Flutter catch

A Flutter catch is a short flip that combines a live catch and a drop catch. It has a flexible timing window. Contact during the flipper’s upstroke or downstroke can impart enough spin to stop the ball’s momentum.

Also called: Perfect drop catch, chop catch

The left flipper meets the ball during its downstroke, and the ball flops back toward the inlane. Source: Escher Lefkoff on Godzilla at 9:06:53.

How it works

  1. Read the ball’s path and choose the receiving flipper.
  2. Flip so the ball arrives just as the flipper reaches the end of its stroke.
  3. Release the button immediately and react to how the ball settles.
Use it when
An orbit feeds the ball toward the flipper tip instead of setting up a loop pass. The ball is too fast for a reliable live catch.
Watch for
Some flipper rubbers and timings can make the ball stop dead on the flipper tip.
Practice
Learn live catches first. Then test the Flutter catch with repeatable feeds to the flipper.

Community terminology is not standardized. Flop catch describes how the ball stops in the air and flops toward the inlane.