Practice time.

[Tadeumagalhaesbg]

just out of curiosity, how long does everyone here usually practice per day/week on average?

I’d say I’m practicing about four hours per day now that I’m getting back to magic... I took a six or seven years break... before the break I’d practice at least eight hours for about five years....

 

[Lord Magic]

See, I don't actually count the number of hours I devote to magic. That makes magic seem kinda boring...and learning magic is supposed to be fun.

I mean, I have the deck CONSTANTLY in my hand while I am studying, watching T.V., going somewhere, etc.
So ultimately I end up practising the whole day.

And it DOES seem strange to me that you DO count how many hours you practice, to me atleast (I can just forsee that how future replies to your post will all be like, saying a specific time, proving that EVERYONE counts the hours other than me, sue me please). But as I said, learning magic should be fun.

Am sure you are having fun doing what you are doing right now. So keep on doing that mate

 

[Hgagnon]

I don't exactly count my hours of practicing but I would say 13-15 hours a week and I have cards with me everywhere like lord magic so I practice more then that if you include it.

 

[Mattxdfa]

I don't count hours but I try to at least be fooling around with cards if I have down time. It might just be me dribbling the cards or throwing them around but just to have them and be handling them. I notice when I have not picked up a deck in a few days I feel rusty and things don't seem to be as smooth.

 

[Lord Magic]

Sometimes TOO much practice may even have adverse effects!
I remember how someone here (most prolly @ChristopherT ) told once that practising sleights is like weight-lifting. If we do too much of it, it damages the tissues and DOES NOT give them the time required to strengthen.
I have seen that how after heavy-duty practice of a sleight OR a flourish, if I leave it for one WHOLE day, the next time I try it, somehow it becomes better in my hands.
It is a weird thing but after practising something TOO much, when you leave it, your brain subconciously keeps practising it. You might think you were nit practising, but your brain was. And therefore, a small break ends up having good effects, it ''strengthens the tissues'' effectively!

 

[Tadeumagalhaesbg]

See, I don't actually count the number of hours I devote to magic. That makes magic seem kinda boring...and learning magic is supposed to be fun.

I mean, I have the deck CONSTANTLY in my hand while I am studying, watching T.V., going somewhere, etc.
So ultimately I end up practising the whole day.

And it DOES seem strange to me that you DO count how many hours you practice, to me atleast (I can just forsee that how future replies to your post will all be like, saying a specific time, proving that EVERYONE counts the hours other than me, sue me please). But as I said, learning magic should be fun.

Am sure you are having fun doing what you are doing right now. So keep on doing that mate

I definitely get you’re point, tho I disagree with it.
I do many things and one of them is bodybuilding, which taught me how to have discipline.
My approach to everything in life it to keep myself conscious at all times. That means doing things rationally and with the most care I can.
In that kind of thinking, counting the hours in magic for actually practicing is something like counting every single gram of food you put in your body... it is necessary if you’re seriously trying to get better and better...

Also, I don’t consider “fooling around” with cards as practice time... right now I have my phone in my hands and just woke up... sure I’ve got cards in my other hand but I’m not really practicing.... just like picking up the groceries from the car isn’t weight training... the way you mentally approach whatever you’re doing changes the whole outcome.... an example would be taking a walk at the beach and taking a walk at the treadmill... it’s not the same to walk around to see pretty stuff and to get up seven in the morning and hopping on that machine starring at a wall because you simply know you have to

 

[Lord Magic]

I definitely get you’re point, tho I disagree with it.
I do many things and one of them is bodybuilding, which taught me how to have discipline.
My approach to everything in life it to keep myself conscious at all times. That means doing things rationally and with the most care I can.
In that kind of thinking, counting the hours in magic for actually practicing is something like counting every single gram of food you put in your body... it is necessary if you’re seriously trying to get better and better...

Also, I don’t consider “fooling around” with cards as practice time... right now I have my phone in my hands and just woke up... sure I’ve got cards in my other hand but I’m not really practicing.... just like picking up the groceries from the car isn’t weight training... the way you mentally approach whatever you’re doing changes the whole outcome.... an example would be taking a walk at the beach and taking a walk at the treadmill... it’s not the same to walk around to see pretty stuff and to get up seven in the morning and hopping on that machine starring at a wall because you simply know you have to

A simple yes/no question...
Hasn't it ever EVER happened that you had to force yourself to do the exercising?
I mean it definitely did good to your body I presume, forcing yourself to do the correct thing, but still, since it is a SIMPLE yes/no question...

 

[Tadeumagalhaesbg]

A simple yes/no question...
Hasn't it ever EVER happened that you had to force yourself to do the exercising?
I mean it definitely did good to your body I presume, forcing yourself to do the correct thing, but still, since it is a SIMPLE yes/no question...

Sure man. That’s discipline, you do stuff you know you have to do, despite how much you don’t wanna do them.
What is your point tho?

 

[Al e Cat Dabra]

I think practice can be both fun and disciplined! Dai Vernon, the Professor, said, "If you don't like to practice, you should get another hobby." Personally, I believe what I practice and how I practice are both more important than how much or how long I practice. Now if someone wants to devote a lot of time to learning moves, then that is their choice. It depends what you enjoy and what your goals are, if any. For me, magic is about entertaining people, so when I practice, I mainly focus on the presentation of a particular routine, patter/script, handling, and all. Sure it may be important to do certain moves well in certain routines, and repetitious practice of moves will obviously help greatly in getting them down, but a sleight or a move is just a tool. When it comes time to perform for people, I believe it is more desirable (and I'm talking from the point of view of the audience) to present even a self-working trick in an entertaining, interesting, intriguing and/or fascinating way than to do a routine that involves the most knuckle-busting sleights with a boring or otherwise uninteresting presentation

 

[Tadeumagalhaesbg]

I think practice can be both fun and disciplined! Dai Vernon, the Professor, said, "If you don't like to practice, you should get another hobby." Personally, I believe what I practice and how I practice are both more important than how much or how long I practice. Now if someone wants to devote a lot of time to learning moves, then that is their choice. It depends what you enjoy and what your goals are, if any. For me, magic is about entertaining people, so when I practice, I mainly focus on the presentation of a particular routine, patter/script, handling, and all. Sure it may be important to do certain moves well in certain routines, and repetitious practice of moves will obviously help greatly in getting them down, but a sleight or a move is just a tool. When it comes time to perform for people, I believe it is more desirable (and I'm talking from the point of view of the audience) to present even a self-working trick in an entertaining, interesting, intriguing and/or fascinating way than to do a routine that involves the most knuckle-busting sleights with a boring or otherwise uninteresting presentation

I understand and agree with what you’re saying, but I don’t think it’s really into the topic. I’m not really discussing presentation or the audiences point of view, those topics are always discussed everywhere... I’m talking strictly about the amount of time dedicated to actually practice (not fool around with cards) in order to get whatever mooves you need down...
just to make myself clear, I’m not wanting to go down the path of discussing what magic is, performance and patter and what not, I’m simply curious about the amount of time the average magicians dedicates to perfecting the craft.

 

[Maaz Hasan]

The problem is that with magic, your performance is really the thing you gotta practice with. I mean, yes, you can just sit there and practice your moves, but that's not really practicing what's really important.

The best thing to do is have a practice session once in a while of just moves. However, most of the time, it's better to just work through your performance WITH PATTER and figure out what you need to do while going through your performance. Also, while you read you practice your moves to get them down.

"Dedicating time to perfecting the craft" (as you put it) is a lot different from just practicing moves. It includes, reading, performing, scripting, cutting, learning, designing, innovating, taking notes, etc. It's just not something that can easily be measured.

 

[Tadeumagalhaesbg]

The problem is that with magic, your performance is really the thing you gotta practice with. I mean, yes, you can just sit there and practice your moves, but that's not really practicing what's really important.

The best thing to do is have a practice session once in a while of just moves. However, most of the time, it's better to just work through your performance WITH PATTER and figure out what you need to do while going through your performance. Also, while you read you practice your moves to get them down.

"Dedicating time to perfecting the craft" (as you put it) is a lot different from just practicing moves. It includes, reading, performing, scripting, cutting, learning, designing, innovating, taking notes, etc. It's just not something that can easily be measured.

Craft for me would be the mechanical part and art would be the whole thing put together. But as I said... that’s not what this is about...

 

[Lord Magic]

Sure man. That’s discipline, you do stuff you know you have to do, despite how much you don’t wanna do them.
What is your point tho?

See, when that force comes into practising something you love as in MAGIC, that force just makes things unnecessarily boring and text-book-like.
I mean, cardistry requires a lot of practice, a LOT more than magic sometimes! But as soon as it becomes, "I HAVE to do this, this is my practice time!" instead of "Man! I wanna look as awesome as that guy! I am gonna tame this flourish!", the fun gets driven out.
But you are right when you say everything requires some discipline.

I feel since magic is a performance art, it becomes a little different than other art forms or hobbies. We can give examples from other arts to simplify things but still, magic remains a bit different.

But as I said, as long as you feel it is fun what you do, it is okay. Or else you see how many magicians soon become like, "I feel I don't like magic anymore"?
That's because they grilled themselves so hard that all the fun got burned out.

 

[Maaz Hasan]

Craft for me would be the mechanical part and art would be the whole thing put together. But as I said... that’s not what this is about...

Then I'm confused at what your asking here. If practice doesn't count practicing your performance, expanding your learning, and all the stuff I mentioned in my last post, but is instead just the mechanical part of it, then the number really shouldn't be that high

 

[obrienmagic]

In the beginning I would spend about 10+ hours a day practicing. I worked at a magic shop so this made it easy for me haha. Then after work I would learn new material and study my books/dvd's. These days, it is unrealistic for me to spend as much time practicing as I am a dad and have two businesses to run haha. I still try to practice for at least 1 hour a day and try to learn something new every week.