I also do this on games where plunge strength determines skill shot (e.g. LotR, WD). If you can get a feel for what a short plunge is, you can figure out how much more English to put on the full plunge.
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Iâm probably misunderstanding what you mean by strength. The LotR skill shot isnât about strength but about timing, same as WPT and BDK. I think you can even short plunge inside the lane in LotR to lock the skill shot you want, then plunge with whatever strength you need.
Thatâs actually exactly what Iâm saying! The skill shot is about plunge strength in order to make sure you accurately plunge for the skill shot youâve selected. I typically short plunge to lock in the Orthanc skill shot when itâs lit, then figure out how hard to pull the plunger to make sure it makes it to the Orthanc hole with a few more practice short plunges.
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Bobâs Plunging Tips:
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Use the markers. Itâs amazing how many people at Pinburgh didnât. Note that on some games, itâs hard to see the plunger tip inside the window; for those machines, use the point where the shiny metal of the plunger rod meets the plunger rubber as your reference point.
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Learn to do a smooth release. Many players tug on the plunger a bit as they let go rather than releasing cleanly. That will make you inconsistent. If youâre not good at a smooth release, one technique to improve is to hold the plunger with your hand face down and your thumb tip on the curved inside part of the plunger handle; your thumbnail will be facing up and pointing towards you. You let go with your thumb by moving it forward and out of the plungerâs way, which prevents you from tugging. If youâre having trouble visualizing this, watch KME carefully in a video some time.
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Do try to learn âfeelâ for cases where you canât see the plunger tip or rod at all.
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Remember what youâre plunging for! Iâve seen players forget that they already have top lane X and now need lane Y and replunge for X without thinking.
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Learn from your previous plunges! If youâre on an EM where youâll need to plunge 3-5 different lanes at the top over the course of your game, note where your first plunge goes. If your next shot needs to go further [whether directly so or via one or more rubber stopper or slingshot hits at the top], use a market a bit further back towards you. Try about 2 or 3 small lines as your initial adjustment and note how much difference it makes, e.g. if moving 2 lines moved one lane, moving 4 lines of adjustment might move 2 lanes. Think of it as calibration.
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Remember that you can often get the right-hand-most lane at the top with a dribble-over soft plunge that you can âmeasure your way up to.â In fact, you may want to save this lane for last just because itâs the easiest to make.
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Be patient. On Jackbot, for instance, youâll want to soft plunge to a cradle to shoot the visor. If your first few tries all come up short, donât rush yourself and overplunge into the bumpers. Take your time and increment your way there.
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Watch other players discretely. If you see someone full plunge, note where it goes and file that in your mind should you want to get whatever they got at some point.
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If youâre not sure where to start, use the middle marker for your first plunge and work outwards from there.
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Note that there are machines where not just plunger strength but plunger timing matters - - Time Zone, Xâs & Oâs, Medusa, Walking Dead, Batman Dark Knight, etc. Observe when timing is relevant and learn to gauge it, too.
Feel free to add to this and post it elsewhere.
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I disagree on this . . . Iâm more of the âfull plungeâ if you donât know where to start. On the off chance that gets you where you want to go, itâs far easier to replicate compared to trying to replicate a middle plunge. You can then adjust back from there as needed if you have to.
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Sounds like another âpapa booth strategyâ from Josh 
A new Fun with Bonus entry? If your strategies are so sound why you in the booth during finals?
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LOL . . . you know I donât want to blow the whole sport up by having the IFPA âPresidentâ winning anything important 
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I stand by my middle choice for the general case. However, Joshâs full plunge strategy is probably the most suitable in circumstances where thereâs only one plunge goal, e.g. land the ball in a saucer. In cases like that, yes, itâs as good a guess as any, and yes, itâs easier to replicate. So for Doodle Bug, Blue Chip, Grand Prix, etc., go for the full plunge. But when youâre going to need multiple different plunges to different places, e.g. Jacks Open or Scuba, calibrating off the center works better.
Joshâs strategy = sound. Lots of sound. 
I actually agree with your original thinking even in this circumstance. The problem with a âblind full plungeâ that doesnât get you there, is that the plunger is usually really far away from being visible at full plunge. So, lets say you full plunge, miss, but think you need to just take a little off to hit your desired target. Most likely, taking a little off wonât be visible in the plunge meter, either, so even if you hit on ball #2, itâs hard to repeat for ball #3.
I tended to go with Bobâs plunge strat of starting somewhere visible for this reason over the weekend, so if I made a minor correction on #2 that hit what I needed, I was able to repeat that for #3.
Of course, I wouldnât have called my plunging performance superb over the weekend, either ;).
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I agree with Josh. Knowing what you get with a full pull is essentially âbankingâ a known shot. For the rest of that game, you typically know what a full pull will get you.
Isnât that how Joshâs dad got pinball legal in NY again? Not a bad endorsement.
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great write-up Bob! I start at the middle too
This reminds me I wanted to ask about scared stiff at papa. It had a peice of cardboard over the top of the gauge. I was wondering if this was to randomise or block view. I ask because I always use the Eclip as my reference and it was unaffected if it was ment to block. However, the clip did hit the paper and might have randomised a bit.