How to Hit Your Targets in Pinball

Hey, anyone can stand there and smack the flippers! But how do you consistently nail the targets? Do you want to be pinball champion of your neighborhood? It can be done.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pinball machine
• Patience
• Even keel temperament

1. Understand that thriving in pinball takes practice. There is no substitute for it.

2. 
    
   Hey! How about this one?

   Become familiar with one appealing machine. Learn which targets earn the most points. Find out what must be hit and how many times it must be hit to garner the most bonus points.

3. Work on securing the ball on the flipper! Hit the flipper early enough so the ball sticks and keep an eye on the other flipper in case the ball pops over there. Keep both flippers working until the ball stays on one or the other. It is far easier to aim at a target when the ball is controlled.

4. Keep an eye on the ball and create a picture of the target in your mind. Remain calm. Anxiousness will always result in an early release of the ball and missed shot.

5. Find the proper rhythm. Nobody hits every target 100 percent of the time. But once two or three shots are made consecutively, it becomes easier to nail a target 5-10 times in a row. And that's where the points add up.

6. Click! There is no sweeter sound in pinball than the one a machine makes when a free game has been achieved. Work feverishly for the free game because that is always the goal. A high score takes plenty of luck and is the whipped cream on the sundae.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that luck plays a huge role in the success or lack thereof in a pinball game. The best players in the world watch in dismay as the ball heads down the drain. But a quick jar of the machine will knock the ball away from the side drains on occasion. Refuse to go down without a fight!
• Don't knock the machine too hard in trying to save a ball! That will cause a tilt and the game will be lost.