How to do Magic Tricks

Advice and Support for Magicians

Magicians Nerves – How to Deal with Feeling Scared to Perform

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Magicians Nerves

Do you get scared before you perform your magic tricks? How to deal with Magicians Nerves.

It's quite usual to feel scared or suffer from nervousness before you start performing magic to the public. Even highly successful magicians have to deal with magicians nerves.

Ben Williams took some time out from the magic shop to record this short video that will give you some tips and techniques to stop magicians nerves from getting in the way of your performance.

Dealing with magicians nerves.

Like most magicians, Ben gets nervous before his starts to perform. It doesn't matter that he does hundreds of shows each year. Each one comes with a feeling of the unknown, insecurity, and dread. That feeling reduces over the years, but never goes away completely. However, It's the way that a professional deals with magicians nerves that can make all the difference. A few simple breathing techniques can transform your attitude and fear of performing in public. Anyone can do it, so there is no reason whey magicians nerves should ever stop you from going out, performing magic, and realising your ambitions.

How can we help?

The Merchant of Magic isn't just a magic shop. It's here to help you become a better performer and to motivate you to do more than practice magic in private. Being a magician is about getting out there and performing. If you have any questions or if there is anything we can do to help you get to where you want to be with your magic, just let us know. You can get individual help and tips by joining our free andvice and support sevice using the link below:

 

Why People Give Up Learning How to Do Sleight of Hand Magic

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Quit learning magic

By Dominic Reyes

 

Why most people give up trying to learn how to do magic with sleight of hand.

I recorded this short video about the most common reasons what most people tend to give up trying to master sleight of hand. I've worked with a great deal of magic students over the years, and the same reason springs up every time. The magic secret is that it's easy to get past this phase, as long as you realise that you have falled foul of this way of thinking about your magic and your ability to master it.

So many people begin new hobbies every day. The vast majority give up in the first few months. That's quite normal, as the pleasure of the new wears off. Some pople push past this and their abilities suddenly shoot up as they reach the turning point of their learning curve. It's all about sticking with it and not judging yourself too much. It's not a race or competition. Learning magic is a slow gradual process that builds up over time. 

I'd love to hear about your experiences learning sleight of hand. Did you find the process easy? Way it hard for you. How did you motivate yourself to keep going? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

 

If you would like more help with your study of magic. I recommend joining our newsletter. You will get tips and advice over time to help you stay motivated with your practice and stop you giving up, just before the real progress in your techniques is discovered.

 

Look Ma! No Playing Cards!

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I forgot my playing cards

By Ben Williams

What would you do if you forgot your playing cards?

So, the worst thing imaginable happens. You turn up to your gig and you open your case only to find the two crisp sealed decks of playing cards you thought were in there are nowhere to be found! You search your car for a spare deck, no luck, you are literally about to perform and you have not got your cards with you. What do you do, apart from crying!

 

The first thing to do is RELAX!

Take a deep breath and realise that everything will be ok, you know a huge range of magic if you just stop yourself from panicking and think about it. There are tonnes of great impromptu magic tricks that you can perform.

Get a piece of paper and a pen and start to list ideas. Here are a few options that immediately come to my mind:

IMPROMPTU MAGIC


See, already with only a few moments thought you should be able to go through our own personal history of learning magic and pull out a few gems that you had forgotten about. These are all great effects that you could perform in place of your card magic set. Your list may be different from mine, but every professional gigging will have a huge list of magic tricks like this that are never performed, but are sitting there in your head waiting to be dusted off and given a try again.

There is also another option that is available to you. You can look around you and see how you can adapt some of your routines to be performed with the items around you. How about doing some of your card magic routines with items that are available to you?

TAILORED MAGIC

  • Perform any number of signed card tricks with your business cards.
  • Make a packet trick up with magicians business cards or compliment slips from the venue.
  • Use a spectator’s business card to your wallet routine where their business card ends up in your wallet.


You may also find that you have a plethora of magic in your case that you never use. Look for utility props like Thumb Tips, Loops, PK Rings, Peek Devices or Rubber Bands. If you have any of these props in your case then you are good to do so much cool magic with only a little bit of thought. With these few props you can make water and salt vanish and reappear, make money and small objects vanish and reappear, perform countless rubber band tricks, levitate banknotes, move common items like glasses or cutlery, read minds, stop watches and perform coin in glass or bottle

So if you ever find yourself in this position do not panic! Remember no guts no glory, you could go up to the booker and make excuses, drive off somewhere to buy a deck of cards and come back and have probably the worst gig ever, or you could keep calm, draw on your wealth of knowledge and experience and calmly put together a set list that will blow people away!

What the MoM Facebook magicians think:

Sean Mccarthy Depends on how much time I have before the show starts. If I have a few minutes Il try buy a few packs at a petrol station (most sell them). If I dont have time then I can still do a show with coins, a pen and a few pieces of paper.

Carl Chamberlain Use my invisible deck and convince them it really is there!

Col Balddaniels Daiper I have at least 2 sets without a single card in them . And guess what ? Nobody died.

Zak Millscray  I don't go anywhere with out a deck! I would be more surprised than the audience!

Brian McCormack I would do coins / mentalism and hypnosis.

Kev Bee I'd be thinking if it was the right career for me…especially if card magic was a part of my routines…I always have cards on me or in the car.

Chris Wild Ask someone for a pack or go home. Can't imagine I would forget to pack my act, but you never know.

Tom Drudge Unfortunately, not yet comfortable enough to do a gig without cards. A few tricks, sure, but not a whole gig.