Body weight centered so I can make a move from either side without falling off balance
Find a comfortable position that won’t strain any particular area over time
Avoid putting any weight onto the game with my hands
Like Cayle mentioned, I’ve noticed I have a casual stance and a power stance.
I’ve been trying to convert more to the casual stance mainly for comfort reasons. The power stance involves the side of my left foot wedged against the front left leg of the machine and my right leg stretched out a bit behind me. It’s definitely my “attack mode” but I’ve found that if I play a long day like that my right foot/ankle is supporting the bulk of my weight and is wrecked by the end of the day.
Nice I know that as far as consistent viewing angles I’m definitely the opposite. That has to be a matter of preference, as I’ve seen the best players in the world do both. From observation, players like Keith and JPW tend to keep that same position and not change viewing angles much. On the other hand, I’ve seen Jorian lean to the side to get a different angle on a shot a few times. I know REG tends to get really close to the playfield when he is focusing on a shot. Henderson is all over the place with his stances.
As far as preference goes though, I know I play better when I’m not thinking about my stance at all. I’ve never actively thought to myself “I’m going to put my weight on the game” or “My legs are too far apart.” Though I definitely think it’s really important to have a sense of awareness when it comes to your comfort level and to recognize quickly when you’re in a position that is hindering your play.
When I first started playing, I hadn’t built up the muscles I felt I needed in order to nudge effectively. Because of that, I’d wedge my leg under the machine right above the kneecap for some leverage. Once I learned the “less is more” approach to gunching, I distanced myself from the machine. Now I tend to put all my weight on one leg and cross the other leg over at the ankle. When that stance gets too be too much, I swap resting legs.
As such:
There is no doubt in my mind that having a consistent stance, over time, would lead to better play. Look at someone who shoots good free-throws. They stand the same way, and do the same routine every time.
I do think that for tall people, crouching down a little bit makes it easier to see all the balls at once during multiball.
It’s also easier to judge the trajectory of a ball when you can see it all in the same frame, rather than having to follow it with your head as it travels down the playfield towards the flippers. (Like the on-the-apron camera used in Papa tutorials).
I remember reading an article proposing that Robert Gagno has great peripheral vision, and as a result can keep his head very still. I can’t see how this is anything but an advantage.
I can’t disagree with any of that, but I will point out that Rick Stetta won Papa and lots of other tourneys with nothing resembling any conventional stance. He’s likely the most animated successful player ever. If you play a few games with him, you’ll forget about your own stance completely. If dude can dance like that and still kick ass, I should be able to stand relatively still and kick ass. d;^)
The cool part about it was (and still is) that Rick wasn’t dancing to any songs in his head. Never was a big music fan. He was dancing strictly to the game. When Rick gets locked in, he’s more focused than any player I’ve ever met. Don’t bother talking to him. He won’t hear it. Dancing all over the place, yet totally locked in. Rick taught me that focus is way more important than stance.
Although not specifically stance related. Was watching the coverage from California Extreme yesterday and noticed something about @sk8ball that I hadn’t noticed before. During his 400m game on NASCAR, watch how many times he wipes his hands on his shorts, it’s literally after every shot that doesn’t return straight away to the flippers. Is this a conscious thing Keith?
My stance is narrow but long - I extend one leg and put the other back, with maybe 2-3 feet or so between my feet. This gives me a solid base and lets me view the playfield from a shallower angle, which for me is helpful to see everything that’s going on. I feel a more upright stance has me looking too sharply down since I’m a little over 6 feet tall.
The drawback is that this gets tiring after a while and I need to shift position, but fortunately it’s just swapping my feet. It can also cause issues in more cramped quarters where I don’t have a lot of room to extend.
There’s been mention of casual and power stances, but do any of you have a stance you go into when you’re having a lot of fun?
I don’t really think about my stance much… except to notice if I’m too close or far from the machine, and I try to keep equal pressure on my feet.
When I’m enjoying a game though, I tend to swing a leg around with the shots I make. I sway a little and laugh a lot. I lean in more to line up shots and then pop up and continue swaying.
Stance shows so much in how a person is feeling. I find myself rooting often for the person that looks like they’re having the most fun.
Its funny because for all the years I’ve been seeing people wiping their hands and the lockdown bar and everything, I’ve never once lost a ball because my hands slipped as far as I can remember. Is this something that happens to other people?
The reason why I do it is more of a way to reset my stance and get ready for the next mode or multiball. Helps reset my mind too and get focused again.
It’s not about slipping but rather comfort level. When I play at home there is no intensity so my hands don’t get clammy when I play unlike the pressure of finals. So to me it feels weird so I wipe them off whenever I can.
I see people wiping the bar with their t-shirts and I think that’s a little eww. But then I appreciate somebody’s doing a little housekeeping.
I don’t sweat very much. I guess it’s hard to imagine how much others sweat. You gotta do what you gotta do. I haven’t very often walked up to sweaty buttons. If it became an issue I might bring a towel around.
Depends on how hot it is - yesterday at Shorty’s it was so hot I was dripping sweat onto the pinball machines, ugh. I felt gross about it but for some reason Seattle doesn’t believe in air conditioning. I’ve definitely lost my grip to a damp lockbar trying to save an errant ball, though.
I know that as far as consistent viewing angles I’m definitely the opposite. That has to be a matter of preference, as I’ve seen the best players in the world do both. From observation, players like Keith and JPW tend to keep that same position and not change viewing angles much. On the other hand, I’ve seen Jorian lean to the side to get a different angle on a shot a few times. I know REG tends to get really close to the playfield when he is focusing on a shot. Henderson is all over the place with his stances.
