There's been some great posts about tournament play recently, such as @Taxiturn's brilliant Diary of a Beginning Tournament Player.
However, I've noticed things can get lost/buried because there doesn't seem to be a central place on the forum to talk about all things tournament - whether it be YouTube tip videos, upcoming tournaments, moans about WPPRs, and so on. This can be especially important if you're a new (or keen to improve) player who wants to share tips and thoughts with others online.
Anyway, I thought maybe I could open something similar to my 'moans about pricing thread', which started in 2022 and is still going - two years later - and on its 29th page!
So, gather up your lance and horse yourself ready for the Pinball Tourney Improvers Club thread.
A list of basic resources below! Please feel free to suggest additions.
FOR BASIC PINBALL SKILLS
I'm sure everyone has been recommended the Abe Flips 'How To' videos on basic pinball skills at some point, but - incase not - here they are
Aiming and Shooting:
Drop Catch:
Live Catch:
Shielding:
Micro-flips:
Post Pass:
Dead Bounce:
Skip Pass:
Slap Save:
Nudging Part 1:
Nudging Part 2:
However, you are a woman or child, or just a small man, then - in my experience - most nudging/slap saving techniques probably won't work for you. I don't have the explosive upper body strength to move a pin with my hands/arms alone. Stern code developer Tim Sexton (who is apparently my height) has a great video on nudging/save stances (as a smaller/weaker person):
I saw Helen de Haan -Verbeek doing some amazingly athletic nudges during the Ladies Final of the UK Open 2024 - mostly following what Tim is doing above, but with extra vim and vigour! At one point, she saved a ball by kneeing the machine in its metaphorical groin and then full body wrestled it towards the ground. The pin didn't move that much, but the manoeuvre did the job while looking impressive!
FOR LEARNING RULES
Tips-wise, PAPA Pinball have a whole (and still growing) set of game tutorial videos, mostly presented by Bowen Kerins, the 10th best IFPA ranked player in the world:
If you're starting out (or just not that great), they can be above your level of play and just make you feel intimidated. Bowen Kerins makes most of his shots with 99% accuracy and doesn't account for the varied skills between players.
You can find written rules and strategies for individual pins on PinTips, the Tilt Forums Wiki (mostly new machines) and on Silverball Mania (older pins).
However, I've noticed things can get lost/buried because there doesn't seem to be a central place on the forum to talk about all things tournament - whether it be YouTube tip videos, upcoming tournaments, moans about WPPRs, and so on. This can be especially important if you're a new (or keen to improve) player who wants to share tips and thoughts with others online.
Anyway, I thought maybe I could open something similar to my 'moans about pricing thread', which started in 2022 and is still going - two years later - and on its 29th page!
So, gather up your lance and horse yourself ready for the Pinball Tourney Improvers Club thread.
A list of basic resources below! Please feel free to suggest additions.
FOR BASIC PINBALL SKILLS
I'm sure everyone has been recommended the Abe Flips 'How To' videos on basic pinball skills at some point, but - incase not - here they are
Aiming and Shooting:
However, you are a woman or child, or just a small man, then - in my experience - most nudging/slap saving techniques probably won't work for you. I don't have the explosive upper body strength to move a pin with my hands/arms alone. Stern code developer Tim Sexton (who is apparently my height) has a great video on nudging/save stances (as a smaller/weaker person):
I saw Helen de Haan -Verbeek doing some amazingly athletic nudges during the Ladies Final of the UK Open 2024 - mostly following what Tim is doing above, but with extra vim and vigour! At one point, she saved a ball by kneeing the machine in its metaphorical groin and then full body wrestled it towards the ground. The pin didn't move that much, but the manoeuvre did the job while looking impressive!
FOR LEARNING RULES
Tips-wise, PAPA Pinball have a whole (and still growing) set of game tutorial videos, mostly presented by Bowen Kerins, the 10th best IFPA ranked player in the world:
If you're starting out (or just not that great), they can be above your level of play and just make you feel intimidated. Bowen Kerins makes most of his shots with 99% accuracy and doesn't account for the varied skills between players.
You can find written rules and strategies for individual pins on PinTips, the Tilt Forums Wiki (mostly new machines) and on Silverball Mania (older pins).
