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Playing under pressure in tournaments

Doggard

Doggard

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Joined
Sep 5, 2021
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821
Location
Dereham/ Norfolk
I’m still pretty new to playing competitive pinball, and after a few tournaments I’ve realised that when under pressure, I’m playing below my skill level. It’s frustrating as I know I can do better.
For instance, today I’ve been to the pinball office, and had a great day, played ok, but a couple of bad games, later in the day, basically by putting too much pressure on myself. Once the comp was over, I jumped on LOTR, and done this, and I’m thinking why can’t I do this when it counts ! 🤷🏻‍♂️
Does it get easier with competitive miles under the belt ? Guess I need to try and relax a bit more.
It gives me a lot more respect, for the top players, who can hold it together, and play under immense pressure.
 

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I’m the same in league play, I really don’t care but I must be nervous or something. Games I play before and after league are all usually decent, but during im normally pretty useless. It actually seems to be getting worse the last few years although that could just be age 🤪
 
Doggard said:
I’m still pretty new to playing competitive pinball, and after a few tournaments I’ve realised that when under pressure, I’m playing below my skill level. It’s frustrating as I know I can do better.
For instance, today I’ve been to the pinball office, and had a great day, played ok, but a couple of bad games, later in the day, basically by putting too much pressure on myself. Once the comp was over, I jumped on LOTR, and done this, and I’m thinking why can’t I do this when it counts ! 🤷🏻‍♂️
Does it get easier with competitive miles under the belt ? Guess I need to try and relax a bit more.
It gives me a lot more respect, for the top players, who can hold it together, and play under immense pressure.
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You haven't been playing long mate and can already see you are improving- this is definitely one thing that gets easier the more tournaments (and matchplay events) you play.

Hopefully you got a chance to watch Greg today, just a clinic in playing calmly and making good decisions, coupled with very accurate shooting as well of course.
 
I always find the less I care the better I do, approach the machine and in your head just think "I literally don't care how I do on this game" (but still try obviously) seems to help me.

I started playing a few comps last year and didn't care to begin with because it was new and I was there to chat to people more than anything, I started doing reasonably well and then put pressure on myself to be good and do better and better each time - not only did I start doing terribly but I stopped enjoying playing. So my advice is just approach the machine with an IDGAF attitude and then show it whose boss!
 
I've only been playing competitively for a while, but the only advice I can give is to play the machine and not your opponent. When I first started I would see who I was up against and instantly think 'I'm not winning this', and therefore I was already in a negative frame of mind.
If you just concentrate on your game, I've found that I get better results. You're a good player Steve, and I don't think it will be too long before you start placing high in some of these tourneys.
 
As a couple above have already said it's about caring less and practice.

I don't know too much about playing pinball competitively but I do know about nerves.

We host a football awards event every season so I've seen a lot of people speak publicly who don't usually do so.

People literally standing & shaking trying to read their notes. Almost all walk away saying it wasn't as bad as they expected and improve next time.

Nerves can be debilitating and detrimental in some instances and I'd imagine pinball is one of them.

Try and embrace it, try and get comfortable with the expectancy you're placing on yourself. Remember far less people are watching than you think and nobody wants you to fail.

Most of all remember it's just a game. It's not as important as family or work. Being late for that meeting or collecting your kids late carries far more consequence but you don't get nervous at that.

Finally, consider that you've chosen to be in that competition and you don't have to be there. It's not particularly important at all in the scheme of things.

If all that fails a double whisky makes you feel like Keith Elwin
 
And know the machine and how to get big points on it.

@Gonzo spoke to Craig Pullen @roadshow16 in Chinwag #10 about his win at Pinfest 2021 and Craig gives some really good tips in particular knowing how to play the machine in competition using CFTBL as an example. Its well worth watching.

Paul
 
Pop Bumper Pete said:
More beer, maybe?
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Can work. I used to suffer badly with nerves and when in some tournaments had a few beers which helped.

I was doing well a few years ago in the UK Open but getting increasingly nervous so had a few beers to calm me down. Managed 3rd after that. 3 pints max I'd say otherwise you will go downhill.

Don't 'normally' do it now as I've managed to calm myself 'naturally' but I think this just comes with time and playing more tournaments. Got some advice off Martin Ayub once while playing which was, 'slow it down' and it worked. Don't panic flip, trap up and take your time. Practice also helps :clap:
 
I've always been better at man v machine rather than man v man (or woman or child !) . Obviously I'm no good under pressure so hats off to the guys who are great competitive players. Now its also an issue of stamina to stay the course in these events!!
 
I'd echo what everyone is saying. I'm not one in a position to give good advice as I often fall apart😄

Do you get to play with other people often or mostly just at comps? It's probably a good idea to get more experience playing with people.

You're welcome to come down to ours for a day of casual pinball with no Flip Frenzy 😄

My issue in competition play is nearly always feels shattered. I am a terrible sleeper, especially due to my shifts changing every week. Then I add beer to try loosen up but more than one drink and I have diminishing returns😄🙈
 
JT. said:
I think general mental advice for any competitive sport will be applicable. e.g. https://www.verywellmind.com/coping-with-precompetition-anxiety-in-athletes-3024338 or just google reducing nerves in competitive sport

Edit: if you could find advice for darts or snooker/pool then I'd imagine they are very similar to techniques usuful playing pinball.
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From the article above: @Doggard

"If your symptoms are getting worse, consider speaking to your doctor or asking for a referral to a mental health professional who can determine whether you meet criteria for a diagnosis of SAD, or another anxiety disorder, and what form of treatment is best suited to your situation."

...Pinball addiction is real folks! 🙃
 
The trouble is, I do suffer quite badly with anxiety in general, so that’s half my problem I guess. I’m also tee total, so that’s Dutch courage off the cards.
I’m not necessarily anxious of playing other people, in fact that’s the fun part for me, it’s just expecting more of myself.
It’s definitely need to play the machine, and not the people I’m playing against, that’s great advice, and something I’ll try going forward.
 
Apologies mate - didn't mean to trivialise. That 90million plus you put up on LoTR was ridiculous, far above what I've managed on that machine. Can you make Medway and Pizza on Feb 12th? More fun 4 player matchplay in a friendly setting...

Can't say I've mastered nerves in a comp either, my 5M in the first finals game on Bk sor yesterday was terrible! But it certainly gets easier the more you play, as you get more used to the experience. And the advice of play the machine not the player is certainly good. Need to try that more myself.
 
Doggard said:
I’m not necessarily anxious of playing other people, in fact that’s the fun part for me, it’s just expecting more of myself.
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That was my biggest problem - when I'm drawn against a 'lesser' player, thinking to myself that I should beat this person, and when I get a house ball putting myself under pressure at being behind.
Likewise when playing an 'elite' player, thinking that there's no way I'm going to beat them. There was a player in my past who had beaten me in 10 straight comps, it was only after the first time that I had beaten them that the aura of invincibility went away, and my record against them improved significantly.

At the end of the day, you can only play as well as you can. If you walk away from a machine having put up what you feel is a good score, yet still get beaten - you can be happy with your score and know that you did your best. If you have a bad game yet still win, put it down to being your lucky day.

Whatever the outcome, you need to put that game behind you - it's in the past and worrying about it for the rest of the comp isn't going to make any positive difference.

The biggest difference between playing on your own and in competition - is situational awareness. Do you need to score 150mil on your last ball or just 5mil? That should change how you approach the game and what shots you go for. Knowing the rules of the game makes a HUGE difference here, and you can only get that with lots of experience and playing lots of different machines, or to a lesser degree watching lots of streams (either tutorials or competition play).

Actually getting better is a different thing altogether - You need to be comfortable with the basics, like it's second nature. Things like live catches, dead bouncing, outlane nudging, slapsaves, etc. Those things you can practice at home, over and over again so that when you are playing in competition you are comfortable with doing them and don't have to think about them. They also translate to virtually every machine you're likely to come across.
 
Pinball scores are highly volatile. Play the same game 6x and see the range.


On something like fish tales you can do a 30m game then a 200m game

It's darts, not archery
 
It's trying too hard that gets me - my best score at my first league meeting was on a machine I had never played before - so I didn't try to remember all the rules - I just kept the ball in play and aimed for the flashing arrows.

At home, on my cftbl, all goes well until I am in multiball and need to hit the snackbar whilst the timer is on- then its all over - despite having made the shot loads of times before that.
 
My worst ever performance was at the London pinball open at the pipeline. I got 3rd HS in practise on Monster Bash but in the tourney the first ball when SDTM and I kneed the door in frustration and it slam tilted scoring me a big fat zero. That was however a great event. A memorable match chasing the jackpot on a Taxi with all four of us getting into 8 figures was epic.
 
Jackpot said:
Can't say I've mastered nerves in a comp either, my 5M in the first finals game on Bk sor yesterday was terrible! But it certainly gets easier the more you play, as you get more used to the experience. And the advice of play the machine not the player is certainly good. Need to try that more myself.
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.... says the UK number 4 ranked player!! LOL. :rofl:
:) 👍

... but yes, he's right. Think I managed 20M on Batman66 in the comp (and was comprehensively thrashed by Effie, with over 200M), then had a game afterwards and scored around 300M.

Playing the machine and forgetting about the fact it's a competition is definitely a good approach - trouble is that it's a LOT easier said than done.

Also very good advice from @Wayne J about knowing the machine, and adapting your play to reach the required target to beat your compatitors, rather than just going for a high score. Trouble is, this is again easy to say, but a lot harder to put into practise!

I guess all the above is ultimately what makes pinball comps both frustrating and fun, and keeps us coming back for more. 👍
 
DRD said:
In darts treble 20 to treble 5 is 5mm, so you can be very "unlucky", like pinball. Archery is concentric circles and much "fairer".

This is how it is done. Absolutely incredible scenes ...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1610380645405966338
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Whilst that might seem to suggest archery is "easier", I'd personally say that hitting a treble 20 (which is actually 8mm x 32mm) from a distance of 2.4 metres indoors, is considerably easier than hitting a 122mm diameter circle from a distance of 70m - a target you can hardly even see, and that's before taking into account the very significant impact of the wind, and its lack of predictability.

I've played a fair bit of darts casually, and hit quite a few 180s. I've also shot target archery with a recurve bow (as used in the Olympics), at county level, and hitting a treble 20 at darts is a heck of a lot easier than scoring a 10 with a bow and arrow at 70m.

Edit: Thinking a bit more about it, I do, however get your point that if you miss the treble 20 by only a couple of mm, you can easily end up with the dart only scoring a single 1 rather than 60, whereas missing the central gold at archery by a few centimetres you are still likely to end up with a 7 or 8 instead of a 10, so in that sense it is indeed fairer, despite being significantly more difficult.

Pinball, on the other hand, is generally far more dynamic than either darts or archery (apart from shooting with a trapped ball), and even that is moving when you flip it, so I'd agree that an element of chance does come into it possibly more than darts or archery.
 
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C&C said:
... but yes, he's right. Think I managed 20M on Batman66 in the comp (and was comprehensively thrashed by Effie, with over 200M), then had a game afterwards and scored around 300M.
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That bloody Batman! All three practice games 200-300m, then I go up against Greg, immediately get in my head about it and I think I finished on 4m...
Reading the responses here have been good to see how widespread this is, and how many of us are trying to working on "playing the machine, not the player".

Ultimately performing well under pressure, and reliably, is one of the most important skills in pinball. Andy Foster may be generally really bloody good, but IMO he's #1 because he never leaves a game without putting in at least one great ball, even if the other two were house balls.
 
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