I haven't been into magic all that long, only 9 months. But through those 9 months i've discovered something. Something I call the Click Theory. It applies not only to magic, but anytime you're learn a new skill.
Lets start with the old phrase "Practice makes perfect". You've all heard that in a lot of places and most of the time it's true. Notice i said MOST OF THE TIME. My math teacher once said that while "Practice does make perfect, but imperfect practice makes imperfect". Meaning, if you practice something the wrong way for a long time, it's gonna be very hard to learn it the correct way.
With that in mind, i go into my theory. Ever move in magic, in cardistry, in guitar, in swimming, in juggling, in penspinning, in anything that takes skill, there's a "click" point. The "Click is just one simple subtlety that makes every fall into place. You could practice for hours on a move and once you find the "click", you can do the move perfectly in a few seconds.
I'll give an example. I learned the backstroke in swimming 2 years ago. Before that, i could only do freestyle. I was really uncomfortable on my back when i first began. When i got comfortable doing the backstroke, i found that i was going UBER slow. Like 1 inch per second. I had no idea what i was doing wrong. So i practiced it until my muscles ached, but still no luck. Then one day, a friend of mine told me something when i was at his pool party. He said, "You have to roll your shoulders" I tired it and guess what, i was instantly able to go 3 times faster than i used to. This was my "click"
Another example, when i first learned the charlier cut. I had a lot of difficulty pushing on the bottom packet cuz there wasn't enough room for it to move. However, i played around with it for a week and found that sometimes, it was super easy to push the packet up while other times it was super hard. So i observed the times that it was easy to push: What made those try's different? After another week i found that i had to have the deck at my fingertips before i start, that way there's much more room for the bottom packet to be pushed up. That was the "click"
Now I'm not saying that the click will replace practice. Not at all. Nothing will replace practicing, especially on difficult stuff like the Classic Pass, the Bottom Deal, The Clipshift, and the Second Deal, just finding the click doesn't mean you dont need to practice. But for those moves, once you find the "Click", you'll know that you are practicing it right. Which means that once you master the technique, you wont go back and find that your made on little error and spending almost twice the time correcting it.
For example, the classic pass. You could spend over 10 years on the classic pass and still not have it half decent. But if you search for that click, you will know you're doing it right, and it may only take you 5 years to perfect it.
Now the "click" can range from large to small. It could be like having an incorrect starting position. It can also be as small as moving your middle finger half a centimeter to the left. Even small movements like that can dramatically improve the move you're working on.
So next time you are practicing a move, and you can't seem to get it right, go back and read the instructions again. Or watch the video again, or ask on the forums. Make sure you have the right technique before you practice a lot. Cuz if you learn a move with the wrong technique, then you could spend twice the time just to correct it. Remember: "Imperfect practice makes imperfect"
So there's my theory. Let me know if you guys agree, disagree, and what are your thoughts on it. Thanks!
Lets start with the old phrase "Practice makes perfect". You've all heard that in a lot of places and most of the time it's true. Notice i said MOST OF THE TIME. My math teacher once said that while "Practice does make perfect, but imperfect practice makes imperfect". Meaning, if you practice something the wrong way for a long time, it's gonna be very hard to learn it the correct way.
With that in mind, i go into my theory. Ever move in magic, in cardistry, in guitar, in swimming, in juggling, in penspinning, in anything that takes skill, there's a "click" point. The "Click is just one simple subtlety that makes every fall into place. You could practice for hours on a move and once you find the "click", you can do the move perfectly in a few seconds.
I'll give an example. I learned the backstroke in swimming 2 years ago. Before that, i could only do freestyle. I was really uncomfortable on my back when i first began. When i got comfortable doing the backstroke, i found that i was going UBER slow. Like 1 inch per second. I had no idea what i was doing wrong. So i practiced it until my muscles ached, but still no luck. Then one day, a friend of mine told me something when i was at his pool party. He said, "You have to roll your shoulders" I tired it and guess what, i was instantly able to go 3 times faster than i used to. This was my "click"
Another example, when i first learned the charlier cut. I had a lot of difficulty pushing on the bottom packet cuz there wasn't enough room for it to move. However, i played around with it for a week and found that sometimes, it was super easy to push the packet up while other times it was super hard. So i observed the times that it was easy to push: What made those try's different? After another week i found that i had to have the deck at my fingertips before i start, that way there's much more room for the bottom packet to be pushed up. That was the "click"
Now I'm not saying that the click will replace practice. Not at all. Nothing will replace practicing, especially on difficult stuff like the Classic Pass, the Bottom Deal, The Clipshift, and the Second Deal, just finding the click doesn't mean you dont need to practice. But for those moves, once you find the "Click", you'll know that you are practicing it right. Which means that once you master the technique, you wont go back and find that your made on little error and spending almost twice the time correcting it.
For example, the classic pass. You could spend over 10 years on the classic pass and still not have it half decent. But if you search for that click, you will know you're doing it right, and it may only take you 5 years to perfect it.
Now the "click" can range from large to small. It could be like having an incorrect starting position. It can also be as small as moving your middle finger half a centimeter to the left. Even small movements like that can dramatically improve the move you're working on.
So next time you are practicing a move, and you can't seem to get it right, go back and read the instructions again. Or watch the video again, or ask on the forums. Make sure you have the right technique before you practice a lot. Cuz if you learn a move with the wrong technique, then you could spend twice the time just to correct it. Remember: "Imperfect practice makes imperfect"
So there's my theory. Let me know if you guys agree, disagree, and what are your thoughts on it. Thanks!
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= very slow.
