Jason Zahler and his dad Steve holding the IFPA World Championship and World's Greatest Pinball Player trophies in front of the IFPA21 bracket

Jason Zahler holding the Pinburgh 2026 A Division first place trophy

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT PINBALL, YOU'RE GOING TO LEARN.

Q: Is the Zahler Pinball newsletter actually free?

Yes. Signing up is free, and every new edition lands in your inbox free. Some day there may be paid extras: back issues, courses, coaching, an emergency pinball hotline (really). The tips keep showing up either way.

Q: I'm a beginner. Is it too early for me?

No. The fundamentals are where champions are made. Steve coached Jason from age one and a half. If you can reach the flippers, you're ready.

Q: I'm already a ranked player. Is it too late for me?

Also no. Tournament craft, qualification strategy, energy management: this is the layer above flipper skills. It's the part most ranked players never train.

Free tips and training games from Jason Zahler, world No. 1,
and Steve Zahler, his coach dad.

3xIFPA World
Pinball Championin a row
No. 1IFPA World
Pinball Rankingof 70,000+ players
3xPinburgh
World Champion2024, 2025, 2026
2xIFPA World's Greatest
Pinball Player2024 & 2025

"Love this. I've been practicing it already and now I'm inspired to keep at it!"

Jess Salzman · OMG Pinball

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Free pinball training games

The Dead Bounce Fighter table: two flippers, the belt lights and a ball coming down

Learn pro flipper skills the fun way!
Earn your belts from White to Grandmaster.

▶ PLAY FREE

Tips from Jason & Steve

Recent Instagram and Facebook posts:

3 things that change the dead bounce

Slide 1 of the post: Check the rubber color

Slide 2 of the post: Sometimes it will not bounce

Slide 3 of the post: Watch where it lands

Shove the game, save the ball: 3 ways to nudge

Real matches, real saves

Reel frame from the IFPA21 finals on a Bally Paragon: the ball dies on Jason's flipper and rolls across, with the headline The best flip is no flip.

Reel frame from the Pintastic 2022 Silverball Rumble finals on Cosmic Gunfight, in slow motion, labelled double dead bounce.

"These videos have definitely made me more adventurous at the drain, thanks!!!"

Jeannie Zappa

Who's teaching

A WORLD CHAMPION AND HIS COACH DAD

Steve started coaching Jason when he was 1-1/2.
Twenty years later: world No. 1.

PLAYER 1

Jason Zahler

Star Pupil · The Kid

Makes impossible saves look boring.
Still hasn't beaten his dad at PAC-MAN. more

IFPA World Championship3x IN A ROW
IFPA world rankingNO. 1 OF 70,000+
Pinburgh3x IN A ROW
World's Greatest Pinball Player2024 & 2025
IFPA North American + U.S. Nationals2025 & 2026
Northwest Pinball Championship2025 & 2026
Pintastic Silverball Rumble2022 TO 2025

PLAYER 2

Steve Zahler

Head Coach · The Dad

Taekwondo guy. Coached Jason like a drill sergeant, now does it by email. more

Started competingAGE 41
PAPA A Division finalsMONTHS LATER
Peak world rankingNO. 19 AT AGE 55
NJ State Champion2013
Ranked No. 1 · NY & NJ2012 & 2013
Coaching Jason sinceAGE 1-1/2

Slide: Jason Zahler holding the IFPA World Champion trophy, with his quote: I upward nudged when the ball was right above the left slingshot, to get it up and out of the inlane and outlane area entirely to prevent what could have been a potential drain.

Fair questions

Is it actually free?

Yes. Signing up is free, and every new edition lands in your inbox free. Some day there may be paid extras: back issues, courses, coaching, an emergency pinball hotline (really). The tips keep showing up either way.

I'm a beginner. Too early?

No. The fundamentals are where champions are made. Steve coached Jason from age one and a half. If you can reach the flippers, you're ready.

I'm already ranked. Too late?

Also no. Tournament craft, qualification strategy, energy management: this is the layer above flipper skills. It's the part most ranked players never train.