Despite it being a hobby, competing in pinball tournaments can be a stressful experience. How do you get into the right headspace before? How do you keep your cool during the event? And how do you lock in during a critical moment without putting too much pressure on yourself? Paige Peck and Marc Jackson, Utah’s 2025 state champions, share the advice that helped them to win the biggest tournaments of the year.
Before Tournaments
Ahead of tournaments, if Paige knows the game list, she tries to get time on games that she isn’t familiar with. If she can’t play the exact copy that will be in the tournament, she uses tools like Pinball Map to see if she can find one in the area. That said, she also tries to balance time on games with rest so that she doesn’t burn herself out before she even gets to the tournament.
For Marc, he tries to practice skills such as drop catches, tap passes, post passes, shot accuracy, nudges, and dead bounces. That way he can trust himself during a game to perform those skills instead of trying to do them in a game where microseconds matter. He quotes The Inner Game of Tennis and says, “We have an inner assurance that we can do what needs to be done, without having to ‘try hard.’ We simply know the action will come.”
During Tournaments
During tournaments, Marc tries his best not to criticize his performance as he plays. He says it’s easy to let a negative narrative take hold if you’re not playing well. But his goal is to always observe his mistakes and triumphs without labeling them. Using the skill preparation before the tournament, he trusts his unconscious mind to make the adjustments he needs to be successful. He notes that practicing regular meditation outside of competition helps him to build the pattern of non-self-criticism so that it can hold strong in a high stress game.
Paige takes a more physical approach to her tournament play. Caffeine? Check. Good food? Check. A pep squad? Definite check. She says that listening to good music and having someone supportive with her can be helpful when she is feeling nervous or has a bad ball. If she feels like she’s getting too tight or anxious, she will take a pause to stretch it out to release her nerves and stay loose.
When You Need a Comeback
When she needs a ball 3 comeback, Paige likes to put on an epic song to hype her up. She also repeats to herself the pinball mantra, “One ball can change it all.” After that, she takes some deep breaths and lets it rip!
Marc quotes the book Golf is Not a Game of Perfect and says, “Getting angry is one of your options, But if you choose to get angry, you are likely to get tighter. That’s going to hurt your rhythm and your flow. It will upset you and distract you. It will switch on your analytical mind and your tendency to criticize and analyze anything you do that falls short of perfection.” He uses those meditative muscles he’s built over time to breathe and let the skills he’s practiced ahead of time flow.
Whether you have a tendency to focus on your physical game, your mental game, or a combination of both, it is possible to succeed at pinball at a high level. Take it from the state champs: with preparation, focus, support, and some deep breaths, you too can win it all!