When you aim...

[Professor_Jones]

Just a quick and simple question, what works better for you when you aim for a particular place on a pinball table : looking at the flipper (the position of the ball on the flipper to be more exact) or looking a what you're aiming for ?

 

[Fungi]

Interesting question. Flipper. Definitely flipper.

 

[Man-Machine]

Second that. Flipper.

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

I look at what Im aiming for and draw an imaginary line to my flipper then take my shot, depending if it to the left or right of what Im aiming for will tell me if Im too early or to late then adjust my timing.

 

[brakel]

Both. On a real table I might not look directly at either point but somewhere in between so that I can keep the flipper and target within my field of vision. In TPA that is easier because they're both on a screen usually within a foot or so of real distance apart.

 

[Bonzo]

I look at what Im aiming for and draw an imaginary line to my flipper then take my shot, depending if it to the left or right of what Im aiming for will tell me if Im too early or to late then adjust my timing.

That's exactly the way I do it.

 

[norbert26]

I look at what Im aiming for and draw an imaginary line to my flipper then take my shot, depending if it to the left or right of what Im aiming for will tell me if Im too early or to late then adjust my timing.

this

 

[Vyrastas]

It's a mix of both for me... just depends on the shot and what I'm working with (caught ball vs incoming ball).

 

[sotie]

I always aim for the center and never look at my flipper. I hate it when a bit gets on the rim because my wife will yell at me if I don't wipe it off.

 

[k88dad]

Flipper.

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

you sit sotie?

 

[netizen]

you sit sotie?

Save it for IRC

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

I think my question was less revealing than the question n3t sooo git off your horse.

 

[Baramos]

I used to just look at the flipper. I've slowly found myself sort of looking at both the flipper and the thing I'm aiming for, definitely using my peripheral vision to some extent on the flipper still. I've found I've been doing better on tables that require precising aiming taking this broader view of the table, but it takes a lot of practice.

 

[MonkeyGrass]

Both, depends on the shot. If it's a table I know well, I'll just gauge it off the flipper, especially if I've caught the ball first.

Longer shots further up the playfield, or a table I'm not 100% sure of the angles, I look at the target shot and line up the angle with my peripheral vision.

 

[shutyertrap]

On a real table, I tend to look at where I want the ball to go and just time it. In TPA and Zen, I do a lot of looking at the flipper when first learning a shot. That's mainly because of how consistent the virtual pinballs are. Once I start getting the shot down, muscle memory kicks in and it becomes timing, which then leads to me learning to hit shots off live balls instead of cradled ones.

So I guess the short answer is, both.

 

[Sexton Hardcastle]

My wife says my aiming is so bad that I should just start to sit down... Oh. Wait. Wrong type of aim.

I mostly look at the flipper.