Hey guys I'm pretty new to magic and I've been reading through royal road to card magic, I'm just at the over hand shuffle and it seems like when I try to run a card my thumb doesn't seem to grip it. Am I just not used to the cards enaugh yet or do I need to break them in more. I feel like its something that shouldn't be that difficult so I get kind of discouraged from continuing. Any help is great.
Feeling a little discouraged.
- Thread starter StevenB
- Start date
Hang in there. Don't despair.
I know the feeling you are talking about. This occurred to me when trying to learn some advanced sleights (... I wanted to do real magic, you know). I undertook a sleight during my vacations, and practiced this single sleight every time I could, trying to figure it out, finger placement, pressure, speed, grip, anything that would make it work every single time. At the end of the two weeks, I got to a point were I would be able to do it most of the time.
This is when it struck me. I don't think of myself as a natural in magic, but I like it enough that if I dedicate the effort, and persevere enough, and constantly try to analyze and improve my technique, I could learn any sleight.
And that is the thought I have any time a sleight takes more time to learn than I expected. I remember that if I dedicate enough time to it, I can get it. I also understand that I can't rush it. I must take pauses, and let the move sink gradually, and gradually refine the level of detail that is required to do the more properly. If it's not ready to be performed, it is not, and I patiently continue to work on it.
So,
Hang in there,
Don't despair,
Set yourself small goals,
Give yourself time to learn properly,
Give yourself some time to rest, don't frustrate yourself insisting to doing it over and over in a single session,
Be patient,
Dedicate yourself to it,
Be passionate about it,
Enjoy practicing... because you'll spend more time practicing than performing for others,
And practice, practice, and then practice again...
You'll get it eventually.
I know the feeling you are talking about. This occurred to me when trying to learn some advanced sleights (... I wanted to do real magic, you know). I undertook a sleight during my vacations, and practiced this single sleight every time I could, trying to figure it out, finger placement, pressure, speed, grip, anything that would make it work every single time. At the end of the two weeks, I got to a point were I would be able to do it most of the time.
This is when it struck me. I don't think of myself as a natural in magic, but I like it enough that if I dedicate the effort, and persevere enough, and constantly try to analyze and improve my technique, I could learn any sleight.
And that is the thought I have any time a sleight takes more time to learn than I expected. I remember that if I dedicate enough time to it, I can get it. I also understand that I can't rush it. I must take pauses, and let the move sink gradually, and gradually refine the level of detail that is required to do the more properly. If it's not ready to be performed, it is not, and I patiently continue to work on it.
So,
Hang in there,
Don't despair,
Set yourself small goals,
Give yourself time to learn properly,
Give yourself some time to rest, don't frustrate yourself insisting to doing it over and over in a single session,
Be patient,
Dedicate yourself to it,
Be passionate about it,
Enjoy practicing... because you'll spend more time practicing than performing for others,
And practice, practice, and then practice again...
You'll get it eventually.
You could try some hand lotion. If you wet your thumb a bit and that solves the problem then moisturizer is likely the way to go, just make sure your hands don't still feel greasy when you use the cards. I use Dove as hand soap these days to hopefully assist with this. I've read that some magicians like Golden Touch hand lotion, but have not tried it. Some use the tacky stuff from office supply stores used for counting pages or money, but I am worried about it getting on my cards. I tend to use expensive cards and I am a bit nuts when it comes to worrying about this type of thing, but if you are using Bikes for example, this could be a good solution. Just get some extra decks and see if they get mucked up. Also be sure to try different cards! A differently worn deck of what you are using in addition to trying different brands. This can make a very big difference.
Buy some new decks. My bet is that you're using sticky cards. You will eventually be able to run cards while using sticky, overused, disgusting decks. And I recommend practicing with crap decks. But to improve your confidence quickly, try it with a nice, slick deck. Then go back to the sticky decks. =)