Tonight I will be competing for my third New York City pinball league title out of the four seasons that I've been in. Steven Bowden defeated me in the season that i took second, he'll be competing against Max Pinball for third place this season.
My opponent will be Alberto Santana, and its fitting, because he and I have been battling for the title of New York City's best pinball player longer than anyone. We used top have epic battles at the Broadway Arcade over fifteen years ago, and we're both better players than we were back then.
Here's what goes on in my head before a match. I think about my opponent, and what the match might hold. I prepare myself to react to adversity, and build up my own confidence, without underestimating my opponent. If you don't balance that properly, you'll run into some unnecessary problems during the contest.
If I don't think about my strengths, I can actually psych myself out, and thats foolish. No matter who I face, I remind myself that the machine will play exactly the same, and if I play my game to the best of my abilities, I should be able to secure the win.
If I don't acknowledge my opponents strengths, there are other possible pitfalls. For one, I might not concentrate as much as I should and allow my opponent to win a game and then build up confidence. Another danger is that if things don't go my way initially, I might say to myself "This is garbage, and I know I'm better than this guy", instead of "What can I do to improve on the last game? What adjustments can I make to improve my advantage over this guy, so I can win like I know I should?"
The importance of your perspective and frame of mind makes all of the difference in the world when playing high-level competitive pinball. We all have skills, but we have to have the proper attitude to use them well enough to win.
In a four-man PAPA playoff match, very rarely do all four players perform well. Why? One reason is that players get cold while waiting 10+ minutes between balls. A more important reason, however, is that players get mental fatigue. They watch a hot player score a lot of points, start multi-balls and other valuable modes, and think "Man. Now I've got to do all of that too.", despite the fact that if they were playing on their own they probably would and they'd enjoy it.
Having the right frame of mind is absolutely key. When I'm playing in a match and racking up points, I tell myself to be calm and that with each successive shot, I'm putting more pressure on my opponents. And if my opponent does the same? I just say "Wow! This game must be playing easy!"
Win the mental game, and you're already way ahead. That's what I plan to do tonight. I'll let you know how it goes! - SJG
