A drop stop is a somewhat more advanced
pinball skill, very useful for gaining and keeping control over the
ball. When done properly, it can bring the ball to a
dead stop on the flipper.
If the ball is headed down the playfield toward the flippers, especially toward the center of the flipper, you can perform this skill. Push the button to raise the flipper, and hold it up until the ball touches the flipper. Now, you drop the flipper at the moment the ball makes contact. If done properly, the momentum on the ball is practially completely absorbed, and the ball will just be sitting there on the flipper. You can then aim your shot with a very slow pinball, or trap it if the ball hits higher up on the flipper.
This skill takes practice, as the timing can be difficult. Also, it is best not to try doing this when the ball is heading toward the end of the flipper, as you'll need to immediately launch the ball again with the flipper to avoid it heading to the drain, so the amount of control gained there is minimum.
This skill works on just about every pinball machine out there, and also with better designed computer and video pinball games - they may be a good place to get a general feel for the timing involved. However, there is a big difference between video pinball games and the real thing with this skill (I know, I've had it perfected on various video pinball games, but couldn't do it at all when I first attempted it on a real machine.)
Back to The Pinball Dictionary