This is the 9th installment of a 20 part series of tiny tips to help improve your fortunes in pinball. I hope you find it useful, and share with friends if inspired!
PASSING THE BALL
Learning to pass the ball from one flipper to the other gives you control over ball location so you can be intentional about setting up important shots from either flipper. In our last newsletter we looked at a few different passes. Let’s look at a few more.
FLICK PASS (ALSO KNOWN AS A MICRO FLIP)
A flick pass provides a boost to ball moving at medium speed through an inlane—moving fast enough that it will travel over a raised flipper, but not so fast that it can make the jump to the other side. A quick pulse of the flipper button at the precise moment the ball is cresting the top of the flipper provides enough energy to send the ball over the bottom drain, landing on the opposite flipper.
INLANE BALL SPEED
Sufficient ball speed is required to clear the gap successfully. Pay attention to ball speed and learn to anticipate when an additional boost might be required.
Medium ball speed:
Dangerous! Insufficient ball speed to clear the gap puts you at risk of losing the ball down the center drain.
Micro flip
A quick flipper pulse when the ball crosses the tip of the flipper can provide the additional energy required to cross the center drain.
The Catch
A well timed flip of the receiving flipper can set you up to catch and control the ball.
Medium Ball Speed
Flick Pass (also known as Micro Flip)
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ALLEY PASS (SHATZ)
Alley Pass (also referred to as a “Shatz” [noun] or as “Shatzing” [verb])
This pass was coined the “Shatz” for player Neil Shatz (NAS) to honor his
virtuosity at this particular flipper move. Much like the flick pass, the alley pass transfers a rolling ball across the gap to the other flipper; however, it is delivered with more force and a trajectory
that delivers the ball up the opposing inlane.
Alley Pass (Shatz)
POST PASS
The post pass transfers a ball from one flipper to the opposite flipper from a cradled position. This move is executed by releasing and reengaging the cradled ball’s flipper button with lightning-fast speed. The effect is to pop the ball up and into the bottom of the slingshot rubber, producing a ricochet back off the flipper and sending the ball up and over the center drain to the opposite flipper.
Post Pass
LOOP PASS
The loop pass is the most roundabout way to transfer the ball from one flipper to another. It entails launching the ball from up the playfield and around an orbit or other playfield ramp or wire form to deliver the ball to the opposite flipper.
Loop Pass
Practice transferring the ball from flipper to flipper and ready yourself to shoot at targets across the playfield, wherever they may lie.
Stay tuned for more tips to help you improve your game, and for deeper dives check out my forthcoming project published with Schiffer Books: Pinball: A Quest For Mastery, hitting book stores June 28, 2026.
Stay curious, practice with intention, and keep it fun: your fortunes in pinball (and in life) are sure to improve.
PINTASTIC !!
April 9-11 in Marlboro, MA
Join me at Pintastic, New England, Saturday, April 11 at 3pm. I’ll be hosting a seminar on the relationship between having fun and boosting pinball skills. Advancing skills and having fun are inseparable from one another, and tapping into the fun will improve your fortunes and enjoyment. Let’s get into it!
AVAILABLE IN BOOKSTORES JUNE 28. PRE-ORDER AVAILABLE NOW →
Coming soon to your favorite arcades, online pinball stores and resellers.
Please inquire when shopping!!
