New Practice Regimen

[Blaireau]

February 2009
______

I have until the 23 empty. That's when I start the new season, but until then I've got loads of free time. And in all honesty, I'm not a very disciplined person. Unless of course, a decision has already been made.

And so we begin.

_____

Greetings. My name is Badger, and for the month of February I'll be updating this thread as a journal. You see, I haven't been a very good student of magic. I've ditched a lot of classes and skipped school so much that I've only picked up a few things here and there. The things that I did pick up on though, I do rather well.

But I'm greedy. Rather well isn't enough for me. I want to be able to say with complete confidence that I do it flawlessly. Not to quiver when I'm asked to do magic. Not to shy away with my head down giving only vague statements as to why I don't perform. And definitely NOT to be questioning myself in the middle of a performance as to what I should do next because I am so completely under prepared.

So for this month, I'm dedicating myself to four hours with cards a day. Yep, that's right, four hours. Oh. Em. Gee.

Here's the plan.

I'm going straight. Seriously this time. No more slacking off and whatever. So every day, I'm putting in two hours of practice specifically for magic, and two hours specifically for cardistry. And this means real practice, not half-mindedly fiddling with cards.

I'll sit down with my awesome felt pad in front of me, and stick my butt there until it's sore and I have to pee my pants--er...finish two hours of hardcore knucklebusting card majesty. Then I'll get up and eat food or something, probably wash my hand 30 times, then sit back down and go at it again.

Or something like that.

I'm doing this to keep track of what I do and note any cool things that I encounter. I'll list what I'll be working on so anyone working on similar things can feel like they're not alone in this world and have me for company. (Oh yeah. I'm awesome.) Or perhaps it is I that needs the reassurance from others and I'm just completely deluded...?

Let's not go there.

The goal.

If I do not have a goal in mind, I'll be more fickle than a dill pickle left to dry out in the sun. Not a good analogy, don't quote me on that.

So the goal here, is to be consistent in my handling of cards. I don't want to be worrying about what's the next sleight or about dropping cards or all of those mishaps that can be avoided by practicing.

Granted, I realise a month won't give me the God-skills of a Buck or the Hard-Appearance-yet-Smooth-Underbelly of a Madison. But I do have the good looks of a Ho, the charm of a Hag(lund), and the ingenuity of a Harris. I'm also David Blaine's stunt double.

All I want is to set aside practice time a day. Every day. For the rest of my life. (Or until I decide I hate cards and all of you stinking magicians) And this'll be my jumping board.

We've got the goal, we've got the plan. Where's the testing ground, and where's the prize?

Testing grounds...Ah, that's a secret.

Okay, okay. I'll tell you part of it.

At the end of the month, I'll perform. All out ballsy give me cardistry or give me death performance. I'm planning a visit to my old friends--you know, the ones I never performed for the whole year I lived with them because I hardly ever practiced during that time. I'll finally grace them with my magical glory--or fail in a horrendous epic NO. I could either fly with passing colours, or be emotionally scarred for life from their booing.

And my prize? I was thinking about this. What do I want my prize to be...?

It's gotta be something that I really want, and something that'll keep me motivated.

Okay. I've got a small amount of money saved up. I don't really know what to use it for, so I've just let it sit around.

If I do succeed, meaning that I find myself practicing for at least an hour daily, and the performance doesn't completely crash, meaning that I came in unprepared and rushed through the whole thing, then I'll buy myself something.

I've had my eyes on the Art of Astonishment for a while, but never let myself buy it. Well, if I do this, I'll deserve it. That's the green light I need.

Daily practice.

Performance.

Consistency.

Art of Astonishment.

Oh, and a job interview as a restaurant magician. But that comes later.

That's it for now. First practice update coming tomorrow.


Bless,
--Badger

 

[KieranMackrell]

Good luck!! I hope this works for you

 

[praetoritevong]

Oh dude, that's totally awesome. Well done on being motivated - or rather, motivating yourself to do this. Awesome work, all the best.

 

[Flyspazz]

Sounds like a well disciplined challenge to your self.

What material do you plan and practicing? Your own or published?

Whats the deal with ditching classes and skipping school?

I wish you the best in your endeavor.

 

[Dizzi]

Fly: I believe that the ditching classes and skipping school was an analogy for not really working hard. Second: If you're going to be working hard daily, why just cards? why not get into pure closeup? (That way, you can work the cards one day, and coin the next, etc.)

 

[Flyspazz]

Fly: I believe that the ditching classes and skipping school was an analogy for not really working hard.

Your correct Dizzle Zizzle. I just reread. Guess its to dang early(0630). Thanks.

Second: If you're going to be working hard daily, why just cards? why not get into pure closeup? (That way, you can work the cards one day, and coin the next, etc.)

He did say 2 hrs magic and 2 hrs cardistry, but by the way its stated it looks like it would be card magic.

Is that correct Badger? Bizzle Chizzle brings up a good question.

 

[TheBlack&WhiteIllusionist]

This, in all honesty, sounds like it should prove interesting.

All the best.

 

[aJohnson]

I should be doing something like this, it's just College is keepin me dang busy.

 

[cm763]

I should be doing something like this, it's just College is keepin me dang busy.

Agreed. It seems as though midterms last the whole term, and when they're done, it's already time to prepare for finals. Blah!

 

[sourboarder]

When does theory come into the equation? You have 2 hours for cardistry, and 2 hours for flourishes. Sometimes it's best to curl up with a good book knowing you'll never use any of the material, but you know that there is something great hidden within a sleight. Just a thought peace.

 

[TheBlack&WhiteIllusionist]

... That was beautiful...

 

[Randy]

I tend to practice an hour day and usually shift between what I practice. One days I practice things like deck stacking and Second deals, then the next it's passes and half passes. So on and so fourth.

 

[Blaireau]

Update: Handlordz

One Handed Cuts:

Moves: Charlier Cut; Revolution Cut; Scissors Cut

Rounds: Single Hand Left/Right; Double Handed; Single Handed Left/Right Review; Double Handed Review; Double Handed Alternating, Double Handed Alternating Review

Perform 10x correctly for each round before continuing.

Notes:

Charlier Cut-- No notes at this point.

Scissors Cut- To break off smaller packets, use outer phalanx. For larger packets, use outer joint crease. Use the inner side of the outer phalanx of the thumb to break packets off correctly.

Revolution Cut- Left hand is smoother than Right hand. Movements are jerky. Also, my right hand moves upward during the end of the move. Right handed, the break packet is held uncomfortably light on top of the fingers. The break packet is closer to the inner joint crease in the left hand. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the left hand index finger joins immediately after the initial break of the packet, unlike what I was doing in the right hand which was introducing the index during halfway though the revolution. I've added the correction, and I look forward to seeing this developed more.

Left hand performs moves smoother and more easily. Perhaps this is because my left hand is more used to holding the deck than the right. During Double Hand Review, cuts were failing completion, so I slowed down the movements and focused on completion rather than speed. Movements became smoother and I finished the round. I'm excited to get the Double Handed Alternating Review up to speed because it's got a good look and could be easily built into a routine.

Time: 12:30 PM-1:20 PM, 1:30 PM-2:50 PM


I set up my work station, grab a water bottle, wash my hands, set some lotion nearby, made sure I had good lighting, turned on my background music, fixed my seat. Practice started at 12:30, and I took a lunch break from 1:20-1:30. Completed at 2:50. I started out with no structure, jumping from one sleight to another, and even practicing magic related items. After about thirty minutes of chaos, however, things started to settle down and I got a pattern going. About an hour into the pattern, I began to notice details, instead of simply mechanically completing the movements. I took notes on these to track them, and that is the above portion of this post. The cool part of this was that I didn't know what I was doing when I started, but it made more sense along the way. Lesson of the day? Show up and do it, regardless of what you feel at the moment. You made a commitment, now go.

Oh, for anyone trying to decipher what the rounds are. I'm doing each move separately in one hand, then switching to the other hand (Single Hand Left/Right); then I do each move with both hands at the same time. Then I do the moves as a set--Charlier, Revolution, Scissors--in each hand (Single Handed Left/Right Review); followed sets in both hands (Double Handed Review). Then I go through the moves separately again, this time alternating one hand completion with another (Double Handed Alternating), then do a set of each hand alternating the moves in completion (Double Handed Alternating Review).

 

[Blaireau]

Haha! Whoever changed the title of the thread, thanks. I get carried away in megalomaniacal melodrama at times. Sorry.

I just thought I'd update you guys on this. The first half of practice today is done. I'll add the other later.

I'm keeping an eye on this, obviously, and I've read all of your replies. Thank you guys for your input on this, and I'll be sure to respond to each question soon.

Laters!

 

[TheBlack&WhiteIllusionist]

Ha, you should eventually put all your posts together and release them as a PDF. Could be useful to someone.

 

[Randy]

I suggest you also take a few days off from practicing and letting the stuff you've been doing sink into your head. Then come back to it and rinse and repeat.

 

[Jeremy C.]

It's interesting because I actually wouldn't encourage anyone to trying what you are doing. I know it's good to have a set goal in mind, and to work at it, but this type of process might do more harm than good.

The reason I say this is because I feel magic should be fun for you too practice. Now I'm not saying you're not having fun practicing 4 hours a day, but usually when someone has a set schedule to achieve then it becomes more of a task for you. You start to dread having to practice but you have to keep training.

I personally don't like this method but if it works for you, then it works for you. Have determination and good luck!

 

[Randy]

Vernon has gone to say that magic SHOULD be fun to practice and do. The more fun you're having learning or doing something. The easier something will be to learn and the better the performer you will become. Magic shouldn't be a chore, I also believe that by doing it 4 hours a day you will forget a lot of what you learned. I'd suggest breaking your sessions into 30 min to maybe an hour a day. While also practicing different things each day. Then taking a break for maybe 2-3 days and then coming back to what you were doing. You'll get more out of it and also will find yourself having more fun.

 

[Blaireau]

Oh dude, that's totally awesome. Well done on being motivated - or rather, motivating yourself to do this. Awesome work, all the best.

Spot on mate! It's not about being motivated as much as it is about motivating. Like the sinners say, "Lord let me be willing to change. Because I'm willing to be willing to change."

Sounds like a well disciplined challenge to your self.

What material do you plan and practicing? Your own or published?

Whats the deal with ditching classes and skipping school?

I wish you the best in your endeavor.

You know, I was thinking about the discipline part of this. And I read over an old article for inspiration before I jumped on this, and he's got something there about discipline.

"Guys say to me "Wow, you had such dedication" and I can't relate to that. To me, that's like telling a kid who goes to play basketball after school for a few years that he has dedication. It wasn't dedication. It was a routine. A habit. A hobby. I made the time for it in my life, and I never worried about how well I was doing. I assumed with blind faith that everything would take care of itself if I just kept going out and meeting people to get advice on how I was doing."

I don't agree with the blind faith part, but the rest of what he says makes sense. And that's what I'm doing here. I'm just making space for it in my life. And I know that just by doing that, something will come out of it. Whether it's the realisation that I hate this stuff and should leave it to others, or I'll come up with material that I'm proud of and will be confident in performing.

The card magic will all be coming from Card College. Though now that you bring it up, there's a couple of books that I'd like to tackle as well. Double facers, anyone?

For the cardistry, I'm trusting the Cuso. And my Youtube account. I've hunted down a few people that had moves that I like, and that's where I'll start from.

Fly: I believe that the ditching classes and skipping school was an analogy for not really working hard. Second: If you're going to be working hard daily, why just cards? why not get into pure closeup? (That way, you can work the cards one day, and coin the next, etc.)

You know, that's a brilliant question. And you know what, thinking about it, I'm not sure.

See, I've dealt with almost exclusively because that was what was available and familiar to me. I'm not sure what to do with coins, doves, spongeballs, or any of those close up things.

On one side of this is that I'm limiting myself by only working on cards. I've chosen it only because it was the easiest and most accessible route for me, and there is a sense of commercialism in there. I want magic which, though it doth "playeth big, packeth flat". Cards can be carried around and streamlined to where you can hop around from one set to the next.

On the other hand, I've grown accustomed to a Derren Brown. I am completely on this man's...well, that's inappropriate. But I've agreed with his thoughts on magic. I'm questioning that now though. Because, if cards are okay, then why can't coins be? Or doves? Or spongeballs? Or finger choppers? Or for that matter, thread? I'm starting to think that it's less about the perfect type of magic, and it's more about the context you perform in.

I'm still clearing out my thoughts on this, and I'll post when I've got something.

Your correct Dizzle Zizzle. I just reread. Guess its to dang early(0630). Thanks.
He did say 2 hrs magic and 2 hrs cardistry, but by the way its stated it looks like it would be card magic.

Is that correct Badger? Bizzle Chizzle brings up a good question.

Yeah, Foshizzle Mah Nizzle brought up some good points. I'm dealing purely with cards for now.

This, in all honesty, sounds like it should prove interesting.

All the best.

Thanks brah.

I should be doing something like this, it's just College is keepin me dang busy.

Ah, the dreaded excuses. All love mate, I'm just teasing.

I understand, actually. The only reason I'm able to do this is because Spring semester doesn't start until the 23. So I've got all this time to work with.

That said, it's not about how much you practice, or how long you've been practicing, or when you practiced last. It's about consistency. I said earlier that all I'm doing is making space for cards in my life. That's it. I'm not expecting to be the next Vernon, or the new Ascanio. I'm just setting aside time for me to grow in my handling of cards.

The four hours is completely arbitrary. It could have been twenty hours, or twenty minutes. I could have kept this up for a twenty four hours, or twenty four years. If you're serious about something, you let it have a chunk of your life. Look at Michael Phelps, or Sasha Cohen, or Lance Armstrong. They gave CHUNKS of their lives to what they loved doing.

Set aside at least 2o minutes for cards every day. That's all.

Agreed. It seems as though midterms last the whole term, and when they're done, it's already time to prepare for finals. Blah!

Haha. Funny stuff man.

When does theory come into the equation? You have 2 hours for cardistry, and 2 hours for flourishes. Sometimes it's best to curl up with a good book knowing you'll never use any of the material, but you know that there is something great hidden within a sleight. Just a thought peace.

That's a valid point, and I'm glad you brought this up.

I've spent a lot of time on theory, and I'm sure I've barely even scratched the surface. I love it. The ideas behind how, and why, and then when, and all of that? I can sit around wondering about it for hours. And I have. And I'm sure I've got more sleepless nights theorizing ahead of me.

But in doing that, I've neglected practicing for a long time. I haven't had a real practice session in a long time until today. Er, yesterday. And the thing is, if I can't apply what I know, it's useless to me. So my focus here is on the practice. There's something that Giobbi says in Vol 1, and I've highlighted it and kept it in mind ever since I first read it.

"A theory is only useful when understood--and true understanding only comes when an abstract theoretical concept is internalized as a result of experience."

I'm sure theory will come alongside my practice.

I tend to practice an hour day and usually shift between what I practice. One days I practice things like deck stacking and Second deals, then the next it's passes and half passes. So on and so fourth.

I think I might actually end up having time to only practice one thing a day. I'm moving like a snail right now.

Ha, you should eventually put all your posts together and release them as a PDF. Could be useful to someone.

Nah. I've got it as a copy on my computer and if people want to see it there's a copy online here and on D&D.

I suggest you also take a few days off from practicing and letting the stuff you've been doing sink into your head. Then come back to it and rinse and repeat.

Yes. That is actually very important. I'm sticking to the month challenge though, so I won't do it now. But after this, I'm taking a break for at least a week.

It's interesting because I actually wouldn't encourage anyone to trying what you are doing. I know it's good to have a set goal in mind, and to work at it, but this type of process might do more harm than good.

The reason I say this is because I feel magic should be fun for you too practice. Now I'm not saying you're not having fun practicing 4 hours a day, but usually when someone has a set schedule to achieve then it becomes more of a task for you. You start to dread having to practice but you have to keep training.

I personally don't like this method but if it works for you, then it works for you. Have determination and good luck!

Not at all. I agree with you partially. But I'm not doing this for that long. Again, it's a starting point.

Vernon has gone to say that magic SHOULD be fun to practice and do. The more fun you're having learning or doing something. The easier something will be to learn and the better the performer you will become. Magic shouldn't be a chore, I also believe that by doing it 4 hours a day you will forget a lot of what you learned. I'd suggest breaking your sessions into 30 min to maybe an hour a day. While also practicing different things each day. Then taking a break for maybe 2-3 days and then coming back to what you were doing. You'll get more out of it and also will find yourself having more fun.

NO! FUN? NO! I refuse to have fun.

THIS IS SPARTAAAAAAAAA!!!!

Yeah, I'm just being a BAMF right now and going hardcore. Bow to me.


Thanks for the comments and suggestions guys. I appreciate all of it.

...Although...this place is too nice. I was expecting at least one flamer to hate on me.


Bless,
--Badger

 

[Blaireau]

Update: Overhand Shuffle Blues

02.02.09

Overhand Shuffle Blues


Notes:

Overhand Shuffle: The receiving hand should be stationary, acting as a shock absorber. The dispersal hand should move in a gentle arc. My thumb in the receiving hand moves to aid in receiving the cards—I'm unsure whether or not this is a good thing. For one, it makes the movement jerky and also moves the receiving hand. On the other hand, it's more natural to me, as keeping the whole receiving hand stationary seems flat. Also, when running or jogging cards, the thumb must move. My current solution is to involve the thumb, making the movement less jerky while keeping the receiving hand stationary. Reduce the straightness of the shuffle action—make it more round. In pulling the cards, the receiving thumb spreads the cards, making it into a barrier. This blocks the succeeding shuffle motion, and causes me to drop cards. I need to make the receiving of the thumb more complete—the action breaking off cards instead of sliding them off.

Running Cards: The final shuffle movement when running off the bottom cards needs to look more natural. It shouldn't be obvious that I'm shuffling off single cards at the end—or during any running of the cards at all. The practice motion is: shuffle, run 3x, shuffle 2x, run 3x, shuffle 2x, run the final cards. I'm considering the feel of the final shuffle. Should there be a finality to it? A sort of exclamation through the hardness of the movement to signify that the shuffle is done? Or should it be softer, just another shuffle? I think it depends on the context. Again, moderation. My take for now is to make it look like the final shuffle with an exclamation. Be careful of sound discrepancies.


Moves: Overhand Shuffle; Running Cards

Rounds: Single Hand Left/Right, Single Hand Alternating

Perform 10x correctly before continuing.


Time: 4:30 PM-5:15 PM, 10:40 PM-12:00 AM

I set up my station and began the card magic session at 4:30. For warm-up, I went over shuffles, cuts, some flourishes, then deals and passes. Not very structured. I then opened up Card College 1, and began reading. Sped through the foreword, introduction, and history, as I had read those countless times before. I got to the first chapter, Fundamentals, and practiced with deck in hand. Around this time though, I started to lose focus. Practicing holding the deck in different grips over and over again is not very fun. I don't know why there is fun in fundamentals. So I get distracted, like I've done every single time I've gone through that section. So I put the book down at 5:30 and run some errands.

At around 9 I've got some free time, and I know I need to finish my practice session. My head wasn't in the right place though, so to get in ready I exercised. After showering, the house had calmed down and I had my space to resume practice. I open up CC, skip the fundamentals, and headed to Overhand Shuffle part 1. The reason I skipped Fundamentals is because every time I've gone through that section, I get caught up in all of the small details. Instead of focusing on learning the moves, I'm picking at how the left middle finger middle phalanx is contacting the deck in standard dealing position. Progress becomes slow and I get frustrated at this. So I've decided to skip ahead and see how it goes.

Overhand shuffle practice was very fulfilling. I re-read the description and watched for the nuances. The feel in my overhand shuffle is now more natural and smooth. At first I practiced at normal speed, without much result. However, I slowed down the move, and I began to see what made the differences. Moved from left handed to right handed, and the move was easier, more natural. When I completed the rounds, I moved on to Running Cards. I was in the middle of this when I realise that it's nearing 12. I decide to stop, and resume the chapter tomorrow.

Practice today was good. Not much headway in learning new moves yet, but I've started the review of old moves and it's going well. If I keep this up, I'll have a solid handling by the end of the month.