How do I get used to cards?
- Thread starter IsaacP1
- Start date
Hey Isaac,
If it’s sleights you want to be proficient at, it really doesn’t matter what you start with. For me it was constantly fanning cards that really started it all. Over and over until they were seamless every time. Then I moved to Sleights usually by following through with a book.
The key is to just keep practicing something until it comes together.
If it’s just card magic you want, start learning some routines that aren’t sleight intensive. Royal road to card magic has had nice easy tricks although I would probably recommend Roberto Giobbis card college: light, for some of the best material that is essentially sleight free.
Once you have some routines to practice it won’t be long before you’re performing for others and getting better with cards every second.
Cards are an extension of me now. I feel weird without them. That took time though. Sometimes I try and remember the feeling you have now by using my other hand and damn! It can be hard to start but keep at it... it won’t take long.
B.
If it’s sleights you want to be proficient at, it really doesn’t matter what you start with. For me it was constantly fanning cards that really started it all. Over and over until they were seamless every time. Then I moved to Sleights usually by following through with a book.
The key is to just keep practicing something until it comes together.
If it’s just card magic you want, start learning some routines that aren’t sleight intensive. Royal road to card magic has had nice easy tricks although I would probably recommend Roberto Giobbis card college: light, for some of the best material that is essentially sleight free.
Once you have some routines to practice it won’t be long before you’re performing for others and getting better with cards every second.
Cards are an extension of me now. I feel weird without them. That took time though. Sometimes I try and remember the feeling you have now by using my other hand and damn! It can be hard to start but keep at it... it won’t take long.
B.
Appreciate the reply . I’ll take your advice I guess I need to just have a deck in my hands as much possible. I want to learn to fan and double lift cleanly . It is frustrating knowing so many routines but not being able to physically do them .
You don't necessarily need all the moves to do a routine. For example, spread the cards instead of fanning them, or do a top switch instead of a double lift.
But all in all, it really does boil down to practice. A ton of practice.
Edit: It's crazy how good you can get without realizing it.
Get a good deck first. A new deck of Bicycle cards will make you feel like a pro immediately. You'll be able to fan and ribbon spread without any effort and it will give you a ton of confidence.
Also, try not to get so hung up on difficult sleights. While you are learning and practicing there is a plethora of card magic effects that don't require much sleight of hand. Look into Michael Ammar's work and Bannon has a trilogy of hard hitting card effects.
Depends what kind. Blisters are one thing, as are muscle aches. Joint pain is another. If you're experiencing joint pain, STOP. Take a break, maybe for the rest of the day. I'm sure professional cardists and magicians have all kinds of hand issues later on, but it sounds like you're just getting started out, and you shouldn't be getting pain right off the bat.
I just sit there with cards in my hand dribbling them constantly. I've been using cards practically every day for 15+ years, but it still helps. Once you're happy with that, just learning a fun double lift and doing that over and over is good. I do one that I think is similar to a ballerina double, but it comes off the base of my thumb instead of the top edge of the cards, and I can do that over and over again because it's just incredibly satisfying.
Once you're happy with that kind of thing try doing the swing cut, then move onto the Faro. If you just keep doing this stuff idly then it'll get your hands used to these maneuvers.
Also your Faro doesn't have to be an actual one. Just so long as they generally interlace you don't need a perfect split, it's just another good move to get your hands focused on something, and it will let you learn how to cut exactly half a deck, which is an incredible talent that you can do some kind of absurd tricks with if you combine it with a known deck order.
Once you're happy with that kind of thing try doing the swing cut, then move onto the Faro. If you just keep doing this stuff idly then it'll get your hands used to these maneuvers.
Also your Faro doesn't have to be an actual one. Just so long as they generally interlace you don't need a perfect split, it's just another good move to get your hands focused on something, and it will let you learn how to cut exactly half a deck, which is an incredible talent that you can do some kind of absurd tricks with if you combine it with a known deck order.
That's pretty much all the things you'd need for a good few years worth of magic, along with some basic sleights, however...
As others said, get a new deck of cards. If you can't get one right now, or if a new deck betrays you and starts clumping up, why don't you do the sleights which REQUIRE the clumping up? Or packet flourishes which utilise that?
As for hand pain, if it's terrible and remains for more than 2-3 days, you should get it checked.
When somebody starts performing intense actions there body isn't used to, an onset muscle soreness is normal and must be expected. But it typically,
a) goes away with practice.
b) isn't so terrible that you're reduced to tears while trying to, say, write, in this case.
c) goes away withing 2-3 days, as I said.
To prevent this in future however, try checking if the sleight is painful or not. If it isn't, then the pain is probably a result of bad technique, so treat it as a signal to correct yourself. If it is SUPPOSED to pain in the beginning (those Le Paul spreads didn't exactly feel like melting in the beginning for me, as an example) then relax. Your hands will live.
Pretty sure it’s just muscle soreness . I took a break for a day and it went away. I’m not doing anything crazy just shuffling and springing . Also I bought like 10 decks lol.That's pretty much all the things you'd need for a good few years worth of magic, along with some basic sleights, however...
As others said, get a new deck of cards. If you can't get one right now, or if a new deck betrays you and starts clumping up, why don't you do the sleights which REQUIRE the clumping up? Or packet flourishes which utilise that?
As for hand pain, if it's terrible and remains for more than 2-3 days, you should get it checked.
When somebody starts performing intense actions there body isn't used to, an onset muscle soreness is normal and must be expected. But it typically,
a) goes away with practice.
b) isn't so terrible that you're reduced to tears while trying to, say, write, in this case.
c) goes away withing 2-3 days, as I said.
To prevent this in future however, try checking if the sleight is painful or not. If it isn't, then the pain is probably a result of bad technique, so treat it as a signal to correct yourself. If it is SUPPOSED to pain in the beginning (those Le Paul spreads didn't exactly feel like melting in the beginning for me, as an example) then relax. Your hands will live.
As for how to get used to the cards in your hands, as many people have already said, just do one thing over and over again. For me it was the in-the-hands riffle shuffle with bridge ending; I learned it first because it looks so cool and it's generally good to be able to shuffle cards well. I remember going round the house just shuffling cards all day long. When I moved on to sleights that could be performed without table (I started with table work), I just did them all the time.
My point is: Practice makes perfect. Just start doing something with the cards all the time, and they'll feel like an extension of your arm in no time.
Good luck and have fun!
My point is: Practice makes perfect. Just start doing something with the cards all the time, and they'll feel like an extension of your arm in no time.
Good luck and have fun!
I know I'm gonna take some heat for this, but I think that this is a "trick" (correct technical term ... ?) for which you can safely consult YouTube. There are some good tutorials on there (from 52kards, for example), and you should be able to do it (badly) in a few minutes, if you mind all the details. From there on it's just practicing, ideally all the time.
Good luck!
Eventually, you'll get it. It just takes time. @Scodischarge is absolutely right, for a spring, if you need a visual aide other than the pictures you'd find in a book, YouTube is very useful for these smaller things.
Always have a deck of cards in hand. Use cards as your "Fidget" toy. Whether is is just spreading the cards, fanning them or cutting them. Don't be afraid of dropping cards either.
As it was already mentioned, don't worry about difficult sleights, you don't need knuckle busting moves to be good. I am amazed at how many "Simple" things are overlooked because magicians think it's too easy. There is some great magic that you can do just using the glide as outlined in Card College Vol 1.
As it was already mentioned, don't worry about difficult sleights, you don't need knuckle busting moves to be good. I am amazed at how many "Simple" things are overlooked because magicians think it's too easy. There is some great magic that you can do just using the glide as outlined in Card College Vol 1.
Exactly.
The more cards end up being your 11th finger, the better.
There's a reason magicians perform card magic so much.
'Flourish', as far as I know.
speaks in a gruff voice
Pain is good.
Kid.
( :-D )