learning magic Archives

Practice Magic Tricks Without Getting Magicians Block

Matt writes:

‘I’ve developed magicians block. How do I stay motivated to practice magic?’

That’s a great question Matt, and something that every magician faces sooner or later.

There are two schools of thought: take a break for a while, or push even harder than before. But most importantly don’t be hard on yourself. Don’t be too self critical, as there is no place for that attitude when you practice magic.

For many of us, the hardest part of all is getting started. Sitting down in front of a computer screen or a blank sheet of paper, rolling up our sleeves, and–and nothing.

“The easiest thing to do on earth is not write.” William Goldman

To break magicians block, first it needs to be understood. What is the block? This could be a number of things. Lack of inspiration, fear of failure, outside influences, day to day stresses. Whatever the cause of the block the impact it has on you is lack of direction to practice magic. Here are some very simple ideas that, when applied, will help cure your magicians block.

Beginning to practice magic.

How to do you get started? The thing that you simply MUST do first is simplify. By simplify, we mean break down all the complex overwhelming tasks, thoughts, idea and desires down to one individual task. And that task should be simply this. Sit yourself down, away from any of your magic tricks and props, stick on some music, make a cuppa, and ask yourself:

“What single magic trick will I practice today?”

This may sound a silly idea, but try it. Forget about the anxious feelings of losing your drive. This loss is due to lack of direction. Just focus on one magic trick.

Practice magic with a drill.

All through my career I’ve written 1,000 words a day–even if I’ve got a hangover. You’ve got to discipline yourself if you’re professional. There’s no other way.” (J.G. Ballard)

Dominic Reyes talks about creating a practice Drill

When you practice magic, pick just one magic trick or sleight of hand technique to be your focus. Create a drill you can do in short sessions every day. Repeat the moves and tricks SLOWLY 20 times in the morning and 20 times in the evening. Do this for 21 days. Don’t try to increase your speed, let that happen naturally. If you make an error, ignore it and start the move or routine again.

If you practice magic this way, it will fast track you as it builds in motor memory for the trick or move. Setting a practice drill works because it removed the CHOICE from your practice. Choice is your enemy, when it comes to getting things done. You need a fixed path, with no option other than the practice, over a set period of time. Using a drill will help keep you on target and consistently working towards a single goal.

Capture Ideas

When you sit down at home intending to learn and practice magic, you most likely get magicians block because you feel you have forced yourself to do this. Forcing yourself to practice magic can remove the pleasure you should feel. Because you have experienced magicians block several times, the block has become a part of the pattern, so the pattern needs to be changed.

We suggest you change the pattern. Don`t tell yourself that you have to, or ought to, practice magic right now. Don’t unnecessarily beat yourself up. Try this simple tip:

Forget about the need to practice magic for the moment.

Carry a notebook around with you, or use Evernote for magicians on your smartphone. Throughout the day, make notes of things you see that interest you. They don’t have to be directly related to magic. Just so long as they are things that make you smile, think, or laugh, make a note of it.

The reason we suggest this is that ideas have to come from something. Every idea comes from a previous one, unless you are a genius, and then perhaps you should be applying yourself to advanced mathematics rather than magic, for the sake of mankind.

The following day, do the same and revisit the previous days notes. This will help get the creative juices flowing. Ideas are like healthy viruses, but first they need to be fed. Use your note system to record ideas and your experiences after every performance. What went well, good lines and questions you encountered. What you need to work on. Capture EVERYTHING.These ideas and experiences will be of great value later when you sit down to practice magic again.

“In writing, there is first a creating stage–a time you look for ideas, you explore, you cast around for what you want to say. Like the first phase of building, this creating stage is full of possibilities.” – (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Failure when you practice magic.

“If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.” – Margaret Atwood

“Lower your standards and keep writing.” – William Stafford

“People have writer’s block not because they can’t write, but because they despair of writing eloquently.” – Anna Quindlen

Perfection can be your worst enemy. If you watch magic DVD’s and Dynamo magician impossible, and feel that you have to make sure every magic trick you work on is perfected as soon as possible. We all want the move to look great right from the start. If you set your expectations too high right from the start, your progress can feel very disappointing. Slow down don’t expect a move or trick to look great right from the start. Perfection when you practice magic is a gradual process. Just like a writer, your first draft of practice is not supposed to look great. It’s nothing more than a ROUGH DRAFT of the moves and techniques, an outline sketch of the routine. Relax about perfection and the process of polishing your technique will happen naturally. Don’t let it stop you.

Practice magic outside.

You may find being out in nature will get your creative juices flowing. You can also listen to certain types of music to help me bring on certain types of emotions. If you couple this music with a sort of play in my head, almost as if you are an actor, it helps tremendously.

What tips and tricks do you use to help you stay focused when you practice magic? How do you motivate yourself to overcome magicians block?

Share your ideas in the comments section below:

Card Magic Core Skills, Moves and Sleights For Magicians

by Merchant of Magic 3 Comments

Sleight of hand is something that can become a life long and rewarding journey. To get off on the right foot, and stand a chance of battling this monster, it’s best to be prepared!

There are some fundamental card magic core skills you should first learn with a pack of playing cards before focusing on tricks that are achievable with sleight of hand. These skills are transferable across many different card magic routines, so are really essential learning.

We will cover these in a chronological order. Move through them in turn, as each skill builds upon the previous one.

Dealer Grip

– This is the standard way to hold a deck of cards, EVERYTHING stems from here, so learn this grip well, it will become a great new friend!

Biddle Grip

– This is a grip that your non dominant hand will use, learn to successfully and smoothly transfer the deck from hand to hand using these two grips.

Card Magic Core Skills: Shuffle work

It is very important that you can competently shuffle a deck of cards without dropping cards. This displays skill and when done properly any lay man will be happy that the deck is legit. Here are some shuffles to look up and learn.

– Overhand Shuffle

The classic ‘running cards’ shuffle, this is the most common of all shuffles.

– Riffle Shuffle (and bridge)

This is the shuffle everyone wants to be able to do. Standard in casinos and all over the world this is the fastest way to randomise an order in a deck of cards.

– Hindu Shuffle

This is a variation of the over hand shuffle. This is a useful shuffle to know as it can be used as a shuffle, a control AND a force.

Pinkie Break

If you want to have cards legitimately selected and revealed the first step to conquer this is the Pinkie Break. It is a secret way of always knowing where the selected card is within the deck. One of the most valuable techniques used in most magic card tricks.

Card Magic Core Skills: Controls

The next step in finding a spectator’s legitimate selection is to learn some controls. These are card magic core skills used to ‘control’ the spectator’s card to wherever you want it.

– Double Undercut

For most magic card tricks, this is the most common of all controls, this is not only a simple technique but also a very deceptive one.

– Overhand Shuffle Control

One of the simplest controls to learn as far as technique is concerned, the overhand shuffle control is a very useful tool to have.

– Hindu Shuffle Control

A rarer control but even more deceiving than the double undercut. The card is controlled whilst shuffling the deck.

Card Magic Core Skills: Forces

The ability to coerce a spectator into selecting a card of your choice (not theirs) in a supposedly fair selection process is a core component of so many magic card tricks. So many magic tricks and routines are possible once you have mastered a good force, so use it!

– Riffle Force

The easiest of all forces to learn, this should be the first force you learn to perform well

– Backslip Force

Much like the riffle force this is a simple force to learn and very convincing when performed correctly, there are lots of traps you can fall into when learning this force so beware. Practice it when you perform magic card tricks that don’t depend on it, so you gain experience.

– Hindu Shuffle Force

This is a great force that is easy to do. If you have mastered the Hindu Shuffle successfully then this force will be a breeze!

– Classic Force

Although not necessary to lean, I have included the Classic Force here as the sooner you learn the classic force the better you will become at it. The classic force is not technically not hard to perform, however to perform it convincingly and with confidence takes a lot of practice. Use the technique as much as possible whenever you perfrom your magic card tricks so you get practice, when it’s not vital to the outcome of the trick.

Double Lift/Turnover

This sleight is a great utility tool for EVERY card magician, you can make cards change, vanish, transpose and so much more with this sleight.

Triple Lift/Turnover

The triple lift or turnover is an extension of the double lift/turnover. Technically similar to the double lift the triple variation on this sleight opens up some new doors in your card magic.

Top Change

Magic card tricks like the top change can be a hurdle for many magicians, as it is a sleight performed under their noses and under misdirection it will seem like you will never get away with it. If you do learn this sleight successfully you will have a great string to your bow.

Card Magic Core Skills: Miscellaneous Sleight

– Elmsley Count

The Elmsley Count is widely regarded as the most versatile false counts in card magic, a lot of mars tricks utilise this great sleight.

– Erdnase Colour Change

Performing a colour change well is one of the most magical card tricks you can do with a deck of cards. The Erdnase Colour Change is one of the easiest colour changes to learn

Palm

To palm a card from a deck is a very useful tool, it can be utilised within many card to impossible location routines as well as a way to secretly add or remove playing cards from the deck. Again many people palm cards badly, if you learn the nuances of the move and examine your technique, you will be fine.

– Top Palm

The standard palm, this is usually the first palm a sleight of hand artist will learn. Although not used in many magic card tricks, it’s the core move in palming and should be mastered.

– Gambler’s Cop

This palm is called the gambler’s cop for a reason, it is a very deceptive palm that was very common in the gambling scene. It jumped over from ‘cheating’ to be used for many magic card tricks. The gambler’s cop takes advantage of how you would stand naturally, allowing you to retain a card in palm whist your hands look entirely natural.

Card Magic Core Skills: Flourishes

– Springing the Cards

This is the action of literally ‘springing’ the deck of cards one by one from one hand to the other.

– Dribble

This is like springing the cards but instead of forcing the cards from one hand to the other you use gravity, letting them fall one by one from one hand to the other.

– Charlier Cut

The Charlier Cut is a one handed cut that is a nice display of skill, accomplishing nothing more than a cut of the cards this is a nice flourish to perform as a casual display of dexterity. Adding a Charlier Cut adds finesse to most magic card tricks.

There are lots of other card magic core skills and sleights you can learn. However, if you learn these core sleights and techniques well you will be able to easily study most magic card tricks you will come across. Of course, the journey of sleight of hand is never ending, but these fundamental techniques will set you off in the correct direction making it as easy and manageable as possible.

Why do people collect playing cards?

How to do the Indian shuffle – free card magic core skills

The 6 Secrets to Buy Magic Tricks Without Regret

by Merchant of Magic 2 Comments

It’s so easy to buy magic tricks these days. The best magic shops have a huge range, fast delivery and an easy order process. Does this actually cause a problem for magicians?

It’s very easy to be caught up in the excitement of a brand new magic trick, the awesome trailer and the possibility that; finally, this could just be the missing magic trick you have been hoping to find. The result: An impulse purchase that might not have been the best investment of your hard earned magic budget.

Here are 6 steps you can take that will slow the decision process down, and make sure the next magic trick you order is a winner:

1) Take some time to decide if you really believe that the magic trick is right for you. It’s very easy to be seduced by the reactions you see in the video trailer as the creator of the trick performs it. The packaging can look so appealing, and the props are just crying out to be yours. Don’t choose a new trick based on its packaging, and another magicians audience reactions.. Seriously consider if it’s going to be right for YOU, and will fit your style and if YOUR audience will be entertained by your performance of it.

2) Do you really need to be taught how to do it? Can you work out your own version? Take time to think about the premise of the magic trick. If you really put your mind to it, could you invent your own version, with your own method that would create the same or better ‘effect’ for your spectators? Just because, a magician is selling their version of a magic trick, doesn’t make it the BEST version. For example: If a clever device promises to allow you to tell how much pocket change, a spectator has in their pocket, could YOU invent your own method to do this that works well for you? If you can’t, and you really want to be able to perform this trick, buying another persons method is good value.

3) Don’t be seduced by price. A deal is great, but in magic, just like in all aspects of life, you pretty much get what you pay for. There are great deals and promotions out there to be had, but generally, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t. Cheap versions of props tend to be cheap for very good reasons. As you move down the price scale, quality can suffer.

4) Don’t be afraid to ask for a close look. This is harder online as you can’t handle the props. Choose a magic dealer with a good returns policy. For example, Magicshop.co.uk offer a 365 day return policy on magic props, so you can take your time to inspect and assess them.

When visiting a magic shop in person, endure that you ask the shop assistant to let you examine and handle the props. Unless there is a very good reason not to let you, a reputable magic shop should let you check out the workmanship of the props before you purchase them.

5) Telephone the magic shop and ask the dealer lots of questions about the magic trick. No matter how simply the question, the shop will respect you for taking care over the magic you order. Build a relationship with the magic shop, as they should give you their honest and professional opinion on a tricks quality. Their goal is to support you in developing and growing as a magician if a dealer doesn’t seem to have that intention, consider shopping elsewhere.

6) Get more information than just the advert will tell you. Ask the magic shop about the magic tricks performing conditions, its angles, its reset time, and as many other questions you need answered.

Most magic shops use stock product descriptions, written by the manufacturer. The shops don’t have the man power to rewrite each description and expand on it. A Good magic shop will be happy to give you much more information if you ask them.

If you follow these 6 steps, when buying magic tricks, you should find that you will spend far less money on magic you will never use or find useful. You will move your buying process from a habitual urge, to a conscious, educated and considered decision.

Did we miss out an important tip? let us know in the comments section at the bottom of this page

NEXT: Why Magicians Stop Doing Magic Tricks