Not sure if it’s new to this latest video, but I like what you’ve done with your Animated Logo.
Yeah, i have played with the davinci resolve animations - a pain in the ass xD
Hi, I would be thankful for some feedback for the upcoming video.
Do you agree on my research on drop catches?
Please also let me know if you find any text/sentence mistakes, I`m having a hard time 
(image & audio work in progress)
9 Likes
This is pretty freaking great, thank you. Especially nice to see the quick flip drop catch!
Something a bit like your delayed drop catch can also give the ball mild vertical movement after the catch, which then gives you an easy trap on that side. This may not be a very useful technique worth showing.
1 Like
Whoa! I love to drop catch, but until seeing this clip I had never considered spin as a factor/variable in drop catching.
Great drop catches! And the slo-mo and the many examples demonstrate everything so nicely. This is so well-produced and very informative.
3 Likes
You continue to impress. I was just having the discussion with other players earlier this week on the perils of a drop catch on earlier pins like Grand Prix with “suicide inlanes” — inlanes with gaps in the inlane guide leading to an Outlane drain. And my response was “it depends on the type of drop catch.”
You cover the different types of drop catches and the physics behind each in a comprehensive way. Bravo!
1 Like
Production value is still great, nice job!
Feedback:
I don’t think you show nearly enough real-time drop catches in the video, or maybe just in the beginning. Its mostly slow-mo cool sexy shots, but as a new viewer I’m not sure I would really have it hammered in what it is or looks like live, or why its useful. I think you should show that better before you dig into the nuts and bolts.
“Tip-catch” is weird. I dunno - no one ever says that so maybe that’s why it seems strange? I would just describe that as a different type of drop catch or whatever, or different position. It feels forced to try and give that a name.
4 Likes
thanks for the feedback, I know what you mean and I felt that way too. Especially when it comes to decide when and why to use certain techniques in the series.
For that reason I`m planning gameplay videos where I want to explain why I chooce certain techniques in different situations (deadbounce vs livecatch vs dropcatch vs ski pass etc.).
However for the drop catch I think i made it clear that its important to be experimental and to try to catch balls from any direction. The included animation with arrows and different examples of drop catches should give beginners a good idea. There are alot of drop catches you can whatch over and over again and i tried to include all the angles. You also have to experience and discover these things in real live.
Also the “tip shot” being forced makes sense, thats why I asked for feedback for it earlier in the thread.
It could also appear in “Aiming and Shooting part 2” since it is a shooting technique. I found it to be an important skill, since its really usefull alot of times. I could call it “variations”…
I agree with cayle that it would be helpful to show more real-time shots of basic drop catches in the beginning, as novice players might have a hard time picking this up otherwise.
I found this very helpful BTW- drop catches are probably the biggest hole in my game, and the video gave me some useful insight into how to work on that. A video showing what techniques to use in what situations as you described would also be a great idea.
Thanks, I will think about how i could improve this. Maybe I have to make a new script.
I am researching for the next video [slap saves].
Could someone please do a quick read and tell me if Im right with the theory? Since Im getting deeper with every video, it’s getting more and more subjective too, since everyone has a different playing style.
Slap Save
The slap save is a very important emergency response and you will be shocked how many balls you can save with it. Never watch a ball going perfectly SDTM without even trying to save it! Slapping the flipper button and cabinet at the same time extends the flippers reach by moving the playfield under the ball. The hard and short impact on the cabinet won`t affect the tilt too much.
Slap Save (double)
Judge which flipper is closer to the ball or- if you are not sure, use your dominant hand. Slap the flipper button, followed up by a second slap with the other hand. The first flipper should hit the ball at a horizontal angle for maximum reach- and the second flipper flails away the ball- with the downside of losing ball control. Make sure to drop both flippers right after, to prevent randomly bouncing balls from draining.
Slap Save (single)
This is the advanced version of the slap save. In order to make it work properly you should be able to live catch and estimate the balls path precisely. Slap the machine once and watch the ball bouncing to the opposite flipper or inlane. A single slap save has the same timing as a live catch and will also take away the balls momentum, which makes it superior to the double slap save. The distance from the ball to the flipper determines which version of the slap save should be used. Closer means single and farther means double.
Practice
Internalize your slap save rhythm with dry runs before you start a real game. This will help your hand coordination a lot. Later you should be able to slap save without thinking about the movement at all. The double slap save should just be used as an emergency response where you have to react very quickly with the downside of losing ball control. Learn when to use single- or double slap saves to minimize risk. Take the balls trajectory and bouncing pattern after it hits the flipper into account if you want to make constructive adjustments on your slap saves.
If you are going to get into skills that involve moving the machine and involve the tilt, you should do a whole video / short on the tilt mechanisim. How it works, what it does, and what it physically looks like and how it mechanically works.
A lot of players don’t even know exactly how it works.
To lead into slap saves, or part of it, you could show a pendulum, and what happens when you move its anchor (top of the string holding it) quickly and back to the original position, and slowly and back to original position. That can illustrate why the speed of the slap save side to side motion is important.
5 Likes
Thanks,
I want to do a whole video about nudging and the tilt mechanism, I know its really important.
But since its a huge and complex topic, I wanted to wait with it and go through the basics first.
Live catches and dead bounces will come first and I`m also doing a german voiceover for all the videos which takes alot of time.
However I will do recordings of the tilt bob while slap saving for this video, but i will not go deep into it here.
I’m not sure what you mean here: I’ve never thought of a Single Slap Save as the same timing as a Live Catch. I wouldn’t recommend referencing a Live Catch at all in the Slap Save tutorial, to avoid confusion, as the two skills don’t overlap, and depend on whether the ball is a SDTM risk or whether you’re merely trying to get control.
2 Likes
I think an important thing to harp on for the single slap save is the goal of slapping the ball with one flipper so that the ball hits into the opposite flipper for a safe bounce to a controlled shot.
It’s hard to explain to people why a single slap save is more effective than a double and really should be used way more than a double (since doubles are only really required for balls going SDTM), so it would be great to be able to show them a video explaining that.
thanks chuck,
thats exactly what i was thinking and i hope to be able to show that properly.
1 Like
Good point,
I found myself being much better at saving balls with a single slap save as i learned to live catch.
And sometimes it even feels like a hybrid version. The right timing cancelles out the momentum of the ball, which makes the ball much more likely to stay in control- resulting in a slower bounce to the opposite flipper/inlane.
That was one of the things I wasn’t sure how to explain and if I am even right. Most people just slap save and dont think about it.
Right. I wouldn’t mention live catches at all here to avoid confusion.
not sure if you’ve mentioned in other videos, but one thing i think is worth pointing out explicitly is that the flipper extends furthest mid-stroke.
another advantage of the “slap save (double)” is that it should further minimize the impact on the tilt since you’re assisting in returning the machine to it’s home position.
yes, I have mentioned the max flipper reach- I`m still not sure if i will do an animation for it.
…The first flipper should hit the ball at a horizontal angle for maximum reach…
And I think i will kind of handwave over the double slap counter tilt movement, i don’t want to make it too complicated. …The hard and short impact on the cabinet won`t affect the tilt too much…
I also will remove the live catch from the skipt as you guys suggested.