in under three minutes.

[@nimcapcik]

I love these videos. The content and editing is superb. Thank you! Looking forward to my next visit to the arcade.

[@TheToxicGamer97]

I'm just getting into pinball and these tutorials are exactly what I was looking for. Keep it up!

[@noahkagan]

dude this is super helpful.

[@littlecombatmusic]

Wow, this is such a high-quality video, and explained a lot of concepts to me in a way that I can understand. Thank you so much for your video. Time to practice...

[@ampichillin6294]

I have a feeling your channel’s about to blow up :-) very deserved and long overdue

[@AbeFlips]

Hey Amp, let's hope so. Thanks for supporting me all the way 🤩

[@mrroboto4l]

Great quality production with a digestible video length. love these.

[@mahony007]

Incredible tutorials, these videos are great for beginners and advanced players. Thanks for taking the time to make these.

[@DK-jy4jb]

Excellent video! I would add that there are a few old-school arcades in my area that have unlimited play for an hourly fee -- very helpful for practicing shots without worrying about losing quarters.

[@herinespinosa3750]

This is so well done! Some seriously well shot angles here, bravo. Helps improve the understanding so much more. Keep it up!

[@Branables]

As a pinball newbie this is super well explained with some very slick editing

[@nickatmacomb8965]

These are really helpful. Please keep making them!

[@AbeFlips]

The upcoming video is already on the way.

[@MrDochorrible]

Great videos! There aren’t too many tutorials on KZbin surprisingly, so these are sorely needed.

[@AbeFlips]

Thats the reason why I started this project :-)

[@darthsynchronic]

Your videos make Pinball great again! 😱

[@PinStratsDan]

Excellent tips and well done!

[@RazziAndvari]

Hey man, Just wanted to share my appreciation for everything you're doing. I recently got hooked on playing pinball, and while I'm still as green as green one can be, your tutorials are great for learning the ropes. So far I've got very minor successes with getting the ball where I want on Fish Tales and Spider-Man VE, but damn... It really is addictive!:)

[@AndrewDangerously]

Just watched all these tutorials in a row. Amazing work!

[@zsatx]

New to pinball and your videos have helped me out A LOT! Thank you!!! 🙏🏽

[@ianxtreem]

Thanks for the video!

[@mslisstopher]

Wonderful videos- thank you!! 👍

[@ImotoArcade]

Yes!!!! This is beautiful!!

[@TiltingT]

Your combos are beautiful

[@EricFryc]

These are excellent!

[@thomasware5226]

That looks like a lot of fun. I’ve managed to play the Stern one a few times & enjoyed the ship mechanic. That is a fine collection of machines! I’m in the mood for pinball so 2nd visit to SWL club tonight 😊

[@antonvlasjuk3079]

You must be super skilled! Shooting the captain Marvel ramp as a combo from another shot is extremely hard! I like comboing the centre ramp, and the right ramp on AIQ! I am very bad at the captain Marvel ramp

[@AbeFlips]

Hehe thanks, but I'm not. Check out my live gameplay videos if you are interested.

[@chrishooper7179]

Hey abe. Your series has been really helpful getting me started with my first pin. (JP) the biggest issue i am having is i feel like recently i cant get t-rex ramp. It keeps bouncing back and forth at the front of the ramp. Do you have any tips for JP shots specifically? Just feel like i can't get what's supposed to be the easiest shot in the game down.

[@AbeFlips]

That ramp is sarcastically called the easiest shot of the game. Those rejections are known. However there are some things you can check. Level the playfield from left to right! Steepness- My game played best at a pitch of 6.8°. There is also a airball protector at the entrance of the ramp which sometimes can cause problems. You can tryto remove or add spacers to it, and see if something changes. Make sure the flippers are adjusted (pointing straight at the adjustment holes). Most important, record a slomo video of the failed shots and see where the problem lies. Good luck

[@chrishooper7179]

@@AbeFlips thanks! I'll give all of that a shot!

[@lomstertv366]

what a nice video and good camera! thanks! where do you got these crazy ball with the scratches? looks nice

[@AbeFlips]

Check out your local pinball stores, they might have balls with different color patterns.

[@Killl_Dozer]

Awesome video

[@demandecan55]

Where did you get that ruler looking guide on the JP flippers? Great video!

[@AbeFlips]

It`s just a print out attached with a double sided tape.

[@thomasmehringer8870]

What do you focus when shooting? Do you keep your eyes on the flipper or do you look at the target? Nice video, thank you for uploading!

[@AbeFlips]

Good question, you look at the flipper. The Artwork next to the flippers can help. Only look up after your shot so you know if you where too late or too early.

[@thomasmehringer8870]

@@AbeFlips thank you! Very nice video project. I like that the clips are short but contain much information at the same time. I hope you have the time to keep it up.

[@AbeFlips]

@@thomasmehringer8870 Next video will be released soon. Feedback like yours also gives me motivation for upcoming videos. 💪🏼💪🏼

[@Batl_Toad]

Just won myself a mandalorian pro in a raffle and really wanting to get into pinball more and found your videos, I have been watching them all and using them to practice the skills you are demonstrating so thank you the videos you have mad end I plan to watch many more, subbed for sure !!

[@PINBALLTELEVISION]

Good channel, I subscribe and I expect new videos. I also share 👍🏻

[@fransdozy8877]

Difficult to hit targets in those digitized pinball games ,I now play Outergalactic Aliens in Slot Shots Pinball Collection. Not the easiests of games. I used to own a real Monopoly Pinball machine (Stern) , but the shooting is different on a pc

[@soggykid5580]

You should try VPX on the pc, much better physics for vpin

[@AfroRyan]

Hey Abe; love your videos. I have a suggestion for a new Pinball Skills tutorial video. Could you do one on the specific concept of a "back shot," where you use the left flipper to hit targets on the left side of the table or the right flipper to hit targets on the right side of the table? It is generally easiest to do when the speeds are predictable, like shots from the inlane feed; using the fairly consistent momentum of the ball from the feed, you can start to cradle the ball, but right as the ball's momentum slows down or even reverses direction to start rolling back to the cradle position, you can use the inverse momentum to quickly let go of the flipper and re-flip to perform these inverse "back shots," or at least that's what I've always called them. Not every table allows for this technique, especially if the momentum from the inlane is too fast, but even without the inlane speed, you can perform back shots from drop and live catches if the timing is right (but obviously that's much harder). This is a hard concept to try and explain with words/text, but it'd be easier to understand with video I think.

[@AbeFlips]

Hey Ryan, thanks for letting me know! I included that shot in the micro flips tutorial, since microflips also can set up these shots (i called them back flips). On most games it's hard to get the ball into a cradle from an inlane feed, but as you mentioned there are alot of different opportunities for those shots. I will think about this and if I can go deeper into it in the upcoming big tutorial coming at the end of this year. ❤

[@AfroRyan]

@@AbeFlips I had completely forgotten about that part of the microflips video! "Backflip" is definitely the cooler term. I just know for some tables, you can use backflips to hit practically any target you want from either side with enough practice, and those are some of my favorites. Being able to transfer from any ramp from either flipper using backflips is extremely satisfying on games that allow for it.

[@AbeFlips]

@@AfroRyan nice, do you have any example? just interested.

[@jmike2039]

Yeah backshots now days mean something else😅​@@AfroRyan

[@GForce4]

This is an amazing video but I got a real strange problem. What if you try to adjust your timing but still make the same mistake. Example, Mandalorian I keep hitting the standup to the left of the right ramp and here's what I've tried to do to fix it. 1. Shoot later - Hit the same standup 2. Shoot earlier - Hit the same standup 3. Cradle then shoot - Hit the same standup 4. Shoot from an inlane feed - Hit the same standup 5. Backhand the shot - Hit the same standup It's like no matter my timing, my adjustments, etc. I just hit the same spot over and over again. I once managed to hit that same target 4 times in a row and this was me trying different combinations of speeds and shot placements. How can I try so many different methods yet get the same results?

[@AbeFlips]

Good question! Sometimes your brain simply doesn`t like certain shots. If you cant hit a shot during gameplay (not during practice), dont try to repeat that shot over and over again, just go on and come back again from time to time in a posive way and try your luck. There is a good chance you hit it on the next time, just dont take it too serious and try to stay in the zone. It was the same for me with the tight "O" shot on jurassic park. My "luck" on that one increased a lot over time. It has alot to do with the brain. Anyway, backhand the right ramp is the way to go on Mando, since it less dangerous. I did a Mandalorian stream and uploaded it on youtube, check it out. If your backhand doesn`t work, send me an email or PM on pinside.com and I`ll send you my tech- fix for this.

[@hrde2]

@@AbeFlips with the "O" shot I cannot find perfect settings with Jurassic Park to make this shot and the right ramp consistent. Would you mind sharing your settings for flipper power and playfield pitch angle? Thanks for the great videos!

[@AbeFlips]

@@hrde2 Those shots are hard and I don`t think the perfect pitch will make it easier. I play with factory settings and a pitch of 6.8°

[@FLIPADO34]

One question related : how to set up your flipper ? Do you have a recommended set up angle ?

[@AbeFlips]

It depends, but on stern machines there are small holes drilled into the playfield next to the flippers tip, take a close look. The tip should point exactly at this hole, not above or below. I recommend pinside.com for further instructions.

[@ray.a7343]

If I try a cradle it's very hard because my ball will just go right off flipper in drink .

[@AbeFlips]

This depends on the flipper alignment. Some games are designed with droopier flippers and some are just set up wrong. If it's a modern Stern check out the little holes on the playfield next to the flippers tip. The tip should point perfectly on those holes, or the flippers are set up too low/high. However, there are many control techniques to cradle the ball. Check out my other vids for this - Shielding, dead bounce, ski pass, drop catch and live catch- all can help in this regard- Good luck!

[@turrican4d599]

The cause for failure is easy to identify when you play the new Pinball FX. The culprit is the ballphysics.

[@jnkmal9519]

Excellent videos. Subbed!